What's a good late-arrival policy for truck appointments?
For receiving leads, gate supervisors and DC managers who run dock appointments.
Reviewed September 26, 2026 · sources linked inline
Short answer: write one rule each for early, late and no-show trucks, apply it the same way every time, and send it to carriers before you enforce it. A common shape: early trucks are worked in only if a door is free; trucks past a set grace period (for example 30 minutes) become work-ins and do not bump anyone; no-shows rebook. Consistency matters more than the exact numbers.
Why case-by-case does not work
When each early or late truck is handled on the spot, three things happen. The schedule stops meaning anything, because carriers learn that arriving whenever works. On-time carriers pay for late ones, because their slot gets pushed. And detention disputes get harder: if there is no rule for when free time starts for an early or late truck, every invoice becomes an argument.
A policy template
Adjust the numbers to your site. Keep the structure.
| Situation | Rule | Free-time clock starts* |
|---|---|---|
| Early | Worked in if a door in the right group is free; otherwise waits | At the appointment time |
| On time (within the grace period) | Goes to the assigned door | At check-in or the appointment, whichever is later |
| Late (past the grace period, e.g. 30 min) | Becomes a work-in: next open door, never bumps a scheduled truck | Per your contract; often when the truck is worked in |
| No-show | Carrier rebooks; the slot is released | n/a |
| Repeat late or no-show (e.g. 2 in a month) | A call with the carrier and a look at their arrival record | n/a |
*Free time and when it starts are contract terms. Put your rule in your carrier agreements or routing guide so the policy and the contract say the same thing.
Be fair to drivers: why trucks run late
Late arrivals are not always carelessness. Federal hours-of-service rules say a property-carrying driver "may not drive after a period of 14 consecutive hours after coming on-duty following 10 consecutive hours off-duty," with up to 11 hours of driving in that window (49 CFR 395.3). A driver held up at an earlier stop can run out of hours, or have to stop and rest, before reaching you.
That is a reason for the work-in lane, not for dropping the rule: a late driver worked in the same day is better for both sides than one turned away. It is also why waiting at your dock matters to drivers. The DOT Inspector General estimated that detention "is associated with reductions in annual earnings of $1.1 billion to $1.3 billion for for-hire CMV drivers in the truckload sector" (US DOT OIG, ST2018019).
How to roll it out
- Write it on one page: the table above, with your numbers.
- Send it to carriers and brokers with a start date two to four weeks out.
- Post it at the gate where drivers check in.
- Train every gate clerk to apply it the same way. The policy only works if it does not depend on who is on shift.
- Log arrival time against appointment time for every truck. Without that, you cannot enforce anything or show carriers their record.
Measure it
After a month, look at arrival against appointment by carrier. Late arrivals are often concentrated in a few carriers; your own log will show whether that holds for you. A conversation that starts with "here are your last 30 arrivals" goes very differently from "your drivers are always late." Also watch how many work-ins a day your doors absorb before on-time trucks start waiting, and no-shows by carrier, which often point to a booking problem on their side.
Common mistakes
- Exceptions for "good" carriers. Everyone notices, and the rule stops working.
- Making late trucks wait until the end of the day even when doors are free. It raises detention risk and helps nobody.
- No record of arrival time. Without it the policy cannot be enforced and disputes cannot be settled.
- A policy that contradicts the carrier contract. Fix one or the other so they match.
General information, not legal advice. Your carrier contracts and routing guide control free time and charges.
Frequently asked questions
How long should the grace period be?
Long enough to absorb normal traffic, short enough that the next appointment is not affected. Pick one number and keep it.
Can we refuse a late truck?
That depends on your contracts and your capacity. A work-in lane usually costs less than refusing, and it avoids a second trip.
Should early trucks get unloaded early?
Only if a door in the right group is free. Otherwise early arrivals push out on-time trucks.
Log every arrival from the gate
The policy only works if every arrival is logged with a time. Free plan: 1 yard, 3 users, 100 gate transactions a month, 30-day history. No card, never expires.
Related: records that win a detention claim · who pays truck detention · cut truck wait time at the gate · pricing