Detention Never Gets Paid
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Your truck sat four hours and you didn’t get a cent for it. That’s normal, and it’s usually not because the broker refused; it’s because nobody could prove the time, or nobody filed. Detention is one of the most consistently under-collected revenue lines in trucking, and the fix is almost entirely about records.
Why it goes unclaimed
The terms were never established. Detention was discussed in general terms or not at all. When you go to claim, there’s no agreed threshold or rate to claim against.
Nobody recorded the times. The driver knows they sat four hours. There’s no record of gate arrival, dock check-in, or release, and a claim without timestamps is an assertion.
Nobody filed it. By the time the load is delivered and invoiced, the wait is three days ago and everyone has moved on. This is the most common reason, and the least dramatic.
The claim went in late. Some brokers apply a filing window. A claim submitted a month later is easy to decline.
What makes a claim stick
- Terms agreed before the load. When the free period ends, the hourly rate, and whether the clock starts at gate arrival or dock check-in. That last detail decides a surprising number of disputes.
- Timestamps that aren’t memory. ELD geofence records are the strongest evidence you have and you’re already generating them.
- Notice while it’s happening. Telling a broker the truck is into detention while it’s still sitting carries far more weight than telling them afterwards.
- Filed promptly, with the terms attached. The claim should reference what was agreed, not what’s customary.
What to do this week
- Add two questions to every booking: when does detention start, and what does it pay. Get the answer into the rate confirmation.
- Ask whether the facility is FCFS. First-come-first-served is the strongest predictor of a long wait, and it’s rarely on the load posting. More on FCFS.
- Pull last month’s ELD data and look for stops over two hours. Some of those may still be claimable.
- Start a facility list. The same receivers detain everyone. Knowing which ones lets you price the load properly or decline it.
Price it, don’t just claim it
Detention pay rarely covers what the time actually cost: the next load you couldn’t take, the hours off the driver’s clock. A load into a facility known for six-hour waits should carry a higher rate, not just a detention clause. The clause is a fallback; the rate is the fix.
Where Hey Bubba! fits
Hey Bubba! is an AI back-office automation platform for fleets. Detention terms are established with the broker during negotiation and attached to the load. Dwell is tracked from ELD geofence data (arrival, departure, elapsed time), and when the threshold is breached the claim is filed with timestamps and the agreed terms attached.
It works on loads you booked yourself too: dwell comes from your ELD, and terms are read from the rate confirmation in your TMS.
Frequently asked questions
Arrival and departure timestamps (ELD geofence records are strongest), alongside the detention terms agreed for that load.
When it’s documented and claimed promptly, often yes. Most unpaid detention is unclaimed rather than refused.
Sometimes, if the terms were in the rate confirmation and you have the timestamps. Some brokers apply filing windows, so sooner is better.
You’re negotiating from a weak position. This is why establishing it at booking matters more than chasing it afterwards.
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