Power only detention calculator

What the result means

• Detention owed is the amount you can claim for this stop under the terms you entered, after the billing step and any cap.
• Total time at the yard runs from your check-in to rolling out with the trailer, including the hook and inspection time.
• Billable time is the part after free time, rounded down to your billing step.
• Detention per hour you waited spreads the claim over every hour you sat, which shows what the wait really paid you.

A power only detention calculator can only tell you what your terms are worth. Whether the broker pays still depends on proof and notice, which our guide to power only detention and trailer wait time covers step by step.

How it is calculated

total wait     = (trailer ready − arrival) + hook and inspect minutes
clock start    = appointment, if you arrived early and the rate con starts at the appointment
                 otherwise your arrival
billable       = total wait − (clock start − arrival) − free time, never below 0
billable steps = billable rounded down to the billing step (15 min, 30 min, 60 min or by the minute)
owed           = billable hours × detention rate, limited by the cap if there is one

A trailer ready time earlier than your arrival in the day is read as past midnight, up to 12 hours later. Anything more is treated as a trailer that was already ready. Late arrival is detected the same way: an appointment more than 12 hours "after" your arrival means you came after it.

Assumptions

• Detention terms come only from your rate con. Two hours of free time is a common starting point, and the window DOT's Inspector General used in its 2018 estimates, but your load may differ.
• The broker was notified before free time ran out. Without that, many claims are refused regardless of the math.
• The result is an estimate for one stop, not a guarantee of payment.

How to use it before and after a load

1. Before you accept, enter the rate con terms and a realistic wait for that shipper. If a likely 3-hour sit pays nothing, the load rate needs to cover it.
2. At the yard, fill in your real arrival and appointment and update it when the trailer is ready.
3. After the load, copy the result link and send it with your detention invoice and timestamps.

Waiting time also changes what a load pays per mile and per hour. Our guide to power only rates per mile explains how to price that in. If you are weighing a dispatcher who handles these claims, the dispatch fee calculator shows what the service costs on your gross, and our dispatch desk is who files the claims.