How to Get Detention Paid: A Step-by-Step Guide for Carriers

Long waits at shippers and receivers burn hours you could be driving and money you could be earning. Detention pay is the compensation for that wait, but it rarely pays itself. Getting it requires terms agreed in advance, clean documentation and fast follow-up.

What detention pay is

Detention is a charge for time spent at a pickup or delivery beyond the free time allowed. A typical arrangement says something like: "two hours free, then a set hourly rate." The hourly rate, free-time window and any daily cap are negotiated and should appear on the rate confirmation.

Detention matters because your hours of service keep running while you sit at a dock. Under the federal 14-hour rule, on-duty waiting time eats into your driving window, so a long wait can push your next load back by a day. Our guide to hours of service rules explains how that clock works.

Step 1: Get the terms in writing before pickup

Most denied detention claims fail here. Before you sign the rate con, confirm:

• Free time at each stop (for example, 2 hours)
• Hourly rate after free time
• Billing increments (full hour, half hour or by the minute)
• Daily cap if any
• Notification rule, such as "notify within 30 minutes of free time expiring"
• Proof required, such as signed in-and-out times on the BOL

If detention is missing from the rate con, ask the broker to add it. Our guide on how to read a rate confirmation covers the other lines to check at the same time.

Step 2: Arrive on time and check in properly

Detention policies usually require that you arrive on time for your appointment. An early arrival does not normally start the clock early, and a late arrival can void detention entirely.

• Check in with security or the shipping office as soon as you arrive.
• Get a check-in time recorded: a gate ticket, a sign-in sheet entry or a timestamp on paperwork.
• Take a photo of the sign-in sheet or gate ticket if allowed.
• Make sure your ELD shows you on duty at the facility.

Step 3: Notify the broker before free time runs out

Do not wait until you leave to mention detention. When you are getting close to the end of free time, send the broker a short message by email or their load app:

"Load #12345: checked in at 08:00 for an 08:00 appointment, still not loaded. Free time expires at 10:00. Please note detention will start then."

This does two things. It meets the notification requirement many brokers have, and it gives the broker a chance to push the facility. Send updates if the wait drags on, and save every message.

Step 4: Get out-time documented

When you are released, get the facility to write or stamp the out time on the BOL, with a signature if possible. Combined with your in time, this is your primary proof. Supporting evidence includes:

• ELD logs showing your location and duty status
• GPS or tracking app history
• Timestamped photos
• Your written notifications to the broker

If the facility refuses to note times, write them on your copy, note the refusal and tell the broker right away.

Step 5: Invoice detention promptly with proof

Bill detention with the load, not weeks later. Your detention request should include:

• Load number and stop
• Appointment time, check-in time and check-out time
• Free time and billable time
• Rate and total amount
• Copies of the BOL with times, and your notification messages

Worked example

Hypothetical example: your rate con says 2 hours free, then $50 per hour, billed in full hours. Appointment is 08:00. You check in at 07:50, are loaded and released at 13:10.

• Clock starts at the appointment: 08:00
• Time on site counted: 08:00 to 13:10 = 5 hours 10 minutes
• Minus free time: 5:10 - 2:00 = 3 hours 10 minutes
• Billed in full hours: 3 hours
• Detention: 3 x $50 = $150

Run your own numbers with the detention pay calculator.

Common reasons detention gets denied

• No detention terms on the rate con
• Late arrival or missed appointment
• No signed in-and-out times
• Broker not notified during the wait
• Detention requested long after delivery
• Delay caused by the carrier, such as a paperwork problem or missing equipment

Each of these is avoidable with a simple routine. Make it a habit for every load, not just the ones where you expect a wait.

Use detention history when you book

Detention is also information. If a shipper keeps you for hours every time, that lane is worth less than its rate per mile suggests. Track your average wait by facility and use it when you negotiate. Ask for a higher rate or guaranteed detention on known slow docks, and be ready to pass on loads where the wait wipes out the profit. Our guide on how to negotiate freight rates covers how to bring that data to the conversation, and the load profitability calculator lets you add expected wait time into your numbers.

If a long wait turns into an overnight stay, that becomes layover, which has its own terms. See our guide to TONU, layover and lumper pay.

How Texas Solutions can help

Texas Solutions is a dispatch service, not a broker or motor carrier. Our dispatchers negotiate detention terms onto the rate con, send notifications during the wait and handle the paperwork that supports your claim, 24/7, and you approve every load. See our dispatch services or talk to a dispatcher.

Frequently asked questions