Detention pay is what a carrier charges when a shipper or receiver holds the truck at the dock beyond an agreed free period. It is the most under-collected money in small-carrier trucking, not because brokers refuse to pay it, but because drivers do not document it and owners do not bill it. This guide covers what detention pay is, what it typically pays, how to get it into the rate confirmation, and how to collect it every time.
What is detention pay?
When you accept a load, you are agreeing to show up for a pickup or delivery appointment. The facility is agreeing, implicitly or in writing, to load or unload you within a reasonable window. When they do not, your truck sits. Hours-of-service keep ticking, the next load slips, and you burn a day you cannot get back. Detention pay compensates the carrier for that lost time.
It is an accessorial charge, meaning it is billed on top of the linehaul rate. It is not automatic. It exists only if it is agreed to, documented, and invoiced.
The cost is real. A 2018 report from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General estimated that detention reduces driver earnings by roughly $1.1 to $1.3 billion a year across the industry. Spread that over one truck and it is a few thousand dollars a year in time you already spent.
How much is detention pay for truckers?
There is no regulated rate. What you get is what you negotiate. Typical terms in the spot market look like this:
| Term | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free time | 2 hours | Some brokers offer 3; a few shippers push for 4. Two is the common standard. |
| Detention rate | $25–$100 per hour | $50–$75 is most common for dry van and reefer. Specialized and hazmat can run higher. |
| Billing increments | Per hour or per 15 minutes | Ask for 15-minute increments after free time. Hourly rounding usually favors the payer. |
| Daily cap | Sometimes | Some brokers cap detention at a day rate, after which layover applies. |
Those are typical ranges from rate confirmations we see, not guaranteed numbers. Detention on a load you accepted without asking about it is whatever the broker's default policy says, which is often less.
A useful way to set your own floor: divide your daily fixed cost plus your target daily pay by the hours you can legally drive. If your truck needs to gross $900 a day to make sense, and you can drive 11 hours, every hour at a dock costs you roughly $80. That is your number. Use our cost per mile calculator to get your real daily cost first.
Detention vs. layover vs. TONU
These get mixed up, and mixing them up on an invoice gives the broker an easy reason to short-pay.
- Detention: waiting at the shipper or receiver beyond free time on a load you are running. Billed hourly.
- Layover: the load cannot ship or receive until the next day, so the truck sits overnight. Billed as a flat day rate, typically in the $150–$350 range, sometimes higher for teams or specialized equipment.
- TONU (truck ordered, not used): you were dispatched, you showed up or were en route, and the load was cancelled. Billed as a flat fee, typically $150–$250, plus any deadhead if agreed.
Get all three on the rate confirmation. A broker who will not put any of them in writing is telling you how the dispute will go later.
How to get detention written into the rate confirmation
The rate con is the contract. If detention is not on it, you are relying on the broker's goodwill and their shipper's willingness to reimburse them. Here is how experienced dispatchers handle it.
- Ask before you agree to the rate. "What's your detention policy on this one?" is a normal question. Ask it while you still have leverage, not after the rate is agreed.
- Ask about the facility, not just the policy. "How long does this shipper usually take?" Brokers know their problem facilities. If the answer is vague, price the load as if you will wait.
- Get the terms in writing on the rate con. Free time, hourly rate, billing increment, and what documentation they require. If it is not on the rate con, ask them to email it before you dispatch. An email counts. A phone call does not.
- Confirm the appointment time. Detention clocks start at the appointment, not at arrival. If you arrive early, free time does not start until the appointment. If you arrive late, you may forfeit it. Being on time is the first documentation step.
- Know the broker's notification rule. Most rate cons require you to notify the broker when free time is about to expire, usually at the 90-minute or 2-hour mark. Miss the notification and the claim is dead, no matter how long you sat.
Our free rate confirmation template shows what a complete accessorial section looks like, so you know what to ask for.
How to document arrival and departure
Detention claims are won and lost on timestamps. The broker will ask for proof; the shipper will say the truck arrived later than it did. Your documentation has to be boring and unarguable.
- Timestamped arrival. A text to dispatch at the gate: "Arrived shipper 08:52." SMS carries a server timestamp that nobody can edit after the fact.
- Geotagged photos. A phone photo of the facility sign or dock number with location services on. Metadata shows time and GPS. Take one on arrival and one on departure.
- Signed in and out times on the BOL. Ask the shipping clerk to note the in and out times and initial them. Many will. If they refuse, note the refusal and the time in a text to dispatch.
- ELD log. On-duty not driving time at a location is corroborating evidence, though not enough on its own.
- Notification to the broker. Email or text the broker at the free-time mark: "At receiver since 13:05, appointment was 13:00, still not unloaded at 15:00. Detention begins now per rate con."
The easiest version of this is keeping all of that evidence with the load, not scattered across phones and inboxes. Keep the arrival and departure times, the photos, and the broker notification together for each load as they happen, and they are ready when you invoice. If your trucks run Motive or Samsara, ELD location and hours of service help back up when the truck was actually at the dock.
How to bill and collect detention
Documented detention still goes unpaid when it is billed late, billed vaguely, or billed as a surprise. Follow the sequence.
- Notify the same day. Tell the broker the detention amount before the driver leaves the facility if you can. "Two hours ten minutes detention at receiver, $137.50 per the rate con." Brokers need to bill their shipper the same day.
- Put it on the invoice as a line item. Separate from linehaul. Show the free time, the total wait, the billable time, and the rate. Attach the arrival and departure evidence.
- Invoice within 24 hours of delivery. The longer the gap, the more likely the shipper disputes and the broker gives up on collecting it for you.
- Track it in AR aging separately. Detention gets short-paid more than linehaul. If the linehaul is paid and the detention is not, follow up on the detention specifically.
- Keep a facility log. Note which shippers and receivers routinely hold you. Next time a load touches one of them, price it in or pass.
Small carriers that invoice from a system with the documents attached collect detention far more consistently than those sending it from a spreadsheet three days later. Our invoicing software guide and cash flow tips go deeper on this.
Common reasons detention claims get denied
- The driver arrived late for the appointment.
- Nobody notified the broker when free time expired.
- No in and out times on the paperwork and no timestamps to back them up.
- The claim was submitted days after delivery.
- Detention was never on the rate con, and the broker's default policy was less generous.
- Free time was 3 or 4 hours in the rate con and the driver assumed 2.
All of those are fixable before the load.
Is detention pay regulated?
No federal rule sets detention rates or requires payment. FMCSA has studied detention's effect on safety and driver income, but as of this writing it remains a contractual matter between carriers, brokers, and shippers. That means the rate confirmation is your only protection, which is why the sections above matter more than any regulation. For the broader compliance picture, see our DOT compliance guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is a fair detention rate?
Most spot-market rate confirmations land between $50 and $75 per hour after two hours of free time. Ask for more if your equipment is specialized or the facility is known to be slow.
Does detention pay go to the driver or the carrier?
It is billed by the carrier. Whether the driver receives it depends on the pay agreement. Owner-operators keep it. Company drivers get whatever their carrier's policy says, which is often a share or a set hourly rate that may be less than what the carrier collected.
When does the detention clock start?
Almost always at the scheduled appointment time or the actual arrival time, whichever is later. Arriving early does not start the clock early. Check the rate con, because a few brokers start it at check-in regardless.
Can I refuse to leave until detention is approved?
Holding the freight is a bad idea and can breach your contract. Deliver, document, and invoice. Your leverage is the documentation and your willingness to price that shipper's freight accordingly next time.
How do I prove detention without a signed BOL time?
Timestamped texts to dispatch, geotagged photos on arrival and departure, ELD on-duty records, and your notification to the broker at the free-time mark. Together they are usually enough. A signed BOL time is the best single piece of evidence but not the only one.
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