Shipper ROI Calculator
Enter your monthly dry, reefer, and ISO tank volumes, switch between CNEE port deposits and lessee equipment rental scenarios, and see the numbers update instantly. All math runs in your browser; raw calculator inputs are never sent to ConPDS.
The Financial Case for Structured Shipper Documentation
The cost of container deposit leakage scales with volume, deposit size, and the share of returns where a repair charge is raised on your specific lanes. The illustrative math below models what a structured documentation platform could recover at three operator sizes across both deposit scenarios: lessee-side (equipment rental, typically around two to three months' rental — a few hundred euros for a dry box) and CNEE-side (port collection — the larger per-container deposit, typically around €1,000 for a dry box, rising to €2,500+ in some regions on the most contested lanes and materially higher for reefer and ISO tank). These are modelled estimates, not guaranteed outcomes. Switch scenarios below to see tier figures at each baseline, or use the interactive calculator further down to model your own fleet.
40 containers / month
150 containers / month
500 containers / month
Deposit Exposure Varies by Class and Scenario
Each class below shows typical deposit ranges on both sides of the deposit split. CNEE-side (port collection) is typically the higher, scaling with container replacement value and non-return risk; lessee-side (equipment rental) is typically the lower, sized at roughly 2–3 months rental. Mixed-fleet operators carry compounding exposure: a single contested reefer compressor claim or ISO tank cleaning dispute often exceeds the annual platform cost on its own.
Dry Box
Reefer
ISO Tank
Deposit sizes vary widely on both sides — financially strong counterparties often pay no deposit at all, while new or small operators on high-dispute lanes pay the upper end of each range. The calculator below lets you model your actual fleet against either deposit scenario.
Calculate Your Own Mixed-Fleet Exposure
Enter your monthly container volumes and known average repair charges. The calculator models your annual deposit exposure and an illustrative recoverable range once handover and return condition evidence is in place — all computed in your browser. Compare that range to your quoted ConPDS platform cost (pricing is scoped per deployment). Your typed values are not transmitted; if you accept analytics cookies, ConPDS receives only anonymous usage buckets such as scenario, volume range, and exposure range.
Planning-cost comparator only — not published ConPDS list pricing. Replace with your quoted annual cost when you have a written estimate.
- Annual deposit capital: Σ (monthly volume × deposit per container) × 12 — the working capital tied up in deposits at any given time.
- Annual repair-charge exposure: Σ (monthly volume × avg charge when raised) × incidence rate × 12 — the expected €'s absorbed as repair deductions across a year.
- Recoverable (illustrative 60–80% band): exposure × 60% to 80% — a planning assumption for modelling, not a ConPDS customer outcome guarantee or published recovery rate.
- Illustrative payback multiple: recoverable ÷ €4,200/year planning comparator. ConPDS Checker pricing is scoped per deployment; use your written estimate in place of this floor when comparing.
Incidence rate is the share of returns where any repair charge is raised — not a percentage of the deposit that gets deducted. If 100% of your returns incur a charge, set this to 100%. The avg charge when raised is the average only across containers that actually get charged, not across all returns.
- Deposit ranges: illustrative planning anchors informed by published shipping-line import tariffs and industry practice. The model's €1,000 dry-box CNEE and €300 lessee defaults are conservative starting points — edit the inputs to match your lanes. Authoritative primary citations for specific tariff sheets remain pending registry verification.
- Lessee deposit sizing: lease terms are negotiated case-by-case on lessee creditworthiness. The "2–3 months rental" sizing is the convention ConPDS customers report — not a universal lessor rule.
- Incidence rate (15–25%): operator-reported planning range; directionally consistent with a TCompanies US intermodal survey estimating ~25% of containers and trailers in circulation are damaged, with 39% of carriers billed even when not at fault (FreightWaves coverage — see source ledger).
- Average repair charge: editable defaults by container class — replace with your actual average when known.
- Recovery band (60–80%): illustrative planning assumption retained as a modelling input (owner-approved 2026-08-05) — not a ConPDS customer outcome or published recovery rate. In the TCompanies survey reported by FreightWaves, 61% of not-at-fault charges were paid because the payer could not prove they weren't responsible — supporting the case for structured evidence, not a ConPDS recovery rate.
- Pricing: ConPDS Checker pricing is scoped per deployment. The €4,200/year figure in the payback line is a planning comparator only, not a published list price.
All figures are illustrative, operator-typical estimates based on your inputs and public benchmarks — not guaranteed savings. Actual recovery depends on lane mix, counterparty, and evidence quality. Calculated in-browser; raw calculator inputs are never sent to ConPDS.
Who This Calculator Is For
This calculator is framed for operators who carry container deposit exposure at pickup and return — the shipper, forwarder, or consignee side of the trade. It is deliberately narrow so the inputs and assumptions stay honest. If your exposure looks different (depot gate throughput, reefer workshop M&R, wash-station turn), the right place to start is the relevant product page rather than forcing your numbers through this model.
Want the Numbers Translated Into an Implementation Plan?
If the illustrative recovery range above looks material for your fleet, the next step is a short conversation about how a structured pickup-and-return record is deployed at your lane profile, counterparty mix, and existing evidence tooling. No pitch deck — the ConPDS team walks through the evidence standard, the rollout, and the honest edge cases where actual recovery falls outside the modelled 60–80% range. The 60–80% figure is a planning assumption, not a guaranteed recovery rate.