01
Know your real dwell
Ask carriers for geofence-based arrival and departure times by location. Averages hide the problem; look at the distribution and the worst hour of the day.
02
Schedule to capacity
Appointments should match doors and labor per hour. Stacking six trucks at 8 a.m. with two doors guarantees detention by 9.
03
Stage before the truck arrives
Freight picked, wrapped and labeled at the door before the appointment turns a two-hour load into forty minutes. Paperwork ready at the window matters as much.
04
Use drop trailers where it fits
Above a few loads a day, a trailer pool removes the driver from the equation entirely. Loading happens on your schedule and driver detention goes away; only trailer dwell beyond the agreed free days can still be billed.
05
Pay detention, then eliminate it
Carriers keep accepting freight from facilities that pay documented detention. Then use the same data to fix the causes so you stop paying it.