Detention

Detention is a per-hour or flat-rate charge that carriers impose when their driver and equipment are held at a pickup or delivery location beyond the allotted free time – typically one to two hours. The clock starts when the driver checks in at the facility and stops when they're loaded or unloaded and released. Detention can be charged at origin (shipper detention) or destination (consignee detention), and rates typically range from $50 to $150 per hour depending on the carrier, mode, and market conditions.

Detention charges are triggered by slow dock operations, appointment backlogs, product not being ready at pickup, receiver inspection delays, or poor dock scheduling. The carrier's rationale is straightforward: a truck sitting idle at a dock isn't earning revenue on its next load. For owner-operators especially, detention directly cuts into daily earnings and can cascade into hours-of-service violations that ground the driver entirely.

For shippers, detention is both a cost problem and a carrier relationship problem. Facilities with a reputation for long dwell times get deprioritized by carriers – meaning worse rates, lower tender acceptance, and capacity challenges during tight markets. Detention also creates billing disputes, since shippers and carriers frequently disagree on check-in times, free-time windows, or whether the delay was within the shipper's control. Without timestamped records, these disputes are difficult to resolve fairly.

Reducing detention starts with better dock scheduling, accurate appointment windows, and ensuring freight is staged and ready before the carrier arrives. Tracking dwell-time data by facility gives shippers the visibility to address root causes – whether that's a warehouse staffing issue, a recurring appointment bottleneck, or a specific customer's receiving process.