Trucking Detention Calculator
Work out the detention charge
Use the times your driver recorded and the terms on the rate confirmation. Nothing you type leaves this page.
- Time on site
- 4 h 30 min
- Detention starts
- 10:00
- Detention time
- 2 h 30 min
- Billable time
- 3 h
Detention charge$255.00 CAD
Line for the invoice
Detention: 3 hrs @ $85.00/hr CAD = $255.00 CAD (arrived 08:00, departed 12:30, 2 hrs free time)
The short answer
Detention charge = (time on site − free time) × hourly rate. Time on site runs from check-in to release, free time comes from the rate confirmation (two hours is common), and most brokers bill each part hour as a full hour. A truck on site 08:00 to 12:30 with 2 hours free at $85 an hour bills 3 hours: $255.00.
How the calculator works
It uses the same formula a broker uses to check your invoice:
Detention charge = (time on site − free time) × hourly rate
- Time on site runs from when the driver checked in to when the truck was released. It is measured from arrival, not from the appointment time or from when loading started.
- Free time comes off first. Only the time after it is detention.
- Billable time rounds a part hour up to the increment the broker bills in. Most bill whole hours; some prorate to the half or quarter hour. Pick what the rate confirmation says.
- If the truck left after midnight, enter the departure as it was. A departure earlier than the arrival is read as the next day.
The full method, with a worked example and cross-border currency, is in how to calculate detention charges in Canada.
Read these off the rate confirmation first
A correct calculation on the wrong terms still gets short-paid. Before you bill, check four lines on that load's rate confirmation:
- The free time at this stop. It can differ between the pickup and the delivery.
- The detention rate per hour, and whether there is a daily cap.
- Whether detention is billed in whole hours or prorated.
- When the broker has to be told. Many require notice while the truck is still waiting, not after.
Getting the charge paid
The arithmetic is the easy part. Detention gets paid when the times are recorded at the dock the day it happens, the broker was told before free time ran out, and the invoice line shows the math. The calculator writes that line for you.
If a broker pushes back, the reply that works is short and factual, with the timestamps and the notice attached. See the evidence brokers accept. If the truck waited overnight or the load was cancelled, it may be layover or a TONU charge instead. See detention vs layover vs TONU.
Doing this for every load
A calculator handles one stop. A dispatch office with a dozen trucks at docks every day needs the times captured as they happen. Zonox keeps the arrival and departure time for every stop and flags the stop when free time runs out. A dispatcher confirms the driver is still there before any notice goes to the customer. The charge then carries onto the invoice with the times behind it.
About Zonox
Zonox is a TMS built in Ontario by Boreal Lab for small and mid-sized Canadian trucking companies. It can run beside the inbox, spreadsheet or TMS you use today.
- What it does
- Reads load tenders from dispatch Gmail or EDI, builds trips on a dispatch board, collects signed PODs over WhatsApp, and keeps stop times, detention, notices and supporting files on one load record that billing invoices from.
- How detention works
- Zonox flags a stop when free time runs out. A dispatcher confirms the driver is still on site, or records the departure, before any notice goes to the customer.
- Price (CAD)
- Free 30-day pilot with no card. Then Starter at $149 a month or Growth at $299 a month; Enterprise is priced to the rollout. See the plans.
- Contact
- hello@boreallab.ca
Common questions
How do you calculate detention pay in trucking?
Subtract the free time from the time on site, then multiply the remaining hours by the detention rate. A truck on site from 08:00 to 12:30 with 2 hours of free time has 2.5 hours of detention. At $85 an hour that is $255.00 billed in whole hours, or $212.50 prorated.
What is the standard free time before detention starts?
Two hours is the most common, but it is only a default. Some brokers allow one hour and some three, and the pickup and delivery on the same load can differ. The rate confirmation for that load decides it.
What is a typical detention rate in Canada?
Small and mid-size Canadian carriers usually see between $50 and $100 an hour, set on the rate confirmation.
Does detention round up to the next hour?
Often, but not always. Many brokers bill detention in whole hours, so 2 hours 10 minutes bills as 3. Others prorate to the quarter hour. Bill the way the rate confirmation says and show the arithmetic on the invoice.
Does the clock start at the appointment time or at arrival?
At arrival, when the driver checks in. It stops when the truck is released. If the driver arrived early for the appointment, check the rate confirmation, because some brokers only count time from the appointment.
More guides for Canadian carriers
- Detention Pay vs Layover vs TONU in Trucking
How detention, layover and truck-ordered-not-used charges differ, when each applies and how to bill them so they get paid.
- Detention Disputes: The Evidence Brokers Accept
What to keep on file for every load, and how to write a short, factual reply when a broker short-pays detention.
- How to Calculate Detention Charges in Canada
Free time, hourly rates and a worked example end to end, including cross-border currency.
- How Canadian Carriers Get Paid for Detention Time
Why most detention goes unpaid, where claims break down, and what carriers who recover it do differently.
All Zonox guides · Dispatch and TMS: TMS for Small Trucking Companies in Canada · Billing and paperwork: Rate Confirmations in Trucking: What to Check Before You Accept