I’m Stuck at the Shipper
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Two things matter right now, and they’re both time-sensitive. Document the wait so you can claim it, and tell the broker while it’s happening rather than afterwards. Notice given from the dock carries weight; notice given three days later reads as an afterthought.
Right now
- Record your arrival time. Gate arrival and check-in are often different, and the rate confirmation decides which one counts. Note both.
- Tell the broker you’re into detention as the free period passes, not after. This is the single highest-value thing you can do in the next five minutes.
- Get it in writing. A text or email creates a timestamped record. A phone call doesn’t.
- Ask the facility for an honest estimate and note who told you what.
- Look at the load behind this one. If this wait is going to cost the next appointment, that’s a call to make now, not at 4pm.
Check what the rate confirmation actually says
Free period length, hourly rate, whether there’s a cap, and whether the clock starts at arrival or check-in. If detention isn’t in the ratecon at all, you’re negotiating from a weak position and it’s worth knowing that now.
The bigger cost isn’t detention pay
Detention rarely covers what the wait actually costs. Four hours is half a day you could have run, plus hours off the driver’s clock, plus potentially the next load.
Which is why the load behind this one matters more than the claim. If the appointment is at risk, tell that broker now. A delay flagged early is a rescheduling conversation; a delay discovered late is a service failure.
Hours
Long waits eat the driving clock. If the wait means you can’t legally deliver on time, that’s not something to discover at hour six. Flag it as soon as it becomes likely.
Next time
Ask two questions before accepting a load: is the facility first-come-first-served, and what’s the typical wait. Brokers usually know and rarely volunteer it. More on FCFS.
A facility known for long 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. Dwell is tracked from ELD geofence data, detention terms are captured at booking, the broker is notified as the threshold passes, and the loads behind this one get reworked automatically.
Frequently asked questions
As the free period passes, while you’re still sitting. Notice from the dock carries far more weight than a claim afterwards.
Whichever the rate confirmation specifies. Record both times so you can claim against either.
Tell that broker as soon as it looks likely. Early notice is a rescheduling conversation; late notice is a service failure.
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