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Charges & Accessorials
Detention
Detention is a fee charged when a driver is held at a pickup or delivery site longer than the allotted free time — usually about two hours — waiting to load or unload.
Carriers allow a window of free time (commonly around two hours) for a shipment to be loaded or unloaded. If the driver is held beyond that window, the carrier charges detention, typically billed per hour or fraction thereof.
Detention compensates the carrier for a driver and truck sitting idle instead of moving other freight. It is most common at facilities with slow docks, long queues, or missed appointment windows.
Shippers and consignees avoid detention by having freight staged and ready, honoring scheduled appointment times, and ensuring dock or labor is available when the driver arrives.
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