How do you check a carrier's detention invoice before you pay it?
Published October 11, 2026 · for receivers and shippers · sources linked below
Short answer: rebuild the clock from your own records, then compare. You need five things: the detention terms you agreed to (free time, when the clock starts, rate, cap), the appointment time, your gate-in time, the time you released the truck (or your gate-out time), and the reason for any delay. Pay the time that matches your records. Dispute the rest in writing, with your times attached. If federal billing rules apply to the bill, you generally have 180 days from receiving it to contest it (49 U.S.C. 13710), unless a written contract waived that.
Why detention bills are hard to check
Detention is billed for time a truck is held beyond the free time in the shipping contract, and the two sides often clock it differently. The DOT Office of Inspector General found that "most industry stakeholders measure only time spent at a shipper or receiver's facility beyond the limit established in shipping contracts," and that available electronic data "cannot readily discern detention time from legitimate loading and unloading tasks" (DOT Office of Inspector General, report ST2018019, January 31, 2018).
FMCSA describes the usual baseline: in the study it sponsored, drivers were detained on "approximately 10 percent of their stops for an average duration of 1.4 hours beyond a commonly accepted two-hour loading and unloading period" (FMCSA, 84 FR 26933, June 10, 2019). ATRI's survey measures it differently and finds it far more often: in its 2023 data, drivers reported being detained at 39.3 percent of stops, and while 94.5 percent of fleets charge detention, they are paid for fewer than 50 percent of those invoices (ATRI, September 2024). Carriers say receivers don't pay; receivers say the times are wrong. A driver in one forum thread had "timestamps and camera footage showing arrival/departure times" and was still told the documentation was "not sufficient" (TruckersReport thread, February 2026). The side with clear times on paper is the one that gets heard.
Six checks before you approve the bill
These steps are our suggestions. The terms in step 1 come from your own contract or rate confirmation, so they will differ from site to site.
| # | Check | Compare the invoice with | What to look for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The terms | Contract, rate confirmation or routing guide | Free time (FMCSA calls two hours "commonly accepted"), when the clock starts (arrival or appointment), hourly rate, billing increments, daily cap, and any rule that the carrier must warn you before detention starts. A motor carrier must give the shipper, on request, a copy of the rate and rules the charge is based on (49 U.S.C. 13710(a)(1)). |
| 2 | Was the truck on time? | The appointment in your schedule | Your terms may say a truck that missed its appointment is not owed detention, or that an early truck starts free time at the appointment, not at arrival. Check the wording. |
| 3 | Start time | Your gate-in time | The invoice start should be close to your gate-in, or to the appointment if that is the contract rule. A start earlier than your gate-in needs an explanation, such as a line of trucks outside the gate. |
| 4 | End time | Your gate-out time, or when paperwork was handed over | Check what your terms say ends the clock, such as release of the truck or signed paperwork. If the driver stayed after release to sleep or wait for dispatch, that time is not yours. |
| 5 | Cause of the delay | Dock notes, door board, receiving log | Delays caused by the carrier (missing paperwork, a load that had to be reworked, a driver out of hours) may be excluded by your terms. |
| 6 | The math | Your own calculation | (Release time minus clock start) minus free time, rounded the way the contract says, times the rate, up to any cap. Then check the invoice is not billing the same stop twice. |
Example, made up for illustration: appointment 8:00, truck arrives 7:40, your gate-in 7:44, gate-out 11:35, 2 hours free, $60 per hour in 15-minute steps, clock starts at the later of appointment and arrival. Clock start 8:00, so 3 h 35 min on site counts, minus 2 h free = 1 h 35 min = $95. If the invoice says 2 h 15 min from 7:20, ask where 7:20 came from.
Who actually gets the bill
A receiver often has no contract with the carrier. The carrier bills the shipper or the broker that hired it, and they pass the charge on to you under their own terms. That is why step 1 matters: the terms you are held to are the ones in your contract with the shipper or broker, which may differ from the carrier's. If you can't find written detention terms at all, ask for them before you pay.
Deadlines, and how long to keep your times
Under 49 U.S.C. 13710(a)(3)(B), "a shipper must contest the original bill or subsequent bill within 180 days of receipt of the bill in order to have the right to contest such charges." The carrier has a matching limit: it must issue any bill for charges beyond the original bill within 180 days of receipt of the original bill to keep the right to collect them ((a)(3)(A)). Two cautions. First, under 49 U.S.C. 14101(b), a shipper and carrier can, in a written contract, expressly waive rights and remedies under this part of the law, so a contract may set different rules. Second, all of this only helps if you can still find your gate times when the bill arrives. Paper logs get lost, and many apps only keep a limited history.
Where Vantage fits
Vantage gives you your own copy of the times. The gate clerk records each truck's gate-in and gate-out on an iPhone or in any web browser, with a timestamp on every record and a photo whenever the camera is used. When a detention bill comes in, you find that truck in the gate history and compare. Be aware of history limits: the Free plan keeps 30 days of records, so check a bill while it is still in the log or move to a plan with longer history (180 days on Lite; see pricing). The Free plan is $0 with no card, for 1 user, 1 yard and 100 gate events a month. Vantage does not read the carrier's ELD data and does not calculate detention invoices for you. For the math, use the free detention calculator.
FAQ
When does the detention clock start?
It depends on the contract or rate confirmation, not on federal law. Some terms start the clock at arrival, others at the appointment time, or at whichever is later, so an early truck does not start it early. Check the wording in yours. Compare the carrier's arrival time with your own gate-in time and the appointment.
Can a receiver refuse to pay a detention charge?
No federal law sets a detention rate or requires a receiver to pay one; detention is a contract term. Whether you owe it depends on what you agreed to, directly or through the shipper or broker. If the times on the invoice don't match your records, dispute it in writing with your own gate-in and gate-out times.
How long do I have to dispute a detention charge?
Under 49 U.S.C. 13710(a)(3)(B), a shipper must contest a motor carrier's original or later bill within 180 days of receiving it to keep the right to contest it. A written contract can waive these rights under 49 U.S.C. 14101(b), so read your contract first. Keep your gate records at least that long.
Related questions: do shippers have to pay truck detention · why detention invoices go unpaid (the carrier side) · what records win a detention claim · a trailer check-in log at the gate
Keep your own gate times
Gate in and out from a phone, timestamped, so the next detention bill has something to check against. Free plan, no card, 1 user and 1 yard.