Detention Pay Calculator

About this calculator

Detention pay is compensation owed to a trucking carrier or owner-operator when a shipper or receiver keeps their truck waiting at a dock beyond an agreed free time window — typically two hours — before loading or unloading begins. It’s a standard clause in freight contracts and broker-carrier agreements because a driver stuck waiting is losing paid driving hours against the clock set by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration hours-of-service rules, without the shipper bearing any of that cost unless detention terms exist.

The calculation is straightforward once the contract terms are known: subtract the free hours from the total time spent waiting, then multiply the remaining detained hours by the agreed hourly detention rate — this calculator does exactly that, taking your wait time, free hours, and rate to compute what you’re owed for that stop.