Detention in Trucking
Detention is charged when a truck driver waits at a pickup or delivery location longer than the carrier's free time allowance. It is the most common freight accessorial charge in full truckload shipping, and it is almost always caused by shipper or consignee operations — not by the carrier.
What triggers detention
Carriers allow a window of free time at each stop — typically two hours from the scheduled appointment time or from the driver's arrival, whichever is later. After free time expires, detention accrues at an hourly rate published in the carrier's tariff.
The clock starts at the appointment time or arrival time, not when loading or unloading begins. A driver who arrives at the appointment window and then waits 90 minutes before the dock door is assigned is already consuming free time before a single pallet is touched.
Common triggers:
- Freight not staged and ready at the scheduled pickup time.
- Understaffed dock at the appointment window — not enough forklift operators or lumpers to load efficiently.
- Dock congestion — other trucks already at all doors, forcing the driver to wait for door assignment.
- Paperwork delays — BOL not printed, packing list not ready, freight count discrepancy that must be resolved before loading.
- Facility that schedules appointments without accounting for actual loading time per truck.
Who pays
Detention at origin is paid by the shipper. Detention at delivery is paid by the consignee or, depending on the freight terms, the shipper. The invoice comes from the carrier and is often disputed.
Disputes are common because the carrier's record (the driver's ELD timestamp data and any detention log) and the shipper's record (appointment scheduling and dock logs) frequently don't align. The FMCSA's ELD mandate has made carrier records more reliable — a driver's ELD shows exactly when the truck arrived and when it departed.
The HOS impact you're not seeing on the invoice
The detention charge on your invoice is only part of the cost. A driver who waits two hours at your dock has burned two hours of their available service window under Hours of Service regulations. Those hours don't come back.
On a tight lane — where transit requires most of the driver's available hours — detention at origin can push delivery to the following day. A shipper who regularly detains drivers will develop a reputation with carriers: their freight requires an extra day's buffer to ensure on-time delivery. That buffer costs the carrier capacity and creates risk they price into the rate.
For industry data on how detention affects driver pay and carrier economics, see conmitto.io/resources/truck-detention-statistics.
How detention is documented
Carriers document detention through a combination of ELD data (showing arrival and departure times) and detention logs (a paper or digital record the driver asks the shipper to sign, acknowledging the waiting time). Some carriers require a shipper signature on the detention log to invoice the charge; others invoice based on ELD timestamps alone.
Shippers who dispute detention without their own record of dock times are at a disadvantage. Facilities that track when trucks arrive, when loading begins, when loading ends, and when trucks depart are in a much better position to evaluate and dispute detention invoices.
How to reduce detention exposure
- Pre-stage freight: Have freight on pallets, wrapped, and staged near the assigned dock door before the appointment window. Don't schedule pickups for freight that won't be ready.
- Staff the dock: Ensure forklift operators and dock workers are available at the appointment time, not starting their shift 30 minutes later.
- Manage appointment density: Don't schedule more trucks per hour than your dock can physically process. If a dock can handle three trucks per hour, don't schedule five.
- Communicate delays early: If freight won't be ready at the scheduled time, notify the carrier before the driver departs. A carrier who knows about a delay can sometimes reschedule without the driver burning free time.
- Track dock performance: Measure actual truck turn time at your facility. The gap between scheduled and actual turn time is where detention lives.