Detention
Detention is compensation paid to a carrier when a driver is held at a shipper or receiver beyond the agreed free time, usually billed hourly after the first two hours.
Last reviewed · by the fleetchart dispatch desk
Free time and the hourly rate after it should be stated on the rate confirmation. Where they are not, collecting is difficult.
Detention is genuinely costly beyond the direct hours: waiting consumes hours of service, and hours spent at a dock are hours unavailable for the next load. A long wait can push a delivery past an appointment and cost a second load.
Documentation decides whether it gets paid. Arrival and departure times recorded on the BOL or through an ELD, plus prompt notice to the broker, are what turn a claim into a payment.