Broker not paying detention? What to do next

First: is the detention on your rate con?

Detention is a contract term; no federal law makes a broker pay it. If your rate con (or carrier agreement) lists free time and a rate, you are billing a charge the broker agreed to. If it doesn't, your bill is a request, however good your proof is.

Find the exact lines: free time, rate, when the clock starts, notice rule, deadline and required proof. Those decide every step below.

What to do when a broker won't pay detention, step by step

1. Check the deadline. FreightWaves reports most brokers want detention claims within 24 to 48 hours; Uber Freight won't take a detention request once 24 hours have passed after delivery. If you were late, send it anyway with a short note.
2. Check that you sent everything. Load number, rate con number, BOL number, facility, appointment, your in and out times, free time, rate, billable hours, amount and your remit-to. Attach the signed BOL with in and out times, your notice to the broker if the rate con requires one, and any photos or GPS records.
3. Confirm they got it. Email accounts payable: ask whether the invoice is in their system and when it is scheduled to pay. Ask for the answer in writing.
4. If they said no, ask why, in writing. Then fix that one thing (see if the broker refused).
5. Resend once, complete. Same invoice number, the missing piece attached, and two lines on what changed.
6. Follow up on a schedule: day 3, day 7 and day 14 after the invoice. Restate the invoice number, the load, the amount and the rate con clause each time. Short and polite works.
7. Copy your broker rep. If accounts payable doesn't answer, copy the rep who booked the load on the next follow-up.
8. Keep the record. Every message with its date, the invoice and the proof, all in one place.
9. Decide about the next load. If a broker doesn't pay detention, price the wait into their next load or pass on it.

If the broker refused to pay

Check the broker's answer against the six reasons detention bills get turned down: missing times, no notice while you waited, a bill that doesn't match the rate con, a late bill, the wrong remit-to, or no signed BOL. Fix that gap and resubmit once. The fix for each one: why detention claims get denied.

Some published terms spell out the proof up front. Campbell's, for example, only pays detention against a statement of record of your check-in and check-out: an EDI 214 status update or a signed BOL with the times on it.

What doesn't help

• Changing the numbers to "negotiate". A bill that doesn't match the rate con is an easy no. Bill what the rate con allows.
• Billing the shipper on a brokered load. Your contract is with the broker on the rate con.
• Starting a new invoice number for the same detention. It looks like a duplicate.
• Waiting weeks to follow up. Put the dates on your calendar the day you send it.

How GetDockPay handles it

In GetDockPay, the invoice you send is notice 1. Pro then emails the broker the Second, Third and Fourth Notice on day 3, 7 and 14 (when the broker's email is on file), each restating the invoice number, the load, the BOL number and the amount, until you mark the claim paid or denied. Every notice is dated in the claim. After day 14 the claim stays open until you mark it paid or denied; nothing more is sent.

No app can make a broker pay, and GetDockPay doesn't collect money for you. What you get is a complete, dated record. See exactly what the broker receives.

FAQ

What do I do if a broker refuses to pay detention?

Ask for the reason in writing, check it against your rate con, fix what's missing and resubmit once with everything attached. Then follow up on a schedule.

Can I bill the shipper instead?

Not on a brokered load. Your contract is the rate con with the broker; the shipper isn't a party to it.

How long should I wait before following up?

We use day 3, day 7 and day 14 after the invoice.

Should I lower the amount to get paid?

Only if you billed more than the rate con allows. Otherwise bill exactly what it allows.