What is detention in trucking?

Detention is a charge a carrier bills when its truck and driver are held at a shipper or receiver beyond the agreed free time — usually about two hours for a live load or unload. It compensates the carrier for the time the equipment and driver sit idle instead of moving other freight. Detention is an accessorial charge, separate from the line-haul rate.

How much is detention per hour?

Detention is commonly billed at roughly $50 to $100 per hour for a dry van, though the rate varies by carrier, equipment type, and lane, and some contracts cap the daily total. Reefers and specialized equipment often bill higher. The exact rate and free time should be spelled out in your rate agreement.

What is free time before detention?

Free time is the window a facility has to load or unload before detention starts, commonly two hours for a live load or unload. Detention only accrues for time beyond that window, and it is typically billed per hour or per fraction of an hour after free time expires.

How do I calculate detention charges?

Subtract the free time from the total time the truck was held, then multiply by the hourly detention rate. For example, a truck held 4.5 hours with 2 hours of free time has 2.5 detention hours; at $65 per hour that is $162.50. Document the in and out times so the charge can be verified or disputed.

What is the difference between detention and demurrage?

Detention is charged when the truck and driver are held at a shipper or receiver beyond free time. Demurrage is charged when a container sits at a port or rail terminal beyond its free days. Both penalize time beyond an allowance, but detention is about the driver and truck while demurrage is about container dwell at a terminal.

What Is Truck Detention?

Detention is the charge a carrier bills when its truck and driver are held at a dock beyond the free time — usually about two hours for a live load or unload. After that, detention accrues per hour (commonly $50–$100/hr for a dry van). It’s an accessorial charge, separate from the line-haul rate. Here’s how free time and detention rates work, how to calculate the charge, and how it differs from demurrage — with the free calculator one click away.

What detention is

When a truck arrives to load or unload, the facility gets a set window of free time to get it done. If the truck is held longer, the carrier bills detention — compensation for the time the driver and equipment sit idle instead of hauling other freight. It’s one of the most common accessorial charges on a freight bill, and on a busy dock it adds up fast.

Detention isn’t a penalty for being late — it’s the meter running once the truck has waited past its free time.

Free time and detention rates

Free time is commonly two hours for a live load or unload, though your rate agreement sets the exact figure. Once it expires, detention is billed per hour (or per fraction of an hour). Typical dry-van detention runs $50–$100 per hour; reefers and specialized equipment bill more, and some contracts cap the daily amount. Because the numbers and the free-time window vary, confirm both in the rate confirmation before the truck ever shows up.

How to calculate detention

The math is simple: take the total time the truck was held, subtract the free time, and multiply the remainder by the hourly rate.

Detention = (time held − free time) × hourly rate.

Say a truck is held 4.5 hours with 2 hours of free time and a $65/hr rate: that’s 2.5 detention hours × $65 = $162.50. The detention calculator does this from your in and out times — and those documented timestamps are exactly what you need to verify or dispute a charge. Record arrival and departure on the BOL or from the gate log; a driver’s word against a facility’s rarely wins.

Detention vs. demurrage

The two get mixed up because both charge for time beyond an allowance, but they cover different things. Detention is about the truck and driver held at a shipper or receiver past free time. Demurrage is about a container sitting at a port or rail terminal beyond its free days. If a driver is waiting at your dock, that’s detention; if your import box is stuck at the terminal, that’s demurrage. Both are avoidable with appointments, accurate paperwork, and moving equipment before the clock runs out.