Detention Pay: How to Actually Get Paid for Waiting

Detention pay is money a broker or shipper owes you when you're held at a pickup or delivery beyond the agreed free time — usually the first two hours. It exists because your time is worth money, and hours spent waiting at a dock are hours you can't earn elsewhere. The catch is that detention is often owed but not automatically paid: collecting it takes documentation and follow-through.

How detention works

Most loads include a window of free time — commonly two hours — for loading or unloading. If the facility holds you past that window, detention pay is supposed to kick in at an hourly rate. The terms should be spelled out on your rate confirmation before you haul — how much free time, what the hourly rate is, and how to claim it.

Why carriers lose detention money

Detention is frequently owed but not collected, because claiming it requires proof and paperwork many drivers skip in the moment. Without documented arrival and departure times, a broker can dispute the claim. The money is real — but you have to protect it with records.

How to actually get paid for detention

• Confirm detention terms up front — get the free-time window and hourly rate in writing on the rate con before accepting.
• Document your times — record exact arrival and departure, and get them verified (signed BOL times, check-in/out records, app timestamps).
• Notify the broker while you're still waiting, not after — give them the chance to address it in real time.
• Submit your claim promptly with the supporting documentation.
• Follow up — detention often gets paid to the carriers who persistently and professionally pursue it.

What's a typical detention rate?

Detention rates and free-time windows vary by broker and load, which is exactly why you confirm them in writing before hauling rather than assuming. The specific number matters less than having it agreed and documented up front.

How a dispatcher helps you collect

A good dispatcher sets detention terms on the front end, tracks your times, and pushes the broker to pay — turning "owed" into "paid." Chasing detention is time-consuming and awkward to do yourself while you're trying to drive; it's one more thing dispatching takes off your plate.

Tired of eating detention you're owed? Talk to a Dexent dispatcher — we push brokers so you get paid for your time.