# Truck detention calculator

> Work out truck detention from arrival and departure times, free time and an hourly rate, in billing steps, with the driver's pay line and a worked example.

URL: https://roadmark.ai/tools/detention
Language: en

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.

## How detention is worked out

Detention pays the carrier for hours its truck can't earn anywhere else. The rate confirmation sets the free time and the rate; the ELD sets the times.

```
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 three example hourly rates, by the minute. Your rate confirmation sets yours.

| 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 |

## 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.

## More free calculators

- [Truckload](https://roadmark.ai/truckload)
- [Chargeable weight calculator](https://roadmark.ai/tools/chargeable-weight): Actual against volumetric weight for an air shipment, at IATA's 6,000 cm³/kg or 166 in³/lb, line by line.
- [Freight class calculator](https://roadmark.ai/tools/freight-class): Density in pounds per cubic foot for each pallet, and the class the NMFC's 13-sub density scale gives it.
- [Demurrage and per diem calculator](https://roadmark.ai/tools/demurrage): Last free day, charged days and the total for a container at the terminal or out on per diem, with tiered rates.
- [Fuel surcharge calculator](https://roadmark.ai/tools/fuel-surcharge): Surcharge per mile from the diesel price, the base price and miles per gallon, the total for a trip and its share of the linehaul.
- [Cost per mile calculator](https://roadmark.ai/tools/cost-per-mile): A truck's fixed and per-mile costs over the miles it runs, as a cost per mile, and the margin at a rate per mile.
- [Cross-dock fee calculator](https://roadmark.ai/tools/cross-dock-fees): A cross-dock visit's bill: handling per pallet in and out, the minimum, storage after the free time and extras, per pallet and against what you charge.

## Related pages

- [Truck detention: how to measure it, bill it and pay drivers](https://roadmark.ai/blog/truck-detention-billing): How detention time is measured (ELD, geofence and dock timestamps against the appointment), free time, billing without disputes and the driver's share.
- [Billing and settlements](https://roadmark.ai/billing): Invoices, driver pay and carrier pay
- [Samsara integration: hours of service and ETAs](https://roadmark.ai/integrations/samsara): Samsara feeds Roadmark hours of service, location and engine data every few minutes, so tracking ETAs, dispatch planning and detention all use current data.
- [Motive integration: hours of service and DVIR](https://roadmark.ai/integrations/motive): Motive feeds Roadmark hours of service, location, inspections and diagnostics, so tracking, dispatch planning and detention billing use current ELD data.

Companies, people and shipment figures in product examples are fictional. They illustrate workflows and are not customer testimonials or measured results.