Detention pay

[SassyCactus]

My company is about to standardize accessorial charges, including detention pay, at $35/hour after 2 hours of wait time. Previously, it was more of a negotiation offer $35, see what the carrier would accept, and either get customer approval or pay it ourselves if it was our fault. We typically charge customers $50/hour for wait time, and lately, I’ve noticed most carriers are asking for $50/hour as their detention pay. I know detention is a hot topic, and carriers often get the short end of the stick. There’s even talk about federally mandating detention time payments. I’m curious to hear from both carriers and brokers: what does detention look like on your side of things? Of course, I understand detention can vary depending on the situation, but I’m specifically referring to standard OTR shipments with regular equipment waiting for more than 2 hours.

[NeonNova]

As a carrier, we usually just try to build extra money into the rate upfront because delays realistically cost us $50-$100 per hour. Getting a broker to pay what it actually costs us is way too stressful and time-consuming. It’s like how I drive assuming everyone else on the road is going to do the dumbest thing possible—I assume brokers and shippers don’t care about my time either.

[Golden]

I stick to a clear policy: TONU is $150, and detention pay is $50/hour after 2 hours. That’s what I was taught from the start, and I don’t mess around with carriers’ time. We all have better things to do than deal with unnecessary delays.