How to Get Paid for Detention Time — Step by Step
Stop leaving detention money on the table. This guide covers auto-detection from ELD logs, calculating what brokers owe you, generating professional claims, and getting paid faster.
The $800 Problem Nobody Talks About
The average owner-operator spends 3-5 hours per week waiting at shippers and receivers. At $45-65/hour detention rate, that's $800-1,200/year in unpaid time. Most drivers never bill for it — either they don't track the time or they don't want to 'rock the boat' with brokers. But here's the reality: brokers budget for detention pay. If you don't claim it, they keep the money.
Step 1: Know Your Free Time
Every broker agreement includes a 'free time' window — usually 2 hours for loading and 2 hours for unloading. Anything beyond that is detention. Check your rate confirmation or broker contract for the exact free time. Common standards: 2 hours free, then $45-65/hour after. Some brokers offer 'split free time' (2h load + 2h unload). Some combine it (4h total at the facility). Know which applies before calculating.
Step 2: Track Everything Automatically
Manual tracking doesn't work — you forget, lose notes, or can't prove the time. The best method is ELD auto-detection. Connect your Motive or Samsara account to TruckerProfit, and the system automatically identifies off-duty and sleeper berth periods at facility locations. It cross-references GPS coordinates to confirm you were at the shipper/receiver, and calculates the exact detention time. If you don't have an ELD integration, CSV upload works too.
Step 3: Calculate What You're Owed
Detention claim = (total hours - free hours) × detention rate. Example: 5h total at facility, 2h free, $50/hr detention rate = (5 - 2) × $50 = $150. Some brokers pay by the hour, some by 30-minute increments. Check whether your broker rounds up or down. 'First hour after free' rules vary — some pay double the first detention hour, most pay straight time. AI tools like TruckerProfit auto-calculate and flag rate discrepancies.
💰 Try the Detention Pay Calculator
See how much your broker owes you for waiting time.
5 total hours − 2 hours free = 3.0 payable hours
$150.00
Your broker owes you for this detention event
🚛 TruckerProfit automates this
Connect your ELD → auto-detect detention → generate claim PDF → send to broker. Users recover $800–1,200/year in missed detention pay.
Try Detention Claims Free →Step 4: Generate a Professional Claim
A claim without documentation is just a complaint. You need: (1) date and location, (2) check-in and check-out times, (3) ELD records showing off-duty/sleeper status, (4) the rate confirmation showing the agreed detention rate, (5) any notes or communication about the wait. TruckerProfit generates a professional PDF that includes all of this — formatted for broker accounting departments, with your MC#, DOT#, and carrier information.
Step 5: Send and Track
Email the PDF directly to the broker's accounting department. Include the load number, your MC#, and specific payment terms (Net-30 is standard). TruckerProfit tracks every claim you send — it shows pending, sent, overdue, and paid statuses. If a claim goes unpaid past 7 days, the system reminds you to follow up. If it hits 30 days, it flags for escalation. Most brokers pay legitimate detention claims within 15 days.
Common Broker Excuses — and How to Respond
'We don't pay detention' — Check the rate confirmation. If no detention clause exists, the FMCSA considers it a 'reasonable expectation' based on industry standards. 'The delay was the shipper's fault' — Your contract is with the broker, not the shipper. The broker bills the shipper for detention and should pass that to you. 'We need different documentation' — Ask for their specific requirements in writing, then provide exactly what they need. TruckerProfit claims meet most broker standards out of the box.