Power only detention and trailer wait time

Drop and hook is supposed to take the waiting out of trucking. Most of the time it does. But a preloaded trailer that is still at the dock, a pool with no empty to swap, or a receiver that suddenly wants a live unload can keep a power only truck parked for hours. Power only detention is how you get paid for that time, and it only works if you set it up before you arrive.

Why power only trucks still wait

Power only removes the loading time from your day, but not the trailer. Common causes of waiting:

• The preloaded trailer isn't loaded yet. It is still at a door, or the shipper hasn't finished the paperwork.
• The trailer can't be found. The yard map is wrong, or the trailer number on the load doesn't match what is in the yard.
• No empty to drop or hook. The pool requires you to bring or take an empty and there isn't one.
• The trailer fails your pre-hook check. You wait for a swap or a road service call. Our trailer inspection checklist covers what to check.
• The receiver won't take the drop. It wants the trailer unloaded live, or has no space in the yard.
• Gate lines at large distribution centers and terminals.

Detention costs more than an hour of pay. DOT's Office of Inspector General estimated in 2018 that detention reduced truckload drivers' annual earnings by $1.1 billion to $1.3 billion and that each 15-minute increase in average dwell time raised the expected crash rate by 6.2%, while noting that industry-wide detention data was limited. Every waiting hour also comes out of your 14-hour window under 49 CFR 395.3.

What decides whether you get paid

No federal rule requires a shipper or broker to pay detention. It is a term of your agreement, usually the rate confirmation. Before you accept a load, know these four things:

Layover and TONU (truck order not used) are separate flat amounts. They belong in the rate con too.

How the detention clock usually runs

How to document a detention claim

Brokers pay detention when they can bill it to the shipper, and shippers pay when the times are proven. Build the proof as you go:

1. Arrive on time and record it. Gate check-in time, a photo of the gate pass, and your ELD location. Your duty-status record (49 CFR 395.8) already timestamps on-duty time at the stop.
2. Note the appointment and the trailer number. Detention is easier to collect when you were on time for a specific trailer.
3. Notify the broker before free time ends. Text or email, with the time you arrived and why you are waiting ("trailer 53412 still at door 18"). Keep it in writing.
4. Keep updating. Each hour or so, a short message: still waiting, why, who you spoke to.
5. Get times on the paperwork. Ask for in and out times on the bill of lading or a signed gate receipt when you leave.
6. Invoice it with the load. Send the detention line, the times and your notice messages with the paperwork. Late detention claims are easy to refuse.

The drop trailer wait time calculator does this math for any arrival, ready time, free time and rate.

Detention on tow away and load out moves

Tow away and load out moves have their own waiting points: trailer plants that release new trailers in batches, lots where the trailer has no plate or paperwork yet, and receivers that check every unit before signing. Ask about these before you book, and make sure the rate con covers waiting at both ends.

Reducing the wait before it happens

• Call the pool before you leave. Ask whether the trailer is loaded and sealed. Five minutes on the phone can save a 3-hour sit.
• Pick facilities that run drop and hook well. Repeat lanes teach you which yards have trailers ready. See drop and hook loads for how pools work.
• Plan the reload with slack. Don't book a tight next pickup behind a shipper that is often late.
• Track the pattern. If one facility costs you hours every week, the rate on that lane should reflect it.

For a fleet, the waiting adds up across every tractor. Our power only fleet dispatch desk tracks detention per facility and per truck in the weekly report, so you can see which lanes pay for the time they take. One-truck carriers get the same claims handling through our power only dispatch service.