Truck Detention and the Disadvantages for Truckers

Those in transportation management dread the term truck detention. For drivers, it means lost driving hours, and for your company, it means late deliveries and angry clients.

No matter your cargo, there is always a brief layover when a shipper unloads their inventory and reloads it onto your truck. The timeframe is never exact because it varies based on inventory type, number of laborers, and motivation toward schedule adherence. On average, it could be anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 hours. After this period, it becomes truck detention.

What is the Cause of Truck Detention?

The main cause of truck detention is a delay in shipping/receiving. As shippers unload cargo and it is reloaded onto your truck fleet, there is often some time lost due to late arrivals, heavy cargo, and lack of manpower. While each delay could create only minutes extra during your layover, these minutes add up to hours.

Truck detention can also be caused by additional factors, such as:

• Customs
• Missing cargo
• Inclement weather
• Late arrivals
• Dockworker organization
• Scheduling errors
• Miscommunication

Major Issues in Truck Detention

Whatever the cause for truck detention, it is a drain on your company for many reasons. The most common issues related to extended transport layovers include:

Late Delivery/Lost Time

One problem truck detention causes is, of course, late deliveries due to lost time. Sometimes drivers spend half to three-quarters of a day, making up for truck detention. The longer your truckers are stuck on a layover, the later they get to deliver to the receiver. This is problematic for many reasons. Not only are your truckers wasting time that could be better spent delivering further cargo, but your reputation as a shipper is on the line.

Clients who receive cargo supplies late aren’t likely to recommend you to other businesses, leave positive feedback, or work with you again.

Lack of Trucks/Truckers

When you have a set fleet of drivers and trucks, you lose the opportunity to pick up new jobs the longer your drivers are stuck on one order. This leaves your company waiting for the return of your truck fleet before further transport orders can be processed and completed.

Not having access to your trucks and drivers in a timely manner can also upset your schedule, leaving you unable to fulfill orders which have already been placed.

Financial Impact

Finally, the financial impact is one of the biggest issues truck detention causes for transportation management companies. According to a report by the U.S. Department of Transportation, truck detention costs U.S. transport companies upwards of $1.3 billion annually. That is a lot of funds lost to time waste.

Money lost generally attributes to extra fuel costs, additional compensation for truck drivers, and other such accrued fees due to extended layovers.

Reduce Potential Truck Detention with 123Loadboard

At 123Loadboard, we provide the tools and technology transport companies need to stay ahead of stalls like truck detention. Easily find and plan loads, map routes, determine mileage, and get paid quickly and easily with our partnering company, Thunder Funding.

If you are interested in learning more about tools to help you reduce truck detention, we invite you to sign up with us at 123Loadboard.