Dwell time in trucking: what waiting costs, and how to get paid for it

A truck waiting at a dock earns nothing. The driver's hours keep running, the next load may slip, and the truck's fixed costs don't stop. Dwell time is the total time at a facility; detention is the part you can bill for, if you've agreed on it and documented it.

Waiting is one of the most common sources of lost revenue and frustrated drivers. It's also one of the few you can partly recover with paperwork.

One stop, two clocks

What the published data says

How often. In ATRI's 2024 report, drivers reported detention at 39.3% of stops in 2023, with higher rates for refrigerated freight and spot-market fleets ATRI, driver detention resea…Driver detention (ATRI, 2023 data)Detention at 39.3% of stops; 135 million+ hours lost; detention invoices paid less than half the timeATRI (September 10, 2024): drivers reported detention at 39.3% of stops in 2023; drivers were detained 117 to 209 hours a year depending on sector; for-hire trucking lost over 135 million hours; the industry lost $3.6 billion in direct expenses and $11.5 billion in productivity; 94.5% of fleets charge detention but fewer than 50% of those invoices are paid; detained trucks averaged 14.6% higher speeds.ATRI, driver detention research, Sep 2024, 2024Checked Oct 2026Close.

How much time. Drivers were detained 117 to 209 hours a year depending on sector, and for-hire trucking lost over 135 million hours to detention in 2023.

How much money. ATRI estimated $3.6 billion in direct expenses and $11.5 billion in lost productivity in 2023. The DOT Inspector General's 2018 audit estimated detention was associated with $1.1 billion to $1.3 billion a year in reduced earnings for truckload drivers DOT OIG, ST2018019Detention, crash risk and earnings (DOT OIG)Each 15-minute increase in average dwell time raises the expected crash rate 6.2%; $1.1 to $1.3 billion a year in lost driver earningsDOT Office of Inspector General audit ST2018019 (January 31, 2018) estimated, from limited data, that a 15-minute increase in average dwell time increases the average expected crash rate by 6.2%, and that detention is associated with $1.1 billion to $1.3 billion a year in reduced earnings for truckload drivers. It found current data limit further analysis.DOT OIG, ST2018019, 2018Checked Oct 2026Close.

Collection. 94.5% of fleets in ATRI's research charge detention, but fewer than half of those invoices are paid.

Safety. The Inspector General estimated that each 15-minute increase in average dwell time raises the expected crash rate by 6.2%, based on limited data. ATRI found detained trucks averaged 14.6% higher speeds afterward.

The detention worksheet

Your rate and free time come from your rate confirmation. If it doesn't mention detention, ask before booking.

What to document on every load

• Arrival time at the gate, with a photo of the gate log or check-in slip if you can.
• In and out times on the bill of lading, signed or stamped by the facility when possible.
• ELD or GPS location data showing the truck at the facility.
• The notice to the broker before free time ended, by email or the broker's app, with a reply if you can get one.
• The reason for the delay if the facility gives one.

Submit the claim with the invoice, not weeks later. Many brokers set deadlines for accessorial claims in their carrier agreements.

Waiting still uses the driver's day

Time at a dock doesn't stop the hours-of-service clock. A driver can drive up to 11 hours within a 14-hour window that starts when they come on duty 49 CFR 395.3Hours of service, property carriers11 hours driving in a 14-hour window after 10 hours off; 30-minute break after 8 hours driving49 CFR 395.3(a): after 10 consecutive hours off duty, a property-carrying driver may drive up to 11 hours, and may not drive after the 14th hour since coming on duty. A 30-minute interruption in driving is required after 8 cumulative hours of driving. 395.3(b): no driving after 60 hours on duty in 7 days or 70 in 8 days; a 34-hour off-duty period restarts the count.49 CFR 395.3Checked Oct 2026Close, and waiting on duty at a dock uses that window. A five-hour wait in the morning can mean the afternoon delivery can't be made legally, which turns one delay into two. That's why detention notice matters: the broker needs to know early if the next appointment is at risk.

Layover and TONU

Layover is pay for a truck held overnight or for a full day, usually when a load isn't ready or an appointment moves to the next day. TONU (truck ordered, not used) is a fee when a broker cancels a load after the truck has been dispatched or arrived. Both should be on the rate confirmation, with amounts, before you accept the load.

Negotiate before you book

The best time to settle detention is before the load is booked:

• Confirm free time and the hourly rate on the rate con.
• Ask whether there's a cap and how partial hours are counted.
• Ask how the broker wants to be notified, and by when.
• For facilities with known long waits, ask for a higher rate or a longer appointment window.

A load with no detention terms is a load where waiting is free for everyone except you.

When a claim is refused

Ask why, in writing. Common reasons are a missing notice, missing in and out times, or a claim sent too late. Send the documents you have, point to the rate con terms, and ask for a decision by a set date. If a broker regularly refuses documented claims, price that into the next load or stop hauling for them. Factoring companies and dispatch services that file claims for you may have their own documentation requirements; follow them.

Reducing dwell time in the first place

• Book appointments, and arrive early enough to check in on time.
• Ask brokers about facilities. Many know which docks are slow.
• Price slow facilities higher, or skip them. A load that pays well per mile but waits five hours may not pay per hour; check it with the load profitability calculator.
• Build repeat freight with fast shippers. Dedicated lanes with good facilities are worth more than they look on a rate sheet; see dedicated trucking.
• Keep a facility list. Note dwell times at every stop. After a few months you'll know where to negotiate harder.

EXAMPLE A three-truck reefer carrier logs dwell time at every stop for two months. Two receivers average more than four hours. The owner adds a detention clause and a higher rate to loads delivering there, and tells the desk to skip one of them unless the rate covers the wait. Average dwell per stop drops by more than an hour over the next quarter.

Using dwell data to price lanes

After a few months of logging, sort your stops by average dwell time. Facilities with long waits should carry a higher rate, a detention clause you can collect, or both. Divide each load's revenue by total hours (driving plus dwell), not just miles, to see what the truck really earned per hour. Some loads that look strong per mile turn out to be among your weakest per hour.

Dwell time and your drivers

Waiting is unpaid time for many drivers, and unpaid time is one of the reasons drivers leave. Paying drivers a share of collected detention, or detention pay after a set wait, helps keep them; see driver retention strategies that work.

Every dock hour paid or priced in

Put dwell time on the weekly list in truck fleet management, alongside empty miles and cost per mile. For how our desk handles detention claims, see small fleet dispatch.

Our view: every hour at a dock should be either paid or priced in. Track it, warn the broker, document it, and stop hauling for facilities that won't do either.