Detention
Detention is the charge for the time a truck waits at a shipper or receiver past the free time written on the rate confirmation.
Last updated 11 October 2026.
Free time is a contract term, not a law of trucking. One shipper allows two hours. Another allows something else. The rate confirmation is where that deal lives.
The clock starts when the driver is on time and the dock is not ready, and it stops when the trailer is released. If the driver was late, the wait is a different conversation, and the rate con usually says so. A detention line with no in and out times is the one accounting sends back.
The carrier bills you, and you may bill the shipper, but only for what was agreed. The record is the arrival, the departure, and the free time on that load. A gate photo or a signed note helps when the shipper disputes the hour.
Detention is not a layover. Detention is hours at the dock past free time, on a truck that still gets out the same day. A layover holds the driver overnight. Desks that use the words as synonyms pay the wrong line.
FreightScout does not invent a detention amount. A notice can be drafted from the appointment and the free time you already stored, and a person approves what goes to the customer. How FreightScout bills the load.
Questions people actually ask
When does a detention clock start?
When the driver was on time and the dock was not ready. A late arrival is a different conversation. Get the in and out times on the load before you approve the line.
How is detention different from a layover?
Detention is extra hours at the dock. A layover holds the driver overnight or into the next day. They are separate lines, and each one should match the rate confirmation.