Detention Pay: How to Track It and Actually Get Paid
October 19, 2026 · 4 min read
You showed up on time. The shipper didn't load you for four hours. That's time you can't drive, and for a small carrier, unpaid time is lost money.
What detention is
Detention is pay for time spent waiting at a shipper or receiver past the free time. Many rate confirmations give two hours free, then an hourly rate. Read your rate con before you roll. If detention isn't listed, ask the broker to add it before you accept the load.
Why drivers don't get paid for it
Usually it isn't because the broker refuses. It's because the proof is missing: no arrival time, no departure time, no signature.
How to get paid every time
- Write down your arrival time the minute you check in, and take a photo of the check-in sheet or gate slip.
- Tell the broker when free time runs out. A short text or email works: "At the shipper, arrived 8:02, free time ends 10:02." That message is your record.
- Get your out time signed on the BOL when you leave.
- Bill it with the load, not later. Put detention on the same invoice with the BOL and POD attached. Late detention claims get denied.
- Track which brokers pay detention and which don't, and price it into your next rate with the ones who skip it.
How TallyHaul helps
Tap "Arrived at dock" when you check in and "Leaving dock" when you roll. TallyHaul bills the time past your free time as detention on that load, in quarter hours. Then send the invoice and signed POD to the broker or factoring company in one tap from your phone.
This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Your rate confirmation, factoring agreement and your state's rules decide what applies to you.
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