Got a carrier detention bill? Check it with your own time log

Published October 26, 2026 · for warehouse and receiving managers · sources linked below

Step 1. Find out which terms apply to you

Detention is a contract term, not a federal rate. No federal law sets a detention rate or says a receiver must pay one. The terms you are held to are usually in your contract or rate confirmation with the shipper or broker, which can differ from the carrier's own terms. If you cannot find written terms, ask for them before you pay. A motor carrier must give the shipper, on request, a copy of the rate and rules the charge is based on (49 U.S.C. 13710(a)(1)). Write down:

• Free time, the hours before charges start. In the study FMCSA cites, detention was measured "beyond a commonly accepted two-hour loading and unloading period" (FMCSA, 84 FR 26933, June 10, 2019). Your contract may say something else.
• When the clock starts: arrival, appointment time, or the later of the two.
• What stops the clock: truck released, paperwork handed over, or gate-out.
• Hourly rate, billing steps (for example 15 minutes) and any daily cap.

Step 2. Check five things on the bill

For a longer walk-through of each check, see how to check a detention invoice before you pay it.

Step 3. Keep a time log for every truck (free template)

Fill in one row per truck, at the moment it happens. Use one clock for everyone (the gate phone or the office clock), and write the time zone if carriers are in other zones. Copy the header into Excel or Google Sheets, or print this page and use the blank rows on a clipboard.

Date	Carrier / driver	Trailer or load #	Appointment	Arrived at gate	At door / dock	Loading or unloading done	Left gate	Free time (h)	Billable time (h)	Delay reason / notes	Logged by

The copy button only copies the text above to your clipboard. Nothing is sent to us.

How to fill the two number columns

Billable time = (Left gate, or the stop time in your terms) minus (Appointment or Arrived, whichever your terms use) minus Free time. If the result is zero or less, nothing is billable.

Delay reason: write the reason for any wait you did not cause (truck had wrong paperwork, load had to be reworked, driver out of hours), and also the ones you did (dock backed up). Short notes written the same day are more believable than memory a month later.

Step 4. A worked example

Made up, for illustration only. Appointment 8:00. Truck arrives at the gate 7:40, your log says gate-in 7:44 and left the gate 11:35. Terms: 2 hours free, $60 per hour in 15-minute steps, clock starts at the later of appointment and arrival. The clock starts at 8:00, so 3 h 35 min on site counts. Minus 2 h free = 1 h 35 min = $95. If the bill says 2 h 15 min starting at 7:20, ask where 7:20 came from. Your log shows the truck was not at the gate then. For the math on other numbers, use the free detention calculator.

Step 5. If the times do not match, reply in writing

1. Say which invoice and which load.
2. List the times you disagree with, and show your times next to theirs.
3. Name the contract term you are relying on.
4. Attach the log row, and any gate photo or timestamped record you have.
5. Keep a copy and note the date you sent it.

Mind the deadline. Under 49 U.S.C. 13710(a)(3)(B), "a shipper must contest the original bill or subsequent bill within 180 days of receipt of the bill in order to have the right to contest such charges." A shipper and carrier can, in a written contract, expressly waive these rights (49 U.S.C. 14101(b)), so your contract comes first. Replying quickly is sensible either way, while everyone still remembers the day.

Does this apply to ocean containers?

Not always. This page is about trucks waiting at your site. Container fees charged by shipping lines (demurrage, per diem) follow different rules and tariffs. See detention vs demurrage vs per diem.

Where Vantage fits

A paper or spreadsheet log works, if someone fills it in at the right moment every time. Vantage records it at the gate instead: when the gate clerk taps Gate In and Gate Out on a phone or in a web browser, the app saves the time for that truck, so arrival and departure are on record without anyone writing them down. When a bill comes in, find the truck in your gate history and compare. The Free plan keeps 30 days of history, so check a bill while it is recent; longer history comes with paid plans (180 days on Lite; see pricing). Vantage does not read the carrier's ELD data and does not calculate or dispute invoices for you.

FAQ

Do I have to pay a carrier's detention charge?

It depends on your contract, not on a federal rule. No federal law sets a detention rate or requires a receiver to pay one. Check what you agreed to, directly or through the shipper or broker, then compare the bill with your own times.

What times should I record for each truck?

The appointment time, when the truck arrived at the gate, when it reached the door, when loading or unloading was done, and when it left the gate. Add a short reason for any delay. These are the times a detention bill is built from.

How long do I have to dispute a detention bill?

Under 49 U.S.C. 13710(a)(3)(B), a shipper must contest a motor carrier's original or later bill within 180 days of receiving it to keep the right to contest it. A written contract can waive these rights under 49 U.S.C. 14101(b), and your contract may set a shorter window, so read it as soon as the bill arrives.

Is a handwritten log enough?

It can help. A log filled in at the moment each truck arrives and leaves is much more useful than one written later from memory, which is easy to question. Use one clock for everyone and write the time zone.

Is this legal advice?

No. It is general information to help you check a bill. For a large amount or a contract question, ask a lawyer.

Related questions: how to check a detention invoice · what records win a detention claim · do shippers have to pay truck detention · detention vs demurrage vs per diem · how long to keep gate logs