In 2023, truck driver detention—excessive wait times at customer facilities—cost the for-hire trucking industry over 135 million hours, according to a new report by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). While the report shows some improvements compared to previous years, it underscores that the issue continues to be a significant concern for drivers and fleets alike.
Key Findings on Driver Detention
The study found that 39% of all stops in 2023 involved detention, with 9.9% of drivers experiencing delays of more than two hours. Some groups, such as women drivers (49%) and refrigerated trailer drivers (56%), faced even higher detention rates. However, longer detention times of over two hours have decreased, dropping by 11.4 percentage points since 2014.
Despite these improvements, the costs associated with detention remain steep. Truck drivers in various sectors lost between 117 and 209 hours per year due to excessive wait times. Notably, 57% of drivers reported being late or canceling a delivery due to detention at a previous stop, and 52% ran out of available driving hours due to delays.
The Financial and Safety Impact
The trucking industry also faces substantial financial losses due to detention. Carriers reported losing $3.6 billion in direct costs and $11.5 billion in lost productivity in 2023. Although 97% of carriers offer detention pay to drivers, this compensation often falls short of what drivers could have earned through per-mile pay. Furthermore, 95% of fleets charge detention fees to customers, yet they are paid for fewer than half of these invoices.
Detention also has a negative impact on road safety. ATRI found that trucks leaving facilities after being detained drove nearly 15% faster than those that weren’t detained, as drivers attempted to make up for lost time.
While the study points to moderate improvements in detention over the past decade, the industry continues to grapple with the productivity and safety challenges that extended wait times cause.
Source:
https://www.truckinginfo.com/10227983/truck-driver-detention-study-shows-some-improvement
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