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    What is detention in trucking? When the clock starts, and when it pays

    Detention is the most common accessorial in trucking and the one most often lost. It pays for time a truck is held at a dock past the free time allowed for loading or unloading. Whether you get paid depends on three things written on the rate confirmation: when the clock starts, how much free time the facility gets, and the hourly rate. This page explains each one. It leaves the claim process to our guide on getting detention and lumper money paid.

    The time card below shows a load with EXAMPLE times. Change the arrival, the appointment and the free time, and tick the box to see how an early arrival changes what counts.

    One delivery, EXAMPLE timesExample times
    1. ARRIVED06:20
    2. APPOINTMENT07:00
    3. CHECKED OUT11:45
    Free time 2h 00m Billable 2h 45m

    $138 detention at $50/hr after 2 free hours.

    Terms come from your rate con. This is the math, not a promise that a broker pays.

    hrs
    $/hr

    Clock start 07:00.

    When the detention clock starts

    Rate cons use a few different starting points, and the difference can be hours of pay.

    • At the appointment time: the clock starts at the scheduled appointment, even if the driver arrived earlier. This is common, because a facility isn't responsible for time before an appointment it set.
    • At check-in: the clock starts when the driver checks in at the gate or the shipping office, recorded by the facility's system, a gate slip or the driver's log.
    • At the later of the two: the clock starts at check-in or the appointment, whichever is later. On time or late, it runs from check-in; early, it waits for the appointment.

    That's why arriving early often doesn't count. A truck that pulls in at 6:20 for a 7:00 appointment usually starts the clock at 7:00, and the 40 minutes before it are the carrier's time. A truck that arrives late can lose detention entirely, because many rate cons void it for missed appointments.

    What free time is

    Free time is the loading or unloading time a facility gets before detention starts, commonly two hours, though it's whatever the rate con says. Some rate cons give different free time at pickup and delivery, or more for live unloads than drop trailers. Billable detention is the time on site past free time, until the truck is released.

    How detention time is rounded and billed

    Detention is usually billed by the hour after free time ends. Some rate cons round to the nearest quarter hour, some to the next full hour, and some pay only full hours. A daily cap is common. Read the rounding rule, because on a short wait it decides whether a few minutes over free time pay anything at all. The detention pay calculator applies your rate con's free time, rate and rounding to your actual times.

    How detention affects pay, and safety

    Detention is real money. A U.S. DOT Office of Inspector General report in 2018 estimated that detention reduces for-hire truckload drivers' annual earnings by $1.1 billion to $1.3 billion, and that each 15-minute increase in average dwell time is linked to a 6.2 percent increase in the expected crash rate, as drivers try to make up the lost time. The same report notes that industrywide detention data don't exist, so these are estimates.

    Sources: U.S. DOT OIG, 2018 (ST2018019), checked October 2026; U.S. DOT OIG, 2018 (ST2018019), checked October 2026

    For a single truck, an unpaid wait of a few hours can turn a good load into a poor one, and it can push the next pickup into tomorrow. That's when detention becomes a layover question; our guide to layover pay explains the difference. And when a load is cancelled after you've been dispatched, a different accessorial applies: see TONU in trucking.

    Most detention is lost before the load starts, when free time and the hourly rate never reach the rate con. Our dispatchers put detention terms on every rate con and track the clock while you wait.

    Get paid for my dock time

    Live loads, drop trailers and detention

    Detention mostly applies to live loads and live unloads, where the truck waits while the freight goes on or comes off. On a drop-and-hook load, the driver leaves a trailer and takes another, so the truck itself isn't held, though waiting for a loaded trailer that isn't ready can still count if the rate con says so. Power-only carriers meet this often: a preloaded trailer that isn't ready when the truck arrives is detention time under many rate cons, and the wording should say so before you book.

    Detention and lumpers

    At many warehouses, the unloading is done by a lumper service, and the wait for the lumper crew is part of the dock time. Detention still runs on the rate con's terms while you wait for a crew; the lumper fee is a separate charge, usually reimbursed. Our guide to the lumper explains how those arrangements work.

    What to check and document

    Before the load: read the detention terms, and ask for them if they're missing. At the dock: get the check-in time on a record the broker will accept, and message the broker before free time runs out. After: send the times with the invoice. Detention is one of several accessorials, all covered in our guide to accessorial charges in freight.

    Detention gets paid when someone owns the clock. Our owner-operator dispatch desk sets the terms, tracks the time and files the claim, and you approve every load. Send an application.

    Questions people ask

    What is detention pay in trucking?
    Detention pay is money a carrier earns when a shipper or receiver keeps the truck past the free time agreed for loading or unloading. It's usually an hourly rate set on the rate confirmation, and it's billed by the carrier to the broker or shipper, who often passes it on to the facility that caused the delay.
    What does detention mean in trucking?
    Detention means time a truck is held at a pickup or delivery beyond the free time allowed for loading or unloading. It's also the word for the charge for that time. A truck can wait without being in detention, during free time, or before its appointment, so the rate con's wording decides when detention actually begins.
    How much is detention pay?
    There's no standard amount. It's whatever the rate confirmation or contract says, usually an hourly rate after a set number of free hours, sometimes with a daily cap. Carriers negotiate it with the rate. If the rate con says nothing about detention, getting paid for waiting becomes a request rather than a claim.
    Is there a detention pay law?
    No federal law sets a detention rate or requires shippers to pay detention. Detention is a contract term between the carrier and the broker or shipper, usually written on the rate con or in a tariff. Federal researchers have studied detention's costs and safety effects, but payment depends on what the parties agreed.
    When does detention time start in trucking?
    It depends on the wording on the rate con. Common versions start the clock at the appointment time, at the driver's check-in, or at the later of the two. Free time runs first, often two hours, and billable detention starts when it ends. Arriving early usually doesn't start the clock any sooner.