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Detention Pay Calculator for Owner Operators

Find out how much detention time you are owed, then copy a ready-to-send message for your broker.

Your stop

Leave empty for a first-come, first-served stop.

Most rate confirmations say 2 hours. Use the number on yours.

There is no federal rate. It is whatever your rate confirmation says.

Add load details for your message (optional)
Enter the time you arrived and the time you were released. Or press Try an example to see how it works.

Keep this as proof

  • A timestamped check-in, or a text or email to the broker when you arrived.
  • The shipper's gate log or dock sign-in sheet, or a photo of it.
  • The times written on your bill of lading (BOL) when you were released.
  • Your ELD or phone location history for the day.

Before you send

  • Read the detention line on your rate confirmation. Free time, rate and the deadline to ask can all differ.
  • Many brokers want a heads-up when the free time runs out. Send a short text at that moment.
  • No detention line on the rate confirmation? Ask for one before you take the next load.

This calculator gives an estimate from the numbers you enter. It is not legal advice and it does not decide what a broker or shipper must pay. Your rate confirmation and carrier agreement control what is owed.

Numbers tight? Let a dispatcher find better loads.

This tool is free. If it shows you are leaving money on the road, Grow Trucking finds loads, negotiates rates and does the paperwork for owner-operators and small fleets.

Talk to a dispatcher Call (845) 400-9179

Also: About Grow Trucking · Refer a carrier · Trucking blog

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How is detention pay calculated?

Detention pay is the time you wait past the free time in your rate confirmation, times the hourly rate. Most rate confirmations give 2 hours of free time. The clock usually starts at your appointment or when you arrive, whichever is later. No federal rule sets the rate.

  1. Write down when you arrived and when you were released. Use the times on your check-in and your bill of lading.
  2. Find when the free time started counting. If you arrived before your appointment, that is the appointment time. If you arrived late, it is your arrival time.
  3. Subtract the free time, usually 2 hours, from the time on the clock. What is left is your detention time.
  4. Multiply the detention time by the hourly rate on your rate confirmation. Some brokers round up to the next 15 minutes or the next hour, so check how yours bills.
Worked example: a delivery with a 4 hour 13 minute wait, 2 hours free, $50 an hour
StepResult
Appointment8:00 AM
Arrived8:04 AM (late, so the clock starts at 8:04)
Released12:17 PM
Time at the facility4 hours 13 minutes
Free time ends10:04 AM
Detention time2 hours 13 minutes
Pay at $50 an hour$110.83 by the minute, or $150.00 if rounded up to the hour

An FMCSA-sponsored study of carriers found that drivers were detained at about 10 percent of their stops, for an average of 1.4 hours beyond a commonly accepted two-hour loading and unloading period. Detention pay itself is a contract term, not a federal rule, so what you are owed depends on your rate confirmation and carrier agreement.

Last reviewed September 2026. Sources: FMCSA notice on driver detention time, Federal Register, June 10, 2019.

Frequently Asked Questions - Detention Pay Calculator

How much is detention pay for truckers?
No federal rule sets a detention rate. The rate is whatever your rate confirmation or carrier agreement says, and some list none. ATS, a logistics company, lists $50 to $75 an hour as a general approximation, in a page last updated in December 2023. Enter the number from your own paperwork in the calculator.
Is detention pay mandatory?
No. No federal law makes a shipper or broker pay detention. You are owed it only if it is written into your rate confirmation or carrier agreement, or the broker agrees in writing. That is why you should check for a detention line before you take the load.
How does detention pay work?
Your rate confirmation gives a free time, usually 2 hours. After the free time runs out, detention starts and you are paid a set rate for each hour you wait. You send the broker your arrival and release times, and they add it to your pay if the rate confirmation allows it.
How are detention charges calculated?
Take the time you were released and subtract the time the clock started. Then subtract the free time. Multiply what is left by the hourly rate. If you waited 4 hours 13 minutes with 2 hours free at $50 an hour, that is 2 hours 13 minutes, or $110.83 billed by the minute.
When does the detention clock start?
On most rate confirmations it starts at your appointment time, or at your arrival if you were late. If you arrive early, the early time usually does not count. Some brokers count from arrival instead. The calculator lets you pick either one, so you can match your paperwork.
Who pays detention, the shipper or the broker?
The broker or company named on your rate confirmation pays you. Many brokers then bill the shipper for the delay, but that is between them. If the broker will not pay, your written times and proof are what you have to show.
What proof do I need to get detention paid?
Keep a timestamped check-in, a text or email to the broker when you arrived, the shipper's gate log or sign-in sheet, and the times written on your bill of lading. Your ELD or phone location history for the day also helps. Send the times in writing the same day.
What is the difference between detention, layover and TONU?
Detention pays for waiting a few hours at a stop. Layover pays when a delay strands you overnight or longer. TONU, short for truck order not used, pays when a booked load is canceled after you are already on the way. Each one must be in your rate confirmation.
What if my rate confirmation has no detention pay?
Then the broker does not have to pay it. Ask for a detention line in writing before you accept the next load, and get it added to the rate confirmation. You can still ask for detention after the fact, but without a written term the broker can say no.

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Go Further With Detention Pay Calculator

Guides, services and reference pages that go with this tool.

Terms explained in the Detention Pay Calculator