Free tools Truckload
Truck detention calculator
Detention is the time a truck is held at a shipper's or receiver's dock beyond its free time, billed by the hour. Take the time from when the clock starts to departure, subtract the free time (two hours is common), and multiply what's left by the hourly rate. If the driver is paid for detention, the same billable time at the driver's rate is their pay line.
- 3 h 20 min
- At the dock
- 2 h
- Free time
- 1 h 20 min
- Billable
- 1 h 20 min
- Billed, in steps
How detention is worked out
Time at the dock = departure − when the clock starts
Billable time = time at the dock − free time (never below zero)
Detention = billable hours × hourly rate
Driver's detention pay = billable hours × the driver's hourly rate
- When the clock starts is up to the agreement: at arrival, or at the appointment time if the truck is early.
- Billing steps vary too. Some bill exact minutes, others round up to 15 or 30 minutes or whole hours.
- Minutes from the ELD settle most disputes: arrival and departure to the minute, beside the signed POD.
Worked example
Load 48213 at the Joliet receiver.
Load 48213 reached the receiver in Joliet IL at 14:40 and left at 18:00, once the POD was signed: 3 h 20 min at the dock. With 2 h free, 1 h 20 min is billable. At $75.00 USD an hour that's $100.00 USD on the invoice. The driver, paid $20.00 CAD an hour for detention, earns $26.67 CAD for the same time.
Load 48250 at Rochester NY: in 09:15, out 11:45, 2 h free. 30 min billable at $75.00 an hour: $37.50 USD.
Detention at a glance
| Billable time | At $50.00/h | At $75.00/h | At $100.00/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 min | $12.50 | $18.75 | $25.00 |
| 30 min | $25.00 | $37.50 | $50.00 |
| 1 h | $50.00 | $75.00 | $100.00 |
| 1 h 20 min | $66.67 | $100.00 | $133.33 |
| 2 h | $100.00 | $150.00 | $200.00 |
| 3 h | $150.00 | $225.00 | $300.00 |
| 4 h | $200.00 | $300.00 | $400.00 |
Free tool
Detention questions
What is truck detention?
A charge for holding a truck at a pickup or delivery beyond the free time agreed in the rate confirmation, billed by the hour. It pays the carrier, and often the driver, for time the truck can't earn elsewhere.
How much free time is standard?
Two hours at each stop is common in truckload rate confirmations, but the contract or rate confirmation sets it. Some shippers allow more for live loads or less for drop-and-hook.
When does the detention clock start?
When your agreement says: at arrival, or at the appointment time if the truck arrives early. Some agreements void detention if the truck is late. Enter the time your agreement counts from.
Is detention billed by the minute?
It depends on the agreement. Some bill exact minutes; others round up to 15- or 30-minute steps or whole hours. The calculator does all four.
What's the difference between detention and layover?
Detention is hours of waiting at a stop, billed by the hour. Layover is usually a flat charge when a truck is held overnight or for a day and can't move on to its next load.
What proves detention?
Arrival and departure times from the truck's ELD or a geofence, with the signed bill of lading or POD. Timestamps to the minute settle most disputes before they start.
Roadmark bills detention from the ELD's arrival and departure times.
Measured against the free time in the rate confirmation, and added to the invoice and the driver's pay.
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Let Roadmark work it out on every load.
Bring a week of your own loads. We'll show you the detention, weights, classes and free-time charges Roadmark would have worked out from your ELD times, dimensions and terminal dates.
- Worked from your own loads, not a script
- Every figure shown with where it came from
- Runs beside the TMS you have today