Detention Disputes: The Evidence Brokers Accept
A broker pays the freight and short-pays the detention. The email says the wait was not approved, the times look wrong, or the free time was longer than you billed. At that point the carrier with a clean file usually gets paid, and the carrier with a phone call and a memory usually does not.
This is what to have on file for each load, so a dispute is a five-minute reply and not an argument. If you are still working out the charge itself, start with how to calculate detention charges in Canada.
1. Recorded arrival and departure times
Times captured on the day beat times reconstructed later. The strongest evidence is a timestamp recorded when the driver arrived and when the driver was released, kept with the load. A time entered a week later after the broker questions it is far easier to challenge. If a time was corrected, keep the original and the correction.
2. The rate confirmation terms
Keep the rate confirmation that governs the load, because it sets the free time, the hourly rate, the increments and the currency. Quote the relevant line in your reply. A dispute over free time is settled by that document, not by what other brokers allow.
3. Notice history
Many brokers want to hear about a delay while the truck is still waiting, not for the first time on the invoice. Keep a record of any on-site notice, who it went to and when. A notice sent only because a timer ran out can be wrong if the truck had already left, so confirm the truck is still there before it goes out.
4. A clear invoice line
Show the arithmetic on the invoice: time on site, free time, billable time, rate and currency. When the broker can check the number against the rate confirmation in a few seconds, there is less to argue about.
5. Appointment and facility details
Note the appointment time, the facility, and any reason for the wait that the facility gave. If the delay was caused by the carrier arriving well after the appointment, say so honestly in your own file. It is better to know before the broker raises it.
Writing the reply
Keep it short, factual and polite. State the load number, the recorded arrival and departure, the free time from the rate confirmation, the billable time and the amount. Attach the supporting record and ask for payment or for the specific point they disagree with. Do not add threats or history about earlier loads.
A short checklist
- Arrival and departure times recorded on the day, with any correction noted.
- The rate confirmation that sets the free time and rate.
- A record of any notice: what was sent, to whom and when.
- An invoice line that shows the arithmetic and the currency.
- Appointment time and any reason for the wait.
- A short, factual reply that attaches the record.
FleetOS keeps stop times, the calculated detention charge and notice history on each load, and its DisputeShield tool drafts a reply from those stored records for a dispatcher to review before it is sent. See the FleetOS overview or apply for a 30-day pilot.