Detention pay calculator.
Waited too long at a shipper or receiver? See what you are owed. Nothing to sign up for, runs in your browser.
Detention pay = hours past free time × your detention rate. The fight is almost never about whether you waited. It is about whether anyone can prove when you arrived. A gate timestamp is the whole case.
How detention pay works
Most shippers and receivers give you 2 hours of free time from your appointment. After that, detention accrues at your contracted rate, commonly $50 to $125 an hour, until you are loaded, unloaded, or released. Some contracts cap the daily total, so check your rate confirmation.
To actually collect it, you need documented in and out times. A gate timestamp, a BOL signed with arrival and departure, or your ELD arrival record are the strongest proof. Without a record of when you got there, the claim usually gets denied.
Frequently asked
How much is detention pay per hour?
Commonly $50 to $125 an hour depending on carrier, lane, and contract. Your exact rate is on your rate confirmation or carrier agreement.
How long before detention starts?
Usually 2 hours of free time from the scheduled appointment, though some facilities use 1 hour or another window.
What proof do I need to get paid?
Documented arrival and departure times: a gate timestamp, a signed BOL with in/out times, or an ELD record. Detention disputes are about proving when you arrived.
Run a yard? Stop losing these disputes.
Vantage timestamps every gate in and out on a phone, so your detention is a record, not an argument.
This is an estimate for reference, not legal or financial advice. Your actual detention pay depends on your carrier agreement, the facility's free-time policy, and documented arrival and departure times. Benchmarks: industry detention rates $50–$125/hour; typical free-time window 2 hours.
Related: turn this into a demand letter · log this wait anonymously (YardPulse) · yard detention & free-time calculator · reduce detention charges at the dock · container number checker · why detention invoices go unpaid · who actually pays truck detention