Detention Times:  Marten Transport...Right Idea?

Friday, May 27, 2005 Posted: 11:38 AM CST (1738 GMT)

Just the other day I was listening to Dave Nemo on XM Radio while he was talking to the safety director of Marten Transport (Mondovi, WI).  I really appreciated how this company was struggling to retain drivers AND making an actual effort to do so by initiating a policy of charging detention times to customers. 

He stated,  ["...We have instituted a policy of charging most of our customers detention time after 2 hours...these companies pay per minute after 2 hours...you would be surprised how fast our trucks get moved from the dock IF they must pay per minute!"]

I wanted to say to Marten Transport,  THANK YOU!  Will you actually pay your drivers for this time?  Marten Transport has the right idea here,  people.  IF they pay their drivers,  of course.  This policy is EXACTLY what I advocate whole-heartedly. 

The trucking industry MUST stand together as a whole in order to implement this policy nationwide though.  It is ESSENTIAL this practice takes hold and fast.

The Trucker's Report stands by Marten Transport on this policy of charging customers per minute AFTER 2 hours in the dock unless there are extenuating circumstances which would not allow such time (very rare),  or other arrangements have made between said trucking company and customer enabling the driver to be compensated in some way.     

It is VERY common for truckers to sit in a customer's dock for 2-8 hours or even more with NO pay whatsoever.  This MUST change and change now.  This is one of the MAJOR problems associated with driver turnover.  Read More On Driver Shortages...

Dear reader,  let me ask you...  "would you SIT in a parking lot for 8 hours of your day with NO pay?"  I know,  sounds like a really stupid question BUT truckers deal with this almost daily.  What would you tell an employer who told you to sit in a parking lot all day and to do it for FREE?