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Why does Dockflow say a demurrage or detention rule is missing?

Almost always because Dockflow could not find a rule that matches this particular shipment - not because no rule exists. The most common reason is that the shipment is missing the carrier.

This page explains the vocabulary, where the rules live, and how to read the message.

The vocabulary​

TermWhat it measures
DemurrageFree time for the container inside the terminal, from discharge until it is picked up
DetentionFree time for the container outside the terminal, from pick-up until it is returned empty
Combined free timeOne pooled clock covering both, running from the demurrage start to the detention stop
StorageFree time charged by the terminal for the cargo, separate from the carrier's demurrage
Dwell timeHow long the container actually sat, measured. Not a charge, and not a rule
Last free dayThe last day before charges begin, derived from the free days on the matching rule

Combined is not "demurrage plus detention added together". It is a single period with one start and one stop, which is what several carriers actually contract.

Where the rules live​

Two places, and both have to be right.

1. The shape of the rule is set on the automation step Monitor dwell. This is where you choose what a rule is allowed to differ by: Country, Port, Incoterm, Reefer, Dangerous Goods, Tank Container, Carrier, and Client. Whatever you tick here defines how specific a rule has to be before Dockflow will consider it a match.

2. The number of free days is set in Dwell Center.

The type is a dropdown on the same step, and the wording is exact:

  • Destination demurrage (legacy)
  • Destination detention (legacy)
  • Equipment Free Time In Port
  • Equipment Free Time Out Of Port
  • Equipment Free Time Combined
  • Storage Free Time
  • Electricty Free Time (spelled that way in the product; electricity free time)

How to read "Destination demurrage rule missing"​

It means one thing: for this shipment, no rule matched. Dockflow looks for a rule whose combination of differentiators matches the shipment. If none matches, and no backup rule is enabled, you get this message. When a backup rule is enabled you get "Using destination demurrage default rule" instead, and monitoring keeps running.

The quickest fix is a backup rule

On the Monitor dwell step there is a checkbox, "Add backup rule if no configuration entered". Tick it and give it a free-days value, and shipments that match no specific rule fall back to it instead of reporting a missing one. That covers the long tail without you having to enumerate every combination.

The usual cause: the shipment has no carrier​

If Carrier is one of your differentiators, then the carrier is part of what a rule is matched on. A shipment with no carrier does not fall back to a carrier-agnostic rule - it simply matches nothing, so a rule you can see in Dwell Center will still read as missing.

This is common and it is not always your fault: some upstream systems never send the carrier at all.

Two related cases that produce the same result:

  • The carrier is read from the last sea leg, so a shipment whose final sea leg has no carrier behaves the same way as one with no carrier anywhere.
  • A missing final port of discharge has the same effect, because the leg the carrier is read from cannot be identified.

What to do: enable the backup rule above, which resolves this whether or not the carrier is ever filled in. Then, if you want the specific rule to apply, check whether the shipment carries a carrier and a final port of discharge - if it does not, that part is fixed upstream, in the file or feed that creates the shipment. If it does carry both and the message is still there, send us the reference.

The other cause: the rule genuinely is not filled in​

A configuration can exist with the free-days value never entered. Dockflow treats an empty value the same as no rule. Open Dwell Center and check the combination in question actually carries a number.

A rule you added is still not matching​

Check that the differentiators you ticked on Monitor dwell are the ones you actually want. Every differentiator you add makes rules more specific, so a rule set at country level will not match if the step also differentiates on port.

A flag fired before the container arrived​

That is a different problem with its own explanation - see flags and alerts, which covers a demurrage flag firing early and how the backup rule behaves.

Need help?​

  • Email support - [email protected]
  • In-app chat - click the chat icon in the bottom right

Last updated: August 17, 2026