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Glossary

What is detention and demurrage?

Detention is a per-hour charge a carrier bills the shipper or receiver when a truck is delayed at a dock beyond a free time window — usually two hours. Demurrage is the same idea but for ocean containers held at a port or rail terminal beyond their free time. Both are signals of operational friction, and both shrink fast with disciplined dock scheduling.

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Detention

Detention applies to trucks. When a driver arrives on time but isn't unloaded within the free window, the meter starts. Typical rates are $50–$100 per hour. For a busy DC taking 80 trucks a day, even a 30-minute average overrun adds up to thousands per day in detention exposure.

Demurrage

Demurrage applies to containers — ocean or rail. When a container sits at a port or terminal beyond its free time (often 4–7 days), the carrier or terminal bills daily. Demurrage and detention together are a top driver of total landed cost for many importers.

How dock scheduling reduces detention

Detention happens when warehouses can't predict arrivals or can't turn doors fast enough. Dock scheduling addresses both: predictable arrival windows let receivers pre-stage, and per-type duration limits force a faster turn. Buffer-time configuration spreads arrivals so doors don't bottleneck. Pre-arrival check-in catches running-late carriers before they cascade.

See it in practice

What good dock scheduling actually looks like.

The SimpleDock booking flow your carriers would use — link-based, no account, under a minute.

simpledock.ai/book/acme-warehouse

Frequently asked questions

Who pays detention?
The party responsible for the delay typically pays. If the warehouse couldn't unload within free time, the shipper or receiver pays. If the driver arrived outside the window, the carrier eats it.
What's the typical free time for detention?
Two hours is a common industry standard for live loads, though it varies by lane, carrier, and contract.
Can I track detention through dock scheduling?
Indirectly. Booking and arrival timestamps tell you how long each truck spent at your dock, which becomes the basis for detention disputes.

Related terms and resources

Dock schedulingDock scheduling is the practice of giving every inbound or outbound truck a specific arrival window at a warehouse or distribution…Read more →Dwell timeDwell time is the elapsed time a truck spends at a warehouse or terminal from gate-in to gate-out. High dwell time compounds into …Read more →Appointment SLAAn appointment SLA is a service-level agreement between a warehouse and its carriers (or vendors) covering how dock appointments a…Read more →Dock scheduling for 3pl warehousesThird-party logistics warehouses live and die on door turnover. Every minute a trailer waits is a minute another carrier can't unl…Read more →Dock scheduling for food & beverageFood and beverage distribution doesn't tolerate sloppy dock scheduling. A late truck means a temperature excursion, a spoiled load…Read more →Opendock alternativeOpendock is a long-established dock-scheduling tool aimed at large enterprise warehouses with extensive carrier networks. SimpleDo…Read more →

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