Pillar 1 — Detention Recovery

Detention Pay Invoice Template for Carriers (Free)

Dwell Editorial · Updated 2026-04-24
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Detention Pay Invoice Template for Carriers (Free)

A detention pay invoice needs to include the load number, facility details, GPS-verified arrival and departure times, the free time allowance from the rate confirmation, billable hours calculated to the minute, the rate per hour, and a copy of the rate confirmation confirming detention coverage. Missing any of these elements gives brokers an opening to dispute or delay payment.

Below is a complete template you can copy and adapt for your operation, followed by explanations of each field.

The Detention Pay Invoice Template

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DETENTION PAY INVOICE
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CARRIER INFORMATION
Carrier Name:         ________________________________
MC Number:            MC-______________________________
Address:              ________________________________
Phone:                ________________________________
Email:                ________________________________

BROKER INFORMATION
Broker Name:          ________________________________
Broker MC Number:     MC-______________________________
Billing Contact:      ________________________________
Billing Email:        ________________________________

LOAD INFORMATION
Load / Pro Number:    ________________________________
Rate Confirmation #:  ________________________________
Driver Name:          ________________________________
Truck / Unit Number:  ________________________________

DETENTION DETAILS
Facility Name:        ________________________________
Facility Address:     ________________________________
Stop Type:            □ Pickup   □ Delivery

Scheduled Appointment Time:    ______________________
GPS Arrival Time:              ______________________ (see attached telematics report)
Free Time End (Appt + 2 hrs):  ______________________
GPS Departure Time:            ______________________ (see attached telematics report)

CALCULATION
Total Time at Facility:        ________ hrs ________ min
Minus Free Time Allowance:   − ________ hrs ________ min
Billable Detention Time:       ________ hrs ________ min

Rate per Hour (per RC):        $_______ / hour
Total Detention Owed:          $_______________________

INVOICE TOTAL:                 $_______________________

DOCUMENTATION ATTACHED
□ Telematics / GPS report showing arrival and departure timestamps
□ Rate confirmation (pages showing detention terms and rates)
□ Appointment confirmation
□ Facility gate ticket or check-in record (if available)

PAYMENT TERMS
Due within 30 days of invoice date. Please reference Load #__________ on payment.

Payment to:
  ACH:   Routing _____________ Account _____________
  Check: Mail to address above

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Invoice Date: _______________
Invoice Number: _____________
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Why Each Field Matters

GPS Arrival and Departure Times

This is the most important field on the invoice. Write “see attached telematics report” next to the times and always attach the export from your ELD or GPS system.

A driver-written time is disputable. A timestamp from your telematics platform — generated by hardware at the time of the event — is not. This single field is the difference between a claim that pays and one that gets disputed.

Scheduled Appointment Time

This establishes when the free time clock started. If the broker argues your truck was late and only triggered minimal free time, the appointment confirmation proves the scheduled time.

Free Time End

Calculate this from the appointment time, not the actual arrival time. In most rate confirmations, free time begins at the scheduled appointment, not when the truck arrives. This distinction can mean the difference between billable and non-billable detention.

Exception: some rate confirmations state “free time begins upon arrival” or “upon door assignment.” Read yours carefully.

Rate Confirmation Reference

Always include the RC number and attach the relevant pages. This is your contract. Brokers cannot dispute detention rates that are explicitly written into the rate confirmation they signed.

Documentation Attached Checklist

Listing what’s attached — and actually attaching it — signals to the broker’s billing team that this is a complete, defensible claim. Incomplete submissions get deprioritized or denied.

Common Invoice Mistakes That Get Claims Denied

Mistake 1: Submitting without GPS evidence The most common reason detention invoices fail. If you don’t have telematics data, get it before the next load.

Mistake 2: Using arrival time instead of appointment time as free time start Read your rate confirmation. If free time starts at appointment (common), your detention calculation should too. This can meaningfully increase what you’re owed.

Mistake 3: Missing the claim window Check your rate confirmation for the submission deadline — typically 24–72 hours after delivery. Submitting after this window gives the broker a contractual reason to deny the claim regardless of merit.

Mistake 4: Submitting once and not following up Brokers have large payables queues. One submission without follow-up often means the invoice ages out. Build a follow-up cadence: 7 days, 15 days, 30 days.

Mistake 5: Rounding times to the nearest hour Bill to the minute. “2 hours 40 minutes” at $75/hour is $200. Rounding down to 2 hours costs you $50 on that invoice. Over a month, across dozens of detention events, this adds up.

Calculating the Right Amount

Standard Calculation (Per-Hour Rate)

Billable Hours = (Departure Time − Appointment Time) − Free Time
Amount Owed = Billable Hours × Hourly Rate

Example

DetailValue
Appointment time2:00 PM
GPS departure5:50 PM
Total at facility3 hours 50 min
Free time allowance2 hours
Billable time1 hour 50 min (1.833 hours)
Rate per hour$75
Detention owed$137.50

Adapting This Template for Multiple Stops

If a load has detention at both pickup and delivery, submit a single invoice with two separate detention detail sections — one for each facility. This keeps the documentation clean and makes it easier for the broker’s billing team to review.

Automating This Process

If your fleet is running more than 50 trucks, manually completing this template for every detention event isn’t sustainable. Detention happens on 39.3% of all stops (ATRI 2024) — for a 100-truck fleet running 12 loads per truck per month, that’s roughly 470 potential detention events monthly.

That’s a full-time job in paperwork.

Dwell automates the entire process for carriers using Motive telematics: detecting detention from GPS data, building the evidence package, and populating the invoice — so your billing team reviews and submits rather than builds from scratch.

Join the Dwell waitlist — no new hardware required.

Automate what you just read about.

Dwell connects to your Motive account, detects detention automatically, and builds the evidence package before a dispute happens. No new hardware. We make money only when you do.