Truck Detention Pay Calculator — Free, With Claim Email

How much detention are you owed?

Enter your gate times and the terms from the rate confirmation. You get the billable detention hours, the dollars, what the wait did to your real hourly pay, and a claim email to paste to the broker. Time spent waiting is the most commonly unbilled money in trucking; this makes the claim a two-minute job.

Nothing is uploaded. Your times and rates are read in this browser and never leave your device.

1. Terms from your rate confirmation

Detention rate ($ per hour)

Free time (hours)

Billing increment

Max billable hours per stop (0 = no cap)

2. Times from the bill of lading or gate receipt

Pickup

Arrived

Appointment (optional)

Departed

Delivery

Arrived

Appointment (optional)

Departed

Enter each stop's local wall-clock times. A stop that spans a daylight-saving change is off by an hour.

3. Optional: what the wait does to your pay

Load rate, before detention ($)

Driving hours on this load

Loads a month with detention

Load number (for the email)

Enter your rate and at least one stop's arrival and departure, then click Calculate.

What this does not cover

Your contract decides. If the rate confirmation has no detention clause, the broker is not obliged to pay; this tool cannot tell you what you agreed to.
Hours, not law. It does arithmetic on the times and terms you enter. It does not check them against a document.
Layover, TONU and lumper fees are separate accessorials and are not calculated here.

Common questions

How much detention can an owner-operator charge?

Whatever the rate confirmation says. The usual terms are two hours of free time, then $40 to $100 an hour billed in 15 or 30 minute increments, often capped at 8 to 12 hours. Check the rate confirmation: if it is silent, you are negotiating, not claiming, and the broker is not obliged to pay.

When does the detention clock start?

Usually at the later of your arrival time and the appointment time. Arriving early does not start it. If you arrive after the appointment, it starts when you arrive. This calculator reads each stop that way.

What proof do brokers want for a detention claim?

Signed or stamped in and out times from the bill of lading or a gate receipt, the rate confirmation showing the detention terms, and your request sent inside the broker's window, often 24 to 72 hours after delivery or with the proof of delivery. Photograph the times before you leave.

Is detention pay taxable?

Yes. It is ordinary business income, reported with the rest of your freight revenue. This tool only totals the claim; it does not compute tax.

Is this legal or financial advice?

No. It does arithmetic on the times and terms you enter. Whether a claim is owed depends on your contract, which this tool has not read.