Detention
Definition
Detention is a charge for keeping a carrier's equipment, such as a container outside the terminal or a trailer at a dock, longer than the agreed free time. In trucking it also refers to fees for holding a driver beyond the allotted loading or unloading window.
In Practice
Detention comes in two flavors. In container shipping, it is billed per day when an importer holds the carrier's container beyond free time after pulling it from the terminal, typically until the empty is returned. In trucking, it is billed per hour when a driver is kept waiting at a dock past a free window, commonly two hours.
For planners, detention is a direct signal of dock and yard discipline. Slow unloading, missing appointments, and letting empties pile up in the yard all convert into invoices. Beyond the fees, chronic detention makes carriers reluctant to serve your facility or leads them to price the lane higher.
For example, a warehouse that takes five hours to unload a live truckload pays three hours of driver detention; an importer that returns an empty container nine days after pickup against seven free days pays two days of container detention.
Related Calculators
Related Terms
Demurrage is a charge assessed when a container stays at a port or rail terminal beyond its allotted free time before being picked up. It is billed per container per day and escalates the longer the box sits.
Dock SchedulingDock scheduling is the practice of assigning inbound and outbound trailers to specific dock doors and time slots, usually through an appointment system. It smooths workload at the warehouse and reduces carrier waiting time.
Yard ManagementYard management is the control of trailers, containers, and trucks within a facility's yard, covering gate check-in, parking assignments, trailer moves to and from doors, and inventory of what is sitting where. It bridges transportation and the warehouse.
DrayageDrayage is the short-distance trucking of containers, typically between a port or rail ramp and a nearby warehouse, yard, or terminal. It is the connecting link at each end of an intermodal or ocean move.