Glossary · Driver Life & Work
Detention Pay Policy.
Carrier or broker-specific policy defining when, how, and how much detention pay is owed; varies widely from formal contracts to ad hoc claims.
What it is
Detention pay policy is the carrier-side or broker-side policy governing detention payments. Common patterns include 2 hours free at pickup and delivery, then $25-$75/hour after. Some brokers don't pay detention at all (a meaningful signal of a bad relationship), some pay automatically based on geofence timestamps from the dispatch app, and some require manual claim submission with shipper sign-off. Carrier policy for lease-on operators determines whether the operator gets 100% of detention or a percentage — some carriers retain a slice of detention on the theory that they're billing the customer.
Documentation requirements typically include timestamp records (driver app or paper log), driver's report, and dispatch sign-off. The claim window is usually 7-14 days from delivery, after which the broker can refuse the claim regardless of merit. The strongest detention terms come from rate confirmations that explicitly spell out the policy by load, not from generic broker T&Cs.
Why it matters for trucking finance
Detention is one of the largest accessorial-pay categories — a 4-hour unload at $50/hour adds $200 to the load, often making a marginal load profitable. Tracking detention collection rates by broker reveals which broker relationships are actually profitable vs. paper-profitable: a broker who pays the headline rate but never approves detention is worse than a broker with a lower rate and clean detention payments. For lease-on operators, understanding how the carrier passes through detention (or doesn't) affects the value proposition vs. running independent authority. Prolonged detention also stresses the 14-hour HOS window and can indirectly affect driver fatigue claims with insurance, which underwriters factor into renewal pricing.
Related terms
- Detention Pay — Compensation paid to a carrier when loading or unloading takes longer than the contractually free time (typically 2 hours).
- Accessorial Charges — Additional fees on a freight bill beyond the base line-haul rate — detention, lumper, layover, fuel surcharge, tolls, etc.
- Truck Order Not Used (TONU) — Compensation paid to a carrier when a load is cancelled after the truck is dispatched but before pickup; partial payment for the trip.
- Layover — Compensation paid when a driver is required to wait overnight or longer at a pickup/delivery beyond normal turnaround time; typically $100–$250/day.
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