Detention time

It's not complicated. Do these things and you will get paid detention. Get your detention terms agreed to and in writing when you book the load otherwise you are at the mercy of the broker and that seldom ends well. Do a check call when you arrive at their customer. You notify them 30 minutes before detention starts. You make a note of your "in", "out" and "appointment" or "arrival time" on the BOL and if you can't get the shipper or receiver to initial or sign beside that you either put their initials or signature on there or put your own initials or signature there. Either one has always worked for me and never been questioned. Normally when somebody gets screwed on detention it's because they didn't do one or more of these things.

 

@ProfessionalNoticer is a master at getting detention time paid.

 

Call them & email them so you have documentation. Put your in & out times on the bol so you have a signed bol with your times. It is all about documentation & communication.

 

Most times they'll send over a revised rate con with detention added

 

I do dryvan but I email the broker when I arrive before my appointment time.

If they have not begun to unload me at an hour or an hour and 1/2, check your rate con that usually will tell you how to deal with the procedure for detention, between an hour to an hour and a 1/2 I call them and say Hey these guys haven't started on me it looks like we may go into detention what's the correct procedure? If they are good with email with replying I will use email.

Almost every broker has said to me to just keep track of my times and write it on the BOL.

And I also continue to check in with them if we're at 3 hours or 4 hours I don't just sit there I call them and say Hey still here just wanted to give you an update. Often when you call them they will call over to where you are and say Hey I got this guy getting unloaded can you get him out of there your paying detention.

Then if there is a gatepass or anything that has my time in-and-out on it I will Scan a copy of that for my records.

As soon as I am empty before I even leave the place immediately I send the broker the BOL with the in-and-out outtimes on it and I request a new rate con.

Sometimes it gets sent over maybe within 5 or 10 minutes sometimes it takes until the following day and sometimes you have to follow up with them on sending it but thus far that has worked out for me.

It is best if you can email them and ask them the procedure because there are a few brokers that I've worked for that sending the BOL to the broker himself is not enough. Some brokers have another department that you have to send the lumper receipt to or the BOL itself to them in order to get paid the detention.

Time is of the essence with sending them the BOL and following up with them because there's really only a certain time frame that they like to ask for detention. If you wait a couple days or a week and try to get it it's probably not going to happen.

 

RC has it all. In fact, he's one of the posters that taught me when I was researching here on TTR several years ago when I started my business.

I do things slightly different but the general gist is document everything and get it all in writing. I've even gotten paid with just an agreement in an email message. It wasn’t even on the rate con.

 

Yeah forgot to add, and it was mentioned above in another comment, always request an updated rate con with detention added on. Usually they're going to want to see a scan of your POD where you've got your "in & out" times and signatures etc. The good ones will send over an updated rate con right away but most of them make you wait a day or longer while they verify.

 

Well, you're going to have to either raise the rate to cover what you need hourly to sit or be fully prepared to pass on those loads. Sometimes these decisions can be challenging for some people. You'll get a chance to see just how great your broker is (or isn't) after you break the news.