Detention Pay in Trucking: How It Works and How to Get Paid

October 26, 20262 min readBy ELD HUB Editorial

Short answer: Detention pay is money a shipper, receiver or broker agrees to pay when a truck is held at a facility beyond an agreed amount of free time. No federal rule requires it — whether you get paid, and how much, depends on what your rate confirmation or contract says. To get paid, you need the terms in writing before the load and proof of your arrival and departure times.

How detention terms usually look

Every rate confirmation is different, so read yours. The terms to look for:

Term	What it means
Free time	Hours allowed at the dock before detention starts
Detention rate	Amount per hour after free time ends
Cap	Maximum detention payable per stop
Notice requirement	Whether you must alert the broker when detention starts
Proof required	Signed in/out times, ELD or GPS records, photos
On-time condition	Many terms only apply if you arrived within your appointment

If a rate confirmation has no detention clause, you have little leverage afterwards. Ask before you accept.

Step-by-step: getting paid

Before booking: confirm free time, rate and cap in writing on the rate confirmation.
On arrival: check in, get a timestamp, and log it. Your ELD location and duty status records support your times.
When free time ends: notify the broker or shipper by email or their app and keep the message.
On departure: get signed out-times on the bill of lading if possible.
Invoice promptly: attach the rate confirmation, the in/out times, and the notification.
Track who pays: keep a list of facilities and brokers who pay detention reliably and price your future loads accordingly.

Detention and hours of service

Waiting at a dock is usually logged as on duty, not driving, and it keeps running your 14-hour window. Long waits can leave you unable to drive legally even after you're loaded. In some cases, if the facility allows it, drivers log time off duty or in the sleeper berth — but only if they are genuinely relieved of all responsibility. See the HOS rules and the split sleeper berth guide before planning around a long wait.