Detention
Pay owed when a driver is held at a shipper or receiver beyond the free time allotted for loading or unloading, usually 1-2 hours.
Detention in Practice
Document the Clock, Not Just the Wait
A timestamped BOL, a check-in text to dispatch, or a photo of the guard shack ticket all matter more than your memory of how long you waited when it comes time to collect.
Free Time Varies by Load
Most rate confirmations specify 1 to 2 hours of free time before detention pay kicks in, but this isn't universal. Always check the specific number on the paperwork rather than assuming a standard.
Collection Isn't Automatic
Detention pay almost never shows up on an invoice by itself. A carrier or dispatcher has to actively claim it with documentation, and brokers routinely push back on the first request.
Detention: What It Means and Why It Matters
Detention is one of the most disputed line items in trucking, since it sits right at the boundary between the shipper's problem (a slow warehouse) and the carrier's cost (a truck and driver sitting still, earning nothing). Nearly every rate confirmation references a free time window, and understanding exactly how that window and the pay that follows it work is one of the more valuable things a new owner-operator can learn early.
How Detention Actually Works
Most rate confirmations specify a free time window, commonly 1 to 2 hours, that starts once a driver checks in at the shipper or receiver. Once that window passes without the truck being loaded or unloaded, detention pay begins accruing, typically billed in 15 or 30 minute increments at a rate that's either stated on the rate confirmation or defaults to a standard the broker or shipper uses.
A Practical Example
Say a rate confirmation lists 2 hours of free time and a detention rate of $50 per hour after that. A driver checks in at 8:00 AM and isn't loaded until 11:30 AM, a 3.5 hour wait. Subtracting the 2 hours of free time leaves 1.5 hours of billable detention, worth $75 on top of the linehaul rate.
That $75 only gets paid if someone actually submits it with proof: a timestamped BOL showing the check-in and completion times, at minimum. Without that documentation, most brokers and shippers won't pay it even when they don't dispute that the wait happened.
Why Detention Matters for Owner-Operators
A truck sitting at a dock isn't just losing the hour it's parked. It's also losing the next load that truck could have been running, and depending on HOS clocks, a long detention can eat into a driver's available drive time for the day. Detention pay is meant to offset that lost opportunity, not just the literal wait, which is part of why it's worth pursuing even on smaller amounts.
Common Detention Mistakes
The most common mistake is not documenting check-in and completion times in the moment, then trying to reconstruct them later from memory when a broker disputes the claim. The second is assuming detention pay is automatic once free time passes. In practice, someone has to request it, attach documentation, and sometimes follow up more than once before it gets paid.
Related Calculators
Related Dispatch Operations Terms
Carriers on Detention
“I text my dispatcher the second I check in and the second I'm loaded. That habit alone has gotten me paid detention on loads I would have just eaten a few years ago.”
“Detention disputes are common, but a timestamped BOL ends most of them fast. I don't even argue anymore, I just send the photo.”