Detention is pay that a truck has already earned by waiting. A large share of it is never billed, and the reason is usually paperwork, not a broker saying no.

How big the problem is

In January 2018 the U.S. DOT Office of Inspector General published an audit of driver detention. Two of its estimates are still the most quoted numbers on the subject:

  • Detention is tied to a loss of $1.1 billion to $1.3 billion a year in earnings for for-hire truckload drivers.
  • A 15-minute increase in average dwell time at a facility is associated with a 6.2% higher expected crash rate.

The audit also said that accurate, industry-wide detention data did not exist. That is still the core of the problem. FMCSA notes there is no standard definition of detention time; the usual industry convention is any wait beyond two hours at a shipper or receiver. In 2023 the agency outlined a new study that plans to collect data from about 80 carriers.

If the regulator cannot measure detention well, a small carrier with stop times scattered across texts and phone calls has little chance of billing it.

Why earned detention goes unbilled

From a dispatcher's desk, the same four gaps show up again and again:

  1. Nobody read the terms. Free time, hourly rate, daily cap and notice rules sit on the rate confirmation. They differ from broker to broker.
  2. The times are not written down. "He got there around nine" is not a record.
  3. The broker was not told in time. Many rate cons ask for notice before free time runs out. A phone call leaves no proof.
  4. The invoice went out without the line. By the time someone remembers, the load is already paid.

The paper trail that gets it paid

Before pickup

  • Read the detention terms on the rate con: free time, rate per hour, cap, and how notice must be given.
  • If the rate con is silent on detention, ask the broker and get the answer by email.

At the stop

  • Record the arrival time and the appointment time.
  • Ask for the in and out times to be written on the bill of lading, and have it signed.
  • Send the broker a written notice before free time ends. Email is better than a call.

After delivery

  • Bill detention as its own invoice line, with the arrival time, departure time and billable hours.
  • Attach the signed BOL and the proof of delivery to the invoice.

None of this is complicated. It fails because it depends on a busy person remembering it for every load.

Where DispatchDesk fits

We built DispatchDesk for independent truck dispatchers, and detention was one of the reasons. A few things it does on this exact problem:

  • Import the rate con PDF and the load fills in: stops, appointment times, rate and detention terms.
  • Drivers send the BOL and POD as photos from the cab.
  • The invoice picks up detention from the actual stop times, so the line is not forgotten.

There is a free plan and no card is needed: dispatchdesk.work.gd

Sources

  • U.S. DOT Office of Inspector General, "Estimates Show Commercial Driver Detention Increases Crash Risks and Costs, but Current Data Limit Further Analysis", report ST2018019, 31 January 2018: record at TRID
  • Heavy Duty Trucking, "FMCSA Outlines Plans for Driver Detention Study", 24 August 2023: truckinginfo.com