Detention pay: how to document your wait time so the claim gets paid

Waiting at a shipper or receiver is part of the job. Waiting for five hours without being paid for it doesn't have to be. Detention pay exists to compensate carriers when a facility holds a truck beyond the free time on the rate confirmation — but it's one of the most commonly disputed charges in freight, and the dispute almost always comes down to documentation.

The broker isn't usually arguing that you didn't wait. They're asking you to prove when you arrived, when you left, and that you followed the rules on the rate con. If you can show those three things on paper, most detention claims get paid.

Start with the rate confirmation

Before you even get to the facility, know the terms. Look for:

• Free time: how many hours are included before detention begins. Two hours is common, but not universal.
• Rate: how much per hour after the free time, and whether there's a daily cap.
• Notice requirement: many rate cons require you to notify the broker before free time runs out, sometimes within a specific window.
• What counts as on time: detention often only applies if you arrived on time for your appointment. Arriving late can void it.
• Proof required: signed in/out times on the BOL, gate or check-in records, ELD or GPS data.

If the rate con says nothing about detention, ask the broker in writing before the load, not after.

What to record, and when

At arrival

• Check in at the time you actually arrive, even if the facility makes you wait at the gate or the guard shack. Ask them to note the arrival time.
• Keep any check-in proof: a gate ticket, a printed check-in slip, a screenshot of a kiosk confirmation, or a text confirming your arrival.
• Message the broker: "Arrived at receiver 07:52 for 08:00 appointment. Checked in, waiting for door." A timestamped message is a record.

While you wait

• Notify the broker before free time runs out. If free time is two hours and you checked in at 07:52, send a message around 09:30: "Still not on a door. Free time ends 09:52. Please advise." This protects the claim on rate cons that require notice.
• Write down what's happening: when you got a door, when unloading started, any reason given for the delay.

At departure

• Get in and out times written on the BOL and, ideally, initialed or signed by the receiver's staff. This is the strongest single piece of proof, because it comes from the facility, not from you.
• If they won't write times on the BOL, ask for any other dated record — an out-gate slip, a departure scan, or a stamped receipt.
• Note your own departure time and send it to the broker.

Your ELD and GPS data back all of this up. They show when the truck was at the facility, even if a guard forgot to write the time.

Putting the detention packet together

Billing teams want the detention support in the same file as the delivery paperwork:

1. Signed BOL/POD with in/out times visible.
2. Check-in proof: gate ticket or check-in slip.
3. Screenshots of your notification messages to the broker, showing timestamps.
4. A short summary line in your email: "Detention: checked in 07:52, out 13:40. Free time 2 hrs. Billable 3.8 hrs at $50/hr = $190. Notified broker 09:31."

Scan the paper pages so they're straightened and cropped, use black-and-white cleanup for clear text, then combine everything into one PDF named with the load number, such as Load-40917_POD_Detention.pdf. Screenshots can be added to the same PDF as pages. One file means the person approving your detention sees the whole story at once.

Example

A dry van arrives at a receiver at 13:55 for a 14:00 appointment. The rate con says two hours free, then $40/hour, with notice required before free time ends.

• 13:55 — Driver checks in, gets a gate ticket stamped 13:56, and messages the broker.
• 15:40 — Still no door. Driver messages: "Free time ends 15:56. Still waiting."
• 16:30 — Door assigned. Unloading starts.
• 18:10 — Unloaded. Receiver writes "In 13:56 / Out 18:10" on the BOL and signs.

Billable detention: 13:56 to 18:10 is 4 hours 14 minutes. Minus 2 hours free leaves 2 hours 14 minutes — billed as the rate con specifies (some round to the quarter hour, some to the hour). The packet: BOL with times, gate ticket, and two message screenshots, in one PDF sent that evening.

Common mistakes

• Not notifying the broker in time. On rate cons that require notice, a claim with perfect paperwork can still be denied because the broker heard about it the next day.
• Times only from the driver. A note in your logbook is helpful, but times written by the facility carry more weight.
• Arriving late and claiming detention anyway. If you missed the appointment, many rate cons won't pay detention. Be upfront.
• Cropping the times off the BOL. In/out times are often handwritten in a margin or at the bottom. Check that the scan includes the whole page.
• Sending detention support days later, separately. Send it with the POD, the same day.
• Rounding up aggressively. Bill what the times show. Credibility on small claims helps with big ones.

For dispatchers

• Keep each broker's detention terms in your load notes so drivers know when to send the notice message.
• Set a reminder for the notice time when a truck checks in.
• Ask drivers to send the BOL with in/out times before they leave the dock, so you can see if times are missing while there's still a chance to get them.
• Track which facilities regularly cause detention. That information helps when you're deciding whether to take the next load there.

FAQ

Is detention the same as layover?

No. Detention is waiting time at a facility, usually billed hourly. Layover is when a load can't be picked up or delivered on the scheduled day and the truck has to wait overnight or longer, usually billed as a flat daily amount. Both depend on the rate con.

What if the receiver refuses to write times on the BOL?

Ask for any dated record they will give you. Then rely on your check-in proof, ELD/GPS data and the timestamped messages you sent the broker during the wait. The more records made at the time, the better.

Do screenshots of text messages count?

They're commonly accepted as supporting evidence, especially for showing that you notified the broker. Make sure the timestamp and the sender are visible in the screenshot.

Can I add the in/out times to the PDF myself?

You can add a typed note in a PDF editor to summarize the times, but don't alter what the facility wrote. The value of the receiver's handwriting is that it came from them.

How soon should I submit detention?

With the delivery paperwork, the same day. Many brokers have a deadline for accessorial claims, and late claims are easier to deny.