AI Detention Management for Trucking
Hey Bubba! tracks how long your truck sits. It records arrival and departure from ELD geofence data, runs the dwell clock against the detention terms on the load, and logs the detention claim with timestamps attached: on every load you run, not just the ones Hey Bubba! booked, and not just the ones someone remembered to log.
Why detention goes unclaimed
Detention isn’t usually lost because a broker refuses. It’s lost because nobody can prove it. The driver knows they sat four hours, but there’s no record of when they arrived, when the dock released them, or what the load’s detention terms actually said. By the time anyone looks, the load is delivered and the moment has passed.
The claim that does get filed is often the one for the load somebody happened to be watching, which means the money recovered bears no relationship to the money owed.
Terms captured before the truck moves
The part that makes a claim enforceable happens at booking. When Hey Bubba! negotiates a load, it asks the broker for the financial terms and records them: when detention starts, the hourly rate, layover rules, fuel surcharge and payment schedule. Those terms attach to the load.
So when the dwell clock passes the threshold, the claim references what was agreed, not a general expectation of how detention usually works.
How it works
1. Terms on the record. On loads Hey Bubba! negotiates, detention thresholds and rates are captured during the conversation and attached to the load. On loads your team books directly, they’re read from the rate confirmation. Either way, the terms are on file before the truck arrives.
2. Arrival detected. The dwell clock starts on the ELD geofence crossing at the facility, not when someone notices.
3. Threshold monitored. Elapsed time is tracked against the agreed threshold: commonly two hours, but whatever the load’s terms specify.
4. Breach flagged. When dwell passes the threshold, the load is flagged and the broker can be notified while the truck is still sitting, which is when notice carries most weight.
5. Claim logged. The detention claim is logged with arrival and departure timestamps, elapsed dwell and the agreed terms it claims against, so it reaches the invoice.
What changes
| Manual | With Hey Bubba! | |
|---|---|---|
| Detention terms | Often not asked at booking | Captured during negotiation, attached to the load |
| Arrival time | The driver’s recollection | ELD geofence timestamp |
| Dwell tracking | Nobody’s watching | Monitored continuously |
| Broker notified | After the fact, if at all | While the truck is still there |
| Claim | On the loads someone remembers | On every load that qualifies |
| Evidence | An assertion | Timestamps and agreed terms |
At any fleet size
- Owner-operators: detention claimed instead of absorbed, on loads you’d never have had time to chase.
- Small fleets, 2 to 10 trucks: no truck’s dwell time depends on who happened to be watching.
- Midsize and enterprise fleets, 11+ trucks: consistent claims across the fleet, and a facility-level record of who detains you.
Frequently asked questions
How does Hey Bubba! know when detention starts?
The dwell clock starts on the ELD geofence crossing at the facility and runs against the detention threshold captured for that load, commonly two hours depending on terms.
Is the claim handled automatically?
Yes. When the threshold is breached, the detention claim is logged with arrival and departure timestamps and the agreed terms attached, ready for the broker and the invoice.
What if the broker disputes it?
The claim carries ELD timestamps and the detention terms recorded at booking, so the dispute is about the terms rather than about whether the truck was there.
Does this work if the load wasn’t booked through Hey Bubba!?
Yes. Dwell tracking runs from ELD geofence data on any load, and detention terms are read from the rate confirmation, so loads your team booked directly are covered too.
Which ELD systems does this need?
Hey Bubba! connects with 100+ ELDs, including Samsara, Motive, Geotab, Trimble and TruckX. See all connected tools.
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