How to get paid for detention time: step by step

The numbers, so you know what's at stake

Figures from ATRI's 2024 study. Carriers bill detention only 75% of the time, and only 55% of those bills get paid. Each step below closes one of the easy reasons for a no: no terms, no times, no BOL, no notice, wrong numbers, a late bill.

1. Before you accept: the detention clause in your rate confirmation

Detention is contractual. If it isn't on the rate confirmation (or your carrier agreement), you are asking for a favor, not billing a fee. Find, and if it's missing, ask in writing for:

• Free time: how many hours before detention starts. Two is the most common (67% of carriers that charge detention start there); one and three hours also show up.
• Rate and unit: per hour, or in 15/30-minute increments; any cap per stop or per day.
• When the clock starts: appointment time, arrival or check-in. Many rate cons start it at the appointment if you were on time, and a late arrival can cost you the whole claim. Detail: when detention starts.
• Who pays: the party on the rate con. On a brokered load that is the broker, not the shipper or receiver.
• Notice: many brokers require you to tell them before free time runs out.
• Proof and deadline: the documents they accept, and the window to bill. FreightWaves reports most brokers want detention claims within 24 to 48 hours.

Published terms show how specific these clauses get. Campbell's, for example, pays detention only when the truck arrives on time, and only against an EDI 214 status update or a signed BOL showing check-in and check-out times.

2. At the dock: the documentation you need for detention pay

Appointment time is not arrival time, and arrival time is not check-in time. Disputes turn on the difference, so record each one:

1. Gate arrival (timestamp + photo of the gate or guard shack sign).
2. Check-in (photo of the check-in screen, kiosk or window; note the name if it's a person).
3. Dock assignment / loading start.
4. Release / BOL signed with the in and out times written on it (photo).
5. Departure (timestamp).

Before free time runs out, notify the broker in writing ("still at the dock, arrived 09:16, free time ends 11:16, detention will apply at $75/h per the rate con") and keep the message.

Your ELD log backs up the hours, but its location is only approximate (FMCSA puts it at about a mile), so it doesn't replace the BOL times. More: tracking detention time with your ELD.

In GetDockPay: tap Arrived at the gate and Departed when you roll; the phone's GPS stamps the time and place. Add the BOL photo and the load, rate-con and BOL numbers, and tap Notify broker before free time ends. With Pro, auto-detect arrival reminds you to tap at both ends. The invoice PDF builds itself from those.

3. After delivery: how to bill the broker for detention

Bill the same day. FreightWaves reports most brokers want detention claims within 24 to 48 hours, and some deadlines are tighter: Uber Freight won't take a detention request once 24 hours have passed after delivery.

Send detention as its own invoice (a separate accessorial line, not buried in the linehaul), matching the rate con exactly. AP teams reject for a wrong or missing load number, a rate or free time that doesn't match the rate con, undocumented accessorials, the wrong remit-to, and bills after the deadline. If a claim already came back denied, see why detention claims get denied. For the layout, use the free detention invoice template. Include:

• Load #, rate con #, BOL #, facility, appointment time
• Arrival, departure, free time, rate, billable hours, amount
• The BOL photo with in/out times, the notice message, gate/check-in photos
• Your MC/DOT and remit-to (or your factor's, if your agreement requires it)

A short cover email does the rest:

Subject: Detention invoice DET-1042, load 558812

Hi [name],
Attached is the detention invoice for load 558812 (rate con 77120,
BOL 33091) at [facility], [city]. Appointment 2:00 PM, arrived 1:52 PM,
released 7:30 PM. Per the rate con: 2 hours free, then $75/hour.
Billable 3.50 hours = $262.50.
The signed BOL with in/out times and my notice from 3:55 PM are attached.
Please confirm you received it and when it will pay.
[Your name], [company], MC [number]

On Pro, GetDockPay emails the core of that packet to the broker as one invoice PDF (GPS-stamped times, a map of the stop, links to your BOL photos and, if attached, your ELD log) the same day; on Free you can export the PDF and send it yourself. See what the broker receives.

4. When they don't pay: follow up on a schedule

A bill nobody follows up on is easy to ignore. So the follow-up can't depend on you remembering:

• Day 3: professional reminder, invoice attached again.
• Day 7: firm notice: amount, rate-con clause, due date.
• Day 14: last reminder, restating the amount and the due date.

In GetDockPay, your invoice is notice 1, sent when you tap Send. Pro then emails the Second, Third and Fourth Notice automatically on day 3, 7 and 14, each restating the invoice number, load, BOL number and amount (they don't re-attach the invoice, so re-sending the packet is up to you; the broker's email must be on file), until you mark the claim paid or denied. After day 14 the claim stays open until you mark it paid or denied; keep the invoice PDF with the GPS-stamped times, the stop map and your BOL photos together with the date of every notice. No app can make a broker pay. More: what to do when a broker isn't paying.

5. The checklist (copy it into your notes)

BEFORE THE LOAD
[ ] Detention on the rate con: free time ___ h, rate $___/h, increments ___
[ ] Clock starts at: appointment / arrival / check-in
[ ] Notice required? Y/N  -> to whom, how
[ ] Proof required: BOL in/out, gate ticket, EDI 214, other ___
[ ] Deadline to bill: ___ h after delivery
[ ] Broker Pay Score / Dock Score checked

AT THE DOCK
[ ] Gate arrival time + photo
[ ] Check-in time + photo of screen/kiosk
[ ] Notified broker before free time expired (message saved)
[ ] BOL signed with in/out times + photo
[ ] Departure time

AFTER
[ ] Separate detention invoice the same day, matching the rate con
[ ] Load #, rate con #, BOL #, times, hours, amount, remit-to
[ ] Proof attached (BOL, notice, photos)
[ ] Reminder day 3 / day 7 / final notice day 14
[ ] Marked paid or denied; broker scored

FAQ

How do I get paid for detention time?

Get detention terms on the rate con, record your in and out times, tell the broker before free time ends, get the BOL signed, bill the same day, and follow up on day 3, 7 and 14.

What documentation do I need for detention pay?

The rate con clause, the signed BOL with in and out times, your notice to the broker if the rate con requires one, and your arrival and departure times (photos, GPS stamps or an EDI 214 update). Some shippers accept only an EDI 214 update or a signed BOL with check-in and check-out times.

How soon do I have to bill detention?

By the deadline on your rate con. FreightWaves reports most brokers want detention claims within 24 to 48 hours; Uber Freight's limit is 24 hours after delivery.

Who pays detention: the shipper or the broker?

Whoever is on your rate confirmation. On a brokered load that is the broker, not the facility that made you wait. If you are leased to a carrier, the carrier pays you.