Detention

Detention time occurs when a truck driver is held at a shipper or receiver facility beyond the agreed-upon free time — the window allotted for loading or unloading (typically 1-2 hours). Detention charges compensate the carrier for the lost productivity, as the driver and equipment cannot generate revenue while waiting. Industry-standard detention rates typically range from $50 to $100 per hour after the free time expires.

Excessive detention is one of the trucking industry's most persistent problems. According to FMCSA studies, drivers spend an average of nearly two hours per stop waiting to load or unload, with some waits extending to six hours or more. This lost time has cascading effects: it reduces the number of loads a driver can haul per week, cuts into available Hours of Service, can force drivers to miss subsequent pickup appointments, and contributes to driver fatigue and dissatisfaction.

The economic impact is substantial. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) estimates that detention costs the trucking industry billions of dollars annually. For individual drivers, especially owner-operators, extended detention can effectively reduce their hourly earnings below minimum wage. Many carriers lose significant revenue because detention charges are difficult to collect — some shippers refuse to pay them or dispute the hours claimed.

Shippers can reduce detention by improving dock scheduling systems, pre-staging loads before the driver's arrival, having adequate staffing for loading operations, and using drop trailer programs where drivers swap pre-loaded trailers instead of waiting for live loads. Some carriers are increasingly selective about which shippers they work with based on their detention track records.