Detention pay is what a shipper or receiver owes a carrier for time spent at a loading dock beyond the contracted free window — typically two hours. In 2026 detention runs $50–$150 per hour depending on equipment type, but collection depends on documentation: BOL timestamps, ELD records, and broker notification at the 2-hour mark. TruckerPro's free detention calculator does the math; this guide covers how to actually collect.
TL;DR
- Free time: 2 hours is the dry van / reefer default; 1 hour is common for port and pharma; flatbed varies.
- 2026 detention rates: $50–$100/hr dry van, $60–$125/hr reefer, $75–$150/hr flatbed/specialized.
- Documentation: BOL signed timestamps, ELD geofence, gate-clock photo, broker notification at hour 2.
- Brokers don't always pay — the rate confirmation language controls. Read it before accepting.
- Free calculator at
/tools/detention-calculatorreturns billable hours + dollars in seconds.
What is detention pay in trucking?
Detention pay is the hourly fee a shipper or receiver owes a carrier for time held beyond the agreed free-time window at a loading or unloading dock. It compensates the driver and the truck for time that can't be turned into revenue miles.
The freight-industry term has roots in maritime shipping, where "demurrage" describes the same idea applied to containers and ships sitting at port beyond contracted lay days. In trucking, "detention" is the dominant term for over-the-road freight; "demurrage" still gets used for intermodal and container moves where the container itself is held.
Detention is one of several accessorial charges — billable fees on top of linehaul. Others include layover (a full duty period stuck waiting), TONU (truck ordered not used), lumper fees, multi-stop pay, and reconsignment. The full menu is covered in the accessorial charges guide.
What detention isn't: it isn't pay for normal loading/unloading time within free time. It isn't pay for delays caused by the driver (late arrival outside appointment window, missing paperwork). It's strictly compensation for shipper- or receiver-caused delay beyond the agreed free window.
How much is detention pay in 2026?
Detention rates in the 2026 market, by equipment type:
| Equipment type | Spot-market rate ($/hr) | Free time | Daily cap (typical) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry van | $50–$100 | 2 hours | $400–$600 |
| Reefer | $60–$125 | 2 hours | $500–$750 |
| Flatbed | $75–$150 | 2 hours (sometimes 1) | $600–$900 |
| Specialized (oversize, heavy haul) | $100–$200 | 1–2 hours | $800–$1,200 |
| Tanker | $75–$150 | 2 hours | $600–$900 |
| Intermodal / drayage | $50–$125 | 1 hour | $400–$600 |
Three notes on these ranges:
- Contract carriers often have negotiated rates that fall outside the spot-market range. Big-shipper contracts sometimes have detention floors as low as $35/hr (which carriers grumble about) or ceilings up to $200/hr (which carriers love). The contract controls.
- Daily caps are common — many shippers will pay detention for the first 6–8 hours and then convert to layover (a flat $200–$350 day rate) for delays past that. Read the rate confirmation.
- Region matters. Detention rates in the US Northeast and California urban markets run higher than rural lanes; Canadian rates trail US rates by ~10–15% in CAD-equivalent terms.
The TQL/Convoy/Coyote-tier brokers that move large volumes have published detention rates that you'll see repeatedly in your rate confirmations. Smaller brokers tend to be more variable; some default to "detention paid upon shipper approval" which is a flag (more on that below).
How do you calculate detention pay?
The math is simple:
Detention pay = (Hours at dock − Free-time window) × Hourly rate
Worked example: a driver arrives at the receiver at 09:00 for an 09:00 appointment. The receiver finally starts unloading at 12:30. Driver is released at 13:45. Total time at dock: 4 hours 45 minutes. Free time: 2 hours. Billable detention: 2 hours 45 minutes. At $75/hr: $206.25.
Some shippers round to the nearest 15 minutes (so 2h 45m = 2.75 hours). Others bill in full-hour increments (so 2h 45m = 3 hours). The rate confirmation should specify; if it doesn't, default to the more standard practice of 15-minute increments.
The free detention calculator handles this automatically — input arrival, departure, free time, and hourly rate, get billable hours and dollar amount.
How do you prove detention time?
The number-one reason detention claims get rejected is documentation gaps. Brokers and shippers will absorb the charge happily when the documentation is airtight; they'll fight every grey area when it isn't.
Build your documentation from at least two of the following sources, ideally three:
-
BOL timestamps signed by shipper/receiver. The bill of lading should show in-time and out-time, signed and dated by dock personnel. Some receivers stamp the BOL automatically; others require the driver to ask. Ask.
-
ELD geofence records. Modern ELDs (major ELD providers) detect dock arrival and departure based on geofencing and log them automatically. ELD records are the gold standard because they're third-party-attested and harder to dispute.
-
Gate-clock photo. Driver photographs the gate clock (or the dashboard clock + gate sign) at arrival and departure. Stamp the photo with phone time/location metadata. Sounds primitive; works.
-
Broker notification at the 2-hour mark. Text or email the broker the moment the free-time window passes: "Truck XYZ at receiver since 09:00, still not unloading at 11:00. Per RC, billable detention starting now." This serves two functions: gives the broker a chance to intervene with the receiver, and creates a written record that you flagged the delay in real time.
-
Driver detention worksheet. A simple form filled by the driver: arrival time, in-yard time, dock-assigned time, unload-start time, unload-finish time, departure time. Doesn't replace the others but supplements them.
A claim with all five sources is uncontestable. A claim with just one (BOL alone, or driver word alone) gets disputed.
Do brokers always pay detention?
No — and this is the source of most carrier-broker friction.
How brokers handle detention varies by:
1. Rate confirmation language. Three common patterns:
- "Detention $X/hr after Y hours, no cap." Best for the carrier. Pay-on-invoice with proof.
- "Detention $X/hr after Y hours, paid upon receipt of shipper approval." Translation: the broker only pays if the shipper agrees. Sometimes shippers approve quickly; sometimes they delay weeks; sometimes they say no. Carriers should push back on this language or factor the risk into rate negotiations.
- "Detention not paid" or silence. Translation: detention is the carrier's problem. Walk from the load or accept that you'll absorb it.
2. The broker's relationship with the shipper. A broker doing $5M/year with a shipper has more leverage to push detention through than a broker on a one-off transaction. Carriers running consistent freight with established brokers see detention paid more reliably than those running random spot.
3. The broker's margin on the load. A broker with a thin margin may quietly absorb detention rather than ask the shipper for more money. A broker with a healthy margin passes it through. You won't see this directly, but you'll feel it in how quickly your detention claims get paid.
4. Documentation quality. Strong documentation gets paid; weak documentation gets stalled. See section above.
The pragmatic carrier rule: assume 70–85% of properly-documented detention claims get paid in full. Build that into your spot-rate quoting. The trip-profit calculator lets you stress-test a load assuming partial detention recovery.
What's a reasonable free-time window?
Two hours is the freight-industry default for dry van and reefer at most distribution centers. The logic: a normal pallet load should take 30–60 minutes to unload, plus paperwork; 2 hours covers most reasonable variation.
Where free time deviates:
- Port pickups and intermodal: 1 hour is standard. Port turnover matters more, and shippers expect the carrier to be efficient with port time.
- Pharma and high-value freight: often 1 hour. Security and dock-time discipline is tighter.
- Flatbed: varies wildly. Loading a steel coil at a mill is 30 minutes; loading and tarping a 4-piece machinery move is 4+ hours. Free time on flatbed is usually negotiated per load.
- Heavy haul / oversize: 1 hour or sometimes "as agreed" — these moves are individually scheduled and don't fit standard conventions.
- Big-box DCs (Walmart, Costco, Loblaw): 2 hours, but these shippers tend to have longer actual load times. Detention is more frequently triggered here.
A shipper that defaults to a 4-hour free time effectively has no detention policy — at that point you're absorbing every reasonable delay. Push back at quote time or build the absorbed time into your rate.
How to push back when a broker disputes detention
The broker emails: "Shipper says they don't pay detention on this lane." Your move:
-
Reply with documentation, not argument. Attach BOL timestamps, ELD report, gate-clock photo, and your time-stamped 2-hour-mark notification. Let the documentation make the case.
-
Cite the rate confirmation. "Per the rate confirmation we both signed, detention is $75/hr after 2 hours. The shipper's policy isn't relevant — our agreement is with you, and your agreement covers detention."
-
Be willing to escalate. If the broker still refuses, the next steps are: (a) hold off accepting future loads from that broker until paid; (b) factor the dispute through your factor (some factors will collect on disputes for an extra fee); (c) small claims court for amounts above $1,000–$5,000; (d) Better Business Bureau / freight-industry credit agencies (broker-payment credit-rating services). The threat of credit-rating damage moves more brokers than legal action.
-
Track repeat offenders. Spreadsheet of brokers and their detention-payment rate. Below 60% paid? Flag the broker and demand quick-pay or refuse the relationship.
For carriers with cash flow pressure, consistently underpaid detention is a hidden margin leak. A carrier billing $40,000/year in detention but only collecting 65% is leaving $14,000/year on the table — money that could clear a truck payment or two.
How does TruckerPro's free detention calculator work?
The free detention calculator takes four inputs:
- Arrival time at dock
- Departure time from dock
- Free-time window (2 hours typical, configurable)
- Hourly detention rate ($75 typical, configurable)
It returns:
- Total time at dock
- Billable detention hours (rounded per your preference)
- Total detention dollar amount
Use it three ways:
-
At the dock. Driver enters arrival time on first input, runs it again with departure time when released. Confirms the dollar amount before leaving the property. Useful for getting the receiver to sign acknowledgement of detention time on the spot.
-
At invoicing. Generate the detention dollar amount from the calculator output and attach it to the invoice with the BOL and ELD records. Cleaner audit trail than handwritten math.
-
At dispute time. When a broker pushes back, paste the calculator output into the email. Standardized math is harder to argue with than driver math on the back of a BOL.
The tool is free, browser-based (one-time email gate), and works for both US and Canadian carriers — currency-neutral, just enter your rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is detention pay in trucking?
Detention pay (also called demurrage when applied to containers) is what a shipper or receiver pays a carrier for time held beyond a contracted free period — typically two hours — at the loading or unloading dock. It compensates the driver and the truck for time that cannot be turned into miles.
How much is detention pay in 2026?
Spot-market detention is typically $50–$100 per hour after a 2-hour free window for dry van, $60–$125/hr for reefer, and $75–$150/hr for flatbed and specialized. Contract carriers often have negotiated rates that may be lower or higher than spot, sometimes capped at a daily maximum.
How do you prove detention time?
Document arrival and departure with the BOL timestamps signed by the shipper or receiver, ELD geofence records (most ELDs flag dock-in/dock-out automatically), driver-side photos of the gate clock, and a broker email or text once the 2-hour mark passes. Without dual-source documentation, brokers will dispute.
Do brokers always pay detention?
No. Whether a broker pays depends on the rate confirmation and what the shipper actually paid them. Brokers will sometimes try to absorb detention to keep the customer happy, or only pass on what they can collect. The rate confirmation language is what controls — read it before accepting and push back on "detention upon shipper approval" clauses where you can.
What's a reasonable free-time window?
Two hours is the freight-industry default for dry van and reefer at most distribution centers. Some lanes (port pickups, pharma, oversize/specialized) run a 1-hour free window because dock turnover matters more. Always confirm free time on the rate confirmation — a shipper that defaults to 4-hour free time effectively has no detention policy.
How does the free detention calculator work?
Enter arrival time, departure time, free-time window, and your hourly detention rate. The calculator returns billable detention hours and dollar amount in seconds. Use the output as backup when invoicing and when disputing broker pushback. The tool is free and runs in any browser.