4 Things to Know About Detention Fees in Freight Shipping & Logistics

Detention fines are inconvenient. There is no getting around that. However, if you’re a typical freight shipper, you’ll have to deal with truck detention fees.
The easiest approach to deal with these expenses is to learn about them ahead of time. You can arrange your freight shipments around detention costs and assist you and your freight broker avoid them with some simple knowledge.

1.) What are “detention charges” in shipping terminology?

When the vehicle is kept at the pickup or delivery site for longer than the allocated “free time,” a detention fee is applied. Now, “free time” differs according to the carrier. In general, it takes two hours to pick up and two hours to deliver.

2.) Do they apply to both truckload and less-than-truckload shipping?

Detention fees are often exclusively charged in truckload shipment. Although these costs are available in LTL, they are quite infrequent. If an LTL carrier is made to wait for more than 15 minutes, the driver would often abandon the pickup or delivery site.
They have far too many stops to make on their way. Though this may result in a dry run cost, it will not result in a detention fee.

3.) How much do these fees cost?

They often range between $50 and $100 per hour. It varies on the carrier, however you can always estimate the amount of detention before shipment.
You can also arrange for detention ahead of time if necessary.

4.) How do I avoid paying detention fees?

There are three steps you may take to avoid truckload detention costs.

Make sure the freight is ready to travel when it is picked up. Correctly packaged, with a forklift or dock ready to load

Ensure that the load documentation is complete and ready to go at the time of pickup.

Communication is essential. Maintain open lines of communication between the broker, driver, carrier, shipper, and recipient.