Shipper Guides
How to Reduce Detention at Your Dock
May 28, 2026 · 7 min read
Detention is the most expensive two hours in freight. The driver's clock runs under federal hours-of-service rules whether your dock is moving or not — and carriers price known slow facilities accordingly, whether or not they tell you.
A driver's on-duty clock runs during loading and unloading, so dock delay directly consumes the hours available to deliver your freight on time.
Why detention is worse than the fee suggests
Detention fees rarely cover the real loss. Two hours lost at a morning pickup can cascade into a missed delivery appointment 500 miles away, a forced 10-hour reset, and a full day of lost revenue for the truck.
Carriers remember. Facilities with reliable two-hour turns get capacity offers first and better rates over time; facilities with a reputation for six-hour waits get quoted a premium.
Seven changes that actually shorten dock time
- Have the BOL and paperwork printed before the truck arrives
- Stage and shrink-wrap the load before the appointment, not after
- Give drivers a specific door number in the appointment confirmation
- Post gate hours, check-in procedure and lumper policy publicly
- Offer drop trailers on recurring lanes so loading happens off the clock
- Track your own average turn time and publish it to carriers
- Give drivers restroom access — it costs nothing and shapes who accepts your freight