The CFS Pickup Playbook — Free from GLT Logistics
FREE PLAYBOOK For Forwarders & NVOCCs

Stop losing margin at the CFS gate.

The 11-Point Readiness Checklist and 15-Row Audit Template that eliminate same-day drayage failures and help recover storage charges.

  • ✓Eliminate 70–80% of same-day pickup failures with a documented T-2 protocol.
  • ✓Recover 40–65% of legitimately disputed CFS storage charges.
  • ✓Cut dry-run costs by $9–13K / year on 20 pickups per month.
100% FREE PDF
GLT
Established 2002
Miami · USA
Free Playbook For Freight Forwarders & NVOCCs

The CFS
Pickup Playbook

The 11-Point Readiness Checklist and 15-Row Audit Template that eliminate same-day drayage failures and help recover storage charges.

Deliverable 01
11 — Point Checklist
Deliverable 02
15 — Row Audit
No Excuses. Just Solutions.
+24Years
+6.5KCustomers
+1MShipments
3Countries
Focus on growing your business; we manage your logistics.
Instant Access · No Sales Call — Get the playbook in your inbox right now.
— Trusted by forwarders, NVOCCs & shippers since 2002 —
24+
Years in
Logistics
2,500+
Active
Customers
1M+
Shipments
Delivered
3
Countries
US · MX · CA
The Cost of No Protocol

Every month, the same
CFS failures bleed your margin.

These aren't random events. They're the predictable output of a pickup process without a documented protocol — and they show up on your P&L every single month.

$250–350
Per Dry Run

Cargo "not released" dry runs

Truck rolls to the CFS, gets turned away. Most are caused by relying on the steamship line portal instead of confirming directly with the CFS operator.

$200–500
Per Incident

MBL / HBL release gap

Driver dispatched after the MBL releases — but the HBL hasn't surrendered yet. Driver arrives, gets turned away, rebook fee triggers.

$300–800
Per Incident

Customs hold at the gate

Entry status wasn't checked in ACE before dispatch. Turned-away truck, re-delivery fee, and your free-time clock restarts.

$280–900
Per Dispute

Recoverable storage charges

Storage fees caused by upstream delays. Without a date-stamped release timeline, you absorb costs that aren't yours to pay.

How It Works

From download to
recovered dollars one afternoon.

Three steps. No software.
No subscriptions. Your operations team is implementing it before the day is over.

1

Download & print

Drop your name and email, get the PDF in your inbox. Print copies for your dispatch desk and operations leads.

⏱ 60 seconds
2

Run the 11-point checklist

Apply it to your next CFS pickup. Eliminate failures before they become billable events — release, customs, equipment, gate.

⏱ 15 minutes / pickup
3

Score the 15-row audit

Run it against your last 30 pickups. The scoring rubric tells you exactly which four items to fix first for the biggest impact.

⏱ 2 hours, once
What's Inside

Two tools. One protocol.
Same-day implementation.

This is the same playbook our drayage desk runs before every container leaves a CFS. Print it. Use it. Score your operation. Recover your money.

Part 01
11
Point Checklist

Pre-dispatch readiness in 15 minutes per pickup.

Run before dispatching every drayage carrier. Each item that fails is a billable event waiting to happen.

  • Dual-source release verification
  • MBL + HBL surrender confirmation
  • ACE customs entry status check
  • Written appointment lock-in
  • T-2 hour pre-dispatch protocol
Part 02
15
Row Cost-Leak Audit

Score your last 30 pickups. See where money leaks.

Run the audit on your last 30 CFS pickups. Flag the issues. The scoring rubric tells you exactly which four items to fix first.

  • Demurrage vs. detention tagging
  • Free-time window tracking
  • Dry-run frequency by facility
  • Storage dispute documentation
  • Color-coded scoring rubric
Bonus
3
Impact Benchmarks

What this is worth in real dollars.

For an operation running 20 CFS pickups per month, we modeled what the playbook unlocks the moment you implement it.

  • 70–80% same-day failure reduction
  • 40–65% storage charge recovery
  • $9–13K / year on dry runs alone
  • 2–3× higher dispute recovery
  • Ready to share with your ops team
The Numbers

What you stop losing
moment you implement it.

These aren't aspirational. They're the operational deltas we see between forwarders running this protocol and those running reactive dispatch.

70–80%
Failure Reduction

Eliminate same-day CFS pickup failures

A documented T-2 hour pre-dispatch protocol catches release, customs, and equipment issues before the truck rolls.

40–65%
Recovery Rate

Recover disputable CFS storage charges

A date-stamped release timeline gives you documented grounds to dispute charges caused by upstream delays — not your operation.

$9–13K
Annual Savings

Cut dry-run cost on 20 pickups / month

Eliminating just 3 dry runs per month at $250–$350 compounds to significant annual savings. No new tools required.

"
We see the same CFS pickup failures costing forwarders and NVOCCs margin every month — and most of them are preventable with a documented protocol. This playbook is what our drayage desk runs before every container leaves a CFS.
GLT
The GLT Drayage Desk
» Miami, FL · Established 2002
Why this works

We didn't write this from a desk. We run it daily.

GLT Logistics has been coordinating LTL, FTL, and import logistics across the US, Mexico, and Canada since 2002. We built this playbook because we see the same CFS pickup failures costing forwarders and NVOCCs margin every month — and most of them are preventable with a documented protocol.

Our drayage team runs this checklist before every container leaves a CFS. The audit template is the same one we use to flag underperforming facilities in our own network. Nothing in this playbook is theoretical.

SmartWay Transport Partner
TMSA Member
FSA Bonded
CSCMP
Top Companies for Women in Transportation
timer

24+ Years

In cross-border and domestic freight, from FTL to drayage.

$

$1M+ Recovered

In disputable storage and detention charges for our customers.

★

Strict Carrier Selection

Vetted drayage network across LA/LB, Newark, Savannah, Houston, Miami.

computer

Modern Tech Stack

Revenova TMS, real-time tracking, and CFS visibility tools.

Common Questions

Frequently asked questions.

If you're not sure whether this is for you, these answers should make it clear in 60 seconds.

Is this actually free? What's the catch?

Yes. The PDF lands in your inbox the moment you submit the form — no payment, no credit card, no sales call required.

The "catch" is straightforward: if you find the playbook valuable and want a second set of eyes on what your audit surfaces, we offer a 20-minute operational review. You only book that if you want to. The playbook works whether you do or don't.

Who is this for?

Freight forwarders, NVOCCs, logistics managers, operations leads, and dispatch teams who coordinate CFS pickups and LCL/import drayage as part of their operation.

If you've ever paid for a dry run, absorbed a storage fee you suspect wasn't yours, or had a driver turned away at a CFS gate — this is built for you.

I'm a small operation — is this overkill?

The opposite. Smaller operations have less margin to absorb avoidable costs, so the protocol pays back faster proportionally.

The checklist takes 15 minutes per pickup. If you run 5 CFS pickups a month and prevent 1 dry run per quarter, you've already saved more than the time invested.

Do I need GLT Logistics to use this?

No. The playbook is a standalone operational protocol — it works with whatever drayage carrier, CFS facility, or TMS you use today.

We built it from our own desk, but the value isn't locked behind our brand. Print it, run it, recover your money — done.

What if my issues aren't covered in the 11 points?

The 11 points cover ~80% of the failure modes we see across our customer base. The remaining 20% are usually facility-specific or operation-specific edge cases.

If you run the audit and find a recurring failure mode that's not covered, that's exactly what the 20-minute operational review is for. Bring it. We'll figure it out together — no commitment required.

Can I share this with my team?

Please do. The whole point is to get it in front of the people running dispatch, customs, and CFS coordination. Print it, slack it, share it in your ops Monday meeting — the protocol only works when the team actually runs it.

How is the 20-minute review structured?

It's a working session, not a sales call. You bring your audit score (or your top 3 recurring CFS pain points), and our drayage team gives you a second opinion on what to fix first and how.

No demo. No pitch. No follow-up sequence. If you want to talk freight afterward, we will. If you want to leave with just the operational read, that's fine too.

Free Download

Ready to stop absorbing
recoverable costs?

Drop your name and email. The playbook lands in your inbox in under 60 seconds. Print it, run the audit on your last 30 pickups, and fix the four items the scoring rubric flags. That's it.

No sales pitch. No demo. Just the tools, same day.

GLT Logistics

Third-party logistics provider established 2002. We move LTL, FTL, drayage, and cross-border freight across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

"Focus on growing your business; we manage your logistics."

Contact

contact@goglt.com
+1 (305) 726-0275
10 Canal Street #318
Miami Springs, FL 33166

Services

FTL · LTL · Container Drayage
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