Tool
Detention pay calculator
Enter your check-in time, the facility's free time allowance, your departure time, and your approved detention rate to calculate billable detention hours and total pay owed.
Enter your arrival time, departure time, and rate — then click Calculate detention.
How detention pay works
Detention is time a driver spends waiting at a shipper or receiver beyond the agreed free time — typically two hours. When a driver checks in on time for a pickup or delivery but is not loaded, unloaded, or released within the free time, the extra wait is compensable as detention.
The amount and terms are set on the rate confirmation. If the rate confirmation says "$50/hr after 2 hours," that is the contract. If the rate confirmation does not mention detention, you may be entitled to it under your carrier agreement, but you will likely need explicit broker approval before it is paid.
When detention starts
Free time typically starts from your scheduled appointment time or actual check-in time, whichever is later. Some shippers start the clock from when you arrived at the dock rather than when you checked in at the guard shack — the distinction matters when the facility has a long check-in queue. Document your arrival at the gate as well as your check-in at the dock.
Detention ends when you are released — meaning the trailer doors are closed, the paperwork is signed, and you are free to leave. Being "almost done" loading does not end the clock. A driver still waiting at an open dock door at hour three is still on detention.
Pickup vs. delivery detention
Detention applies at both origin (waiting for freight to be loaded) and destination (waiting for freight to be unloaded). The rate confirmation may specify different free time allowances or rates for each, though most use the same terms for both stops. Multiple stops on a load can each generate separate detention — each stop gets its own free time clock.
Notifying the broker
Most brokers require notification when free time is about to expire. Call or message the broker when you are inside the facility and approaching the end of free time. Say the time, the stop, and that you are still waiting. Keep a record of this notification — a text message with timestamps is easy to use as documentation. Brokers who are not notified during the wait sometimes dispute detention claims made after the fact, even when the detention is clearly shown in timestamps.
What counts as documentation
The strongest detention documentation includes:
- A time-stamped check-in receipt or guard shack ticket showing your arrival time
- A photo of the facility's time display or your ELD screen showing the time you were released
- Text messages to the broker with timestamps showing you notified them during the wait
- The signed BOL or scale ticket, which shows when the paperwork was completed
- ELD data, which records location and time continuously and can show how long the truck was stationary at the facility
ELD data alone is often enough for clear-cut cases where the truck was obviously stopped at the shipper's address for three hours. The more documentation you have, the harder it is for the broker to dispute the time.
When brokers push back
Common disputes: the broker says detention was not pre-approved, the shipper claims the driver arrived late, or the broker argues the free time does not start until a specific event. The best defense is documentation that establishes your check-in time independently of the broker's or shipper's records. If you have a guard shack ticket showing you arrived at 10:15 and the rate confirmation shows a 10:00 appointment, your documentation supports your claim even if the shipper's log shows something different.
If a broker refuses to pay documented detention, you can escalate through the same channels used for other payment disputes: written demand, bond claim with the FMCSA, or small claims court. Detention pay is owed under the terms of the rate confirmation just as the linehaul rate is — it is not discretionary.
Detention and hours of service
Detention is not just a money issue — it eats into a driver's available hours. Two hours of detention at a shipper means two hours less driving time that day. On a tight schedule, detention at pickup can cause late delivery, which the driver then has to explain even though the delay was not their fault. Document detention not just for billing purposes but for your own records if a delivery timeline dispute comes up later.