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ATRI Finds Truck Drivers Detained on 39% of Deliveries
Driver detention in the trucking industry remains a stubborn, costly challenge. According to the latest survey from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), truck drivers were detained on 39.3 percent of their 2023 deliveries. Detention—waiting beyond the standard two‑hour “free time” window for loading or unloading—not only wastes working hours but also raises safety risks and erodes driver morale. ATRI estimates that detention still drains more than $14 billion each year through direct out‑of‑pocket costs and lost productivity.
Although most fleets now charge detention fees, fewer than half of the invoices are actually paid. That gap threatens the financial sustainability of carriers, especially smaller operators. Female drivers, refrigerated‑trailer operators, and fleets that rely heavily on the spot market report the highest detention rates, with individual drivers losing an estimated 117 to 209 hours a year. Faced with tight schedules, many detained drivers compensate by driving faster once they leave problem facilities, increasing crash risk and Hours‑of‑Service violations.
Common causes include poor dock scheduling, inadequate staffing, limited door capacity, and weather disruptions. ATRI’s recommended fixes focus on tighter appointment systems, clearer communication with shippers, strategic arrival planning, and, when necessary, refusing loads from chronically inefficient locations.
A Broader 2018–2025 Perspective
A new synthesis by ABL Trucking titled “The Real Cost of Driver Detention: What the Data Tells Us” expands the view beyond a single year. Drawing on eight major sources—ATRI, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Owner‑Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), FreightWaves, DAT Freight & Analytics, Transport Topics, and TruckingInfo—the report shows that detention has worsened over the past eight years:
FMCSA data put the average dwell time at 3.4 hours, up from 2.8 hours in 2018.
ATRI’s broader time series indicates annual economic losses climbed to roughly $15.1 billion in 2023.
GAO surveys show that 59 percent of drivers experienced detention in the previous two weeks—up ten percentage points from 2018.
DAT finds that barely half of detention invoices get paid, while OOIDA reports 17 percent of drivers never receive compensation.
Every additional 15 minutes of dwell time increases crash risk by 6.2 percent, according to FMCSA and the DOT Office of Inspector General.
The ABL paper stresses that the average detention fee billed to shippers—about $63 per hour—still falls short of the industry’s $66.65 per‑hour cost of operating a truck. Until that gap closes, many fleets will continue to lose money even when they do collect a fee.
Proposed solutions echo ATRI’s but add several system‑wide measures: publishing facility‑level dwell times using ELD and GPS data, expanding drop‑and‑hook programs, rewarding “Shippers of Choice” with favorable pricing, and supporting federal legislation to remove the Fair Labor Standards Act exemption so drivers can earn hourly and overtime pay. All of these steps aim to realign incentives so that dwell time carries a real cost for shippers and receivers, not just for drivers.
Key Takeaways
Measure detention relentlessly and share the data with shippers and brokers.
Charge—and collect—fees that at least match the true cost of downtime.
Use technology to tighten appointment windows and automate yard operations.
Recognize and avoid facilities with chronic delays or negotiate higher freight rates to offset the risk.
Support policies that tie efficient loading and unloading to driver pay and highway safety.
Addressing detention’s root causes will improve working conditions for drivers, reduce crash risk, and cut billions in waste from freight transportation—savings that ultimately flow to businesses and consumers alike.
For a detailed, multi‑year side‑by‑side analysis of the issue, read the full ABL Trucking report here: https://www.abltrucking.com/post/the-real-cost-of-driver-detention-what-the-data-tells-us
Updated June 7 2025
Although most fleets now charge detention fees, fewer than half of the invoices are actually paid. That gap threatens the financial sustainability of carriers, especially smaller operators. Female drivers, refrigerated‑trailer operators, and fleets that rely heavily on the spot market report the highest detention rates, with individual drivers losing an estimated 117 to 209 hours a year. Faced with tight schedules, many detained drivers compensate by driving faster once they leave problem facilities, increasing crash risk and Hours‑of‑Service violations.
Common causes include poor dock scheduling, inadequate staffing, limited door capacity, and weather disruptions. ATRI’s recommended fixes focus on tighter appointment systems, clearer communication with shippers, strategic arrival planning, and, when necessary, refusing loads from chronically inefficient locations.
A Broader 2018–2025 Perspective
A new synthesis by ABL Trucking titled “The Real Cost of Driver Detention: What the Data Tells Us” expands the view beyond a single year. Drawing on eight major sources—ATRI, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Owner‑Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), FreightWaves, DAT Freight & Analytics, Transport Topics, and TruckingInfo—the report shows that detention has worsened over the past eight years:
FMCSA data put the average dwell time at 3.4 hours, up from 2.8 hours in 2018.
ATRI’s broader time series indicates annual economic losses climbed to roughly $15.1 billion in 2023.
GAO surveys show that 59 percent of drivers experienced detention in the previous two weeks—up ten percentage points from 2018.
DAT finds that barely half of detention invoices get paid, while OOIDA reports 17 percent of drivers never receive compensation.
Every additional 15 minutes of dwell time increases crash risk by 6.2 percent, according to FMCSA and the DOT Office of Inspector General.
The ABL paper stresses that the average detention fee billed to shippers—about $63 per hour—still falls short of the industry’s $66.65 per‑hour cost of operating a truck. Until that gap closes, many fleets will continue to lose money even when they do collect a fee.
Proposed solutions echo ATRI’s but add several system‑wide measures: publishing facility‑level dwell times using ELD and GPS data, expanding drop‑and‑hook programs, rewarding “Shippers of Choice” with favorable pricing, and supporting federal legislation to remove the Fair Labor Standards Act exemption so drivers can earn hourly and overtime pay. All of these steps aim to realign incentives so that dwell time carries a real cost for shippers and receivers, not just for drivers.
Key Takeaways
Measure detention relentlessly and share the data with shippers and brokers.
Charge—and collect—fees that at least match the true cost of downtime.
Use technology to tighten appointment windows and automate yard operations.
Recognize and avoid facilities with chronic delays or negotiate higher freight rates to offset the risk.
Support policies that tie efficient loading and unloading to driver pay and highway safety.
Addressing detention’s root causes will improve working conditions for drivers, reduce crash risk, and cut billions in waste from freight transportation—savings that ultimately flow to businesses and consumers alike.
For a detailed, multi‑year side‑by‑side analysis of the issue, read the full ABL Trucking report here: https://www.abltrucking.com/post/the-real-cost-of-driver-detention-what-the-data-tells-us
Updated June 7 2025
Vehicle Guru