Your driver arrived at 8:00 AM. The appointment was confirmed. The dock was not ready until 11:30 AM. Three and a half hours later, the truck finally pulled away with the load.

That driver could have picked up another load. That truck sat idle burning daylight. And if detention never made it onto the invoice, your company just donated those hours to someone else's supply chain.

Detention time is one of the most underbilled charges in trucking. Carriers know it costs them money. They just struggle to capture it consistently. The result is thousands of dollars in lost revenue every month, hidden inside loads that looked profitable on paper.

What Is Detention Time in Trucking?

Detention time is the period a driver waits at a shipper or receiver location beyond the agreed free time. Most rate confirmations allow two hours of free time for loading or unloading. Anything beyond that qualifies as detention.

The concept is straightforward. A truck is a revenue-generating asset only when it moves freight. When it sits at a dock waiting for product, paperwork, or a forklift operator, it generates zero revenue while still incurring costs.

Detention charges compensate carriers for this lost productivity. They exist because someone else's inefficiency should not come out of your margin.

The Real Cost of Detention

Detention hurts carriers in ways that extend far beyond the immediate wait. Understanding cost per mile means understanding how detention destroys it.

Industry studies estimate the average detention event costs carriers between $50 and $100 per hour in direct expenses. Factor in opportunity cost, and that number climbs higher.

A 20-truck fleet experiencing just one hour of unbilled detention per truck per week loses over $50,000 annually. That is money that should be on invoices but never makes it there.

Why Carriers Struggle to Collect Detention Pay

Detention revenue exists. The challenge is capturing it. Here is where the process typically fails:

No Documentation Trail

The driver waited three hours but did not record arrival time, departure time, or get any acknowledgment from the facility. Without documentation, the carrier has no evidence to support the charge.

Delayed Reporting

Driver mentions detention days later during settlement review. Details are fuzzy. Timestamps are estimates. The window to bill has passed or the claim looks weak.

Vague Rate Confirmations

The rate con did not specify free time or detention rates. Now it becomes a negotiation instead of a billing matter. The carrier often loses.

Broker Pushback

Broker disputes the charge, requests additional documentation, or simply ignores the invoice. Carrier gives up rather than fight for $150.

Manual Processes

Spreadsheets, paper logs, and memory-based tracking mean detention falls through the cracks. By the time invoicing happens, half the billable detention is forgotten.

Carriers who fail often blame tight margins. But those margins would improve significantly if detention actually made it onto invoices.

How to Track Detention Time Accurately

Consistent detention capture requires systems, not just driver discipline. Here is what works:

1. Use Geofencing and Automatic Timestamps

ELD and telematics integrations can record exactly when a truck enters and exits a facility. No manual entry required. No fuzzy recollections. The system captures truth automatically.

2. Require Driver Check-In Through Mobile App

Drivers using a dedicated trucking mobile app can log arrival with one tap. The app timestamps the event, captures GPS location, and creates a record that flows directly to dispatch and billing.

3. Set Alerts for Excessive Dwell Time

When a truck sits longer than expected, dispatch should know immediately. Real-time alerts allow proactive communication with the facility and create documentation of the delay as it happens.

4. Capture Supporting Evidence

Photos of dock congestion, gate check-in receipts, and facility signatures all strengthen detention claims. Drivers should document anything that explains or proves the wait.

5. Connect Tracking to Billing

The biggest leak happens between operations and accounting. When detention data lives in one TMS for carriers, it flows automatically from the truck to the invoice without manual transfer.

Detention Time Benchmarks

How much detention is normal? Here are industry benchmarks to measure your operation against:

Notice the gap between average and top performers in detention capture rate. Most carriers bill detention on less than half of qualifying events. That gap represents pure lost revenue.

Tracking the right metrics includes tracking your detention capture rate. If you do not know this number, you do not know how much money you are leaving behind.

How to Bill Detention and Actually Get Paid

Capturing detention is step one. Collecting payment is step two. Here is how to improve your success rate:

Establish Terms Upfront

Every rate confirmation should specify:

• Free time allowed (typically 2 hours)

• Detention rate per hour (typically $50-$100)

• Documentation requirements

• Maximum billable detention (if any cap exists)

When terms are in writing before the load moves, billing becomes straightforward. Ambiguity favors the party who does not want to pay.

Invoice Detention with the Load

Do not send a separate detention invoice later. Include all charges on the original bill with timestamps and supporting documentation attached. Separate invoices get questioned, delayed, or lost.

Attach Clear Documentation

Your detention charge should include:

• Arrival timestamp (from ELD, app, or facility receipt)

• Departure timestamp

• Free time allowed per rate confirmation

• Calculation showing billable hours

• Rate per hour from rate confirmation

When document processing is automated, this documentation compiles itself from data already in your system.

Follow Up Persistently

Some brokers dispute detention as standard practice. They hope carriers will write off small amounts rather than fight. Do not oblige them. Escalate disputes, reference your rate confirmation, and stand firm on legitimate charges.

Which Facilities Create the Most Detention?

Not all shippers and receivers are equal. Carriers with strong analytics can identify which facilities consistently create detention problems.

Armed with this data, you can:

• Negotiate higher base rates for problem facilities

• Require stricter detention terms before accepting loads

• Avoid repeat offenders entirely

• Share data with brokers to push for shipper accountability

PAVA Logistics runs 200 trucks with discipline built on data visibility. Knowing which lanes and facilities actually generate profit, after accounting for detention, shapes smarter dispatch decisions.

Detention Is Revenue You Already Earned

Your driver's time has value. Your truck's availability has value. When a facility wastes both, compensation is not optional. It is owed.

The carriers who capture detention consistently are not working harder. They have systems that track time automatically, connect operations to billing seamlessly, and document everything without manual effort.

Datatruck is the carrier-first TMS built to eliminate revenue leaks like missed detention. From automated tracking to integrated invoicing, every billable minute flows from the dock to the invoice.

Book a free demo and see how much detention revenue you are currently missing.