As a trucker, the bulk of your time on the job is typically spent driving. Once you arrive at your destination, you will need to drop off your freight at the loading dock. Sometimes this process is very quick. However, there can sometimes be delays. Detention pay, if it applies, compensates you for the time that you spend waiting to load or unload your truck.
Trucking Detentions vs Layovers
You may hear the terms “detention” and “layover” used in similar contexts. Both of these are time spent waiting instead of driving. The difference is that detention occurs during a shipment whereas a layover occurs between shipments. During a trucking detention, you are waiting at your destination beyond a pre-defined load/unload time. This can be because the truck did not get loaded/unloaded on time or the process took longer than expected. During a layover, you are delayed for a day or more waiting for a load from either the shipper or the receiver.
Detention Pay
Detention pay is intended to compensate drivers for any time that they have to wait through no fault of their own. At DSW, we offer both detention and layover pay. This is in addition to stop pay, which compensates you for every stop made, if applicable. If you start working with us, we will go over how these types of pay work and what you can expect.
How to Avoid Detention Time
Although detention pay can help make delays a little less frustrating, the truth is that no one wants to have to wait any longer than necessary. The receiver, shipper, and dispatcher work together to reduce delays when possible and in many cases, this is out of your control. However, there are some steps that you can take as a trucker to help avoid detention time.
Although you may spend most of your day alone, communication is a big part of truck driving. If you expect to arrive late to your destination, it’s important to let the appropriate individuals know. Who to contact may depend on the situation, but you should be sure to give all of the details necessary.
It’s also important to map out your route ahead of time. Plan to arrive 15 minutes early for your appointment so that you reduce your risk of being late. If you arrive earlier than this, you may need to determine how you can pass time to avoid impacting your schedule. In some cases, the receiver will be able to accommodate an early arrival, but this is not always true, so you should be aware of what their expectations are.
Advantages of Working with DSW
At DSW, our management consists of former drivers and we understand what life on the open road is like. We work as hard for you as you work for us and we do everything we can to help every haul go smoothly. When situations outside of your control lead to detention time, we make sure to compensate you fairly.
