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Driver arrival and detention

The truck arrived but the order isn't ready. What do we do?

Key Takeaways

  • The first decision is time-boxed: wait, load what is ready, or release the truck. Make it within the first 30 minutes, based on a real ready time, not a guess.
  • The detention clock usually starts at the appointment time or check-in, whichever the carrier's terms say. Every hour past free time adds cost, so a long wait for an order that won't be ready is the most expensive choice.
  • Releasing the truck often brings a truck ordered not used or dry-run charge, but it can still cost less than hours of detention plus a missed delivery. Compare the two before deciding.
  • Tell the carrier a specific new ready time, in writing, and record the driver's arrival. Vague answers like "soon" lead to disputes later.
  • The real fix is between production and shipping. Trucks should be booked against a confirmed ready time, and any slip should reach logistics before the truck is dispatched.
  • Wilson, by Cartage, is an AI logistics agent that books pickups, contacts carriers when plans change, starts rebooking within the company's rules and keeps every message in the shipment's change history.

The truck is here but the order isn't. What should we do right now?

It's 1:40 p.m. The driver for a full truckload to a distributor checked in at 1:30 for a 1:30 appointment. The shipping lead walks to the staging lane and finds four of the 22 pallets. Production says the rest are "coming off the line this afternoon." The driver asks how long. Nobody knows. The carrier's free time is two hours, and the receiver expects the load at 7 a.m. tomorrow.

When the truck arrives and the order isn't ready, get a real ready time from production within the first 30 minutes, then decide: wait if the order will be loaded inside free time or close to it, load what is ready if the customer accepts a partial, or release the truck and reschedule if the order is hours away. Tell the carrier the decision and the new time in writing, record the driver's arrival and departure, and tell the customer if the delivery will move.

The worst option is the one that happens by default: the driver waits, nobody decides, and at 6 p.m. the truck leaves either empty or with a load that will now miss its delivery appointment. That path brings detention, a likely missed delivery and a frustrated carrier that may decline the next tender.

This is a decision, not just a cost

Other guides cover the charges themselves: how to set cancellation terms and dispute truck ordered not used and dry-run charges, and how to fix dock flow to reduce detention charges at our docks. This article is about the moment the driver is standing at the window, and about the gap between production and shipping that put them there.

Why it matters beyond one load

Waiting time is a large cost for the whole industry. The American Transportation Research Institute found that trucks were detained at 39.3% of stops in 2023, with more than 135 million hours of detention and $3.6 billion in direct costs to carriers. Carriers track which shippers make drivers wait. A shipper that repeatedly holds trucks for freight that isn't ready pays more in detention, and over time gets fewer accepted tenders and higher rates.

How do we decide whether to wait, partial-load or release the truck?

Base the decision on three facts: when the order will really be ready, how much free time is left, and what the delivery commitment requires. Get those three facts in the first 30 minutes and the decision usually makes itself.

Step 1: Get a real ready time

Ask production or the warehouse a specific question: "What time will the last pallet be staged and wrapped?" Not "soon," not "this afternoon." If the person can't answer, ask what is still to be made, picked or packed and how long each step takes. A ready time with a reason behind it is far more reliable than an estimate given to make the driver go away.

Step 2: Check free time and the carrier's terms

Look at the rate confirmation. Find the free time (often two hours), the detention rate per hour and the terms for truck ordered not used or dry runs. Check whether the driver arrived on time for the appointment. If the driver was late, the clock may start differently, and some carriers only pay detention when the driver was on time.

Step 3: Check the delivery commitment

Does the receiver have a fixed appointment? Will a later departure still make it? Will the driver run out of driving hours if loading ends late? A driver who leaves at 6 p.m. may not legally reach a 7 a.m. appointment several hundred miles away.

Step 4: Decide and tell everyone

Choose one of the options below, tell the driver and the carrier's dispatcher, and confirm it by email so the decision and times are in writing.

The decision table

Situation Best option Why
Order ready within free time Wait and load No extra cost; delivery stays on plan
Order ready 1 to 2 hours after free time ends, delivery still possible Wait, accept detention, confirm in writing Detention costs less than a missed delivery or a new truck
Most of the order ready, customer accepts a partial Load what is ready; ship the rest later Customer gets most of the order on time
Order several hours away or tomorrow Release the truck; reschedule Avoid long detention; TONU may apply but is capped
Delivery appointment can't be met either way Release, reschedule pickup and delivery together No point holding a truck for a missed appointment
Carrier has another load waiting nearby Ask to release and return later the same day Carrier keeps the driver busy; shipper may avoid both charges

Who has the authority to release a truck?

Decide this before it happens. The person at the shipping window often doesn't feel able to send a truck away, so the driver waits by default while people look for a manager. A simple rule works: the logistics lead, or whoever is on shift as the shipping lead, can release a truck when the confirmed ready time is more than a set number of hours past free time, or when the delivery appointment can no longer be met. Anything outside that rule, such as releasing a load tied to a production line at the customer, goes to a named manager. Write the rule down and post it with the dock checklist.

Does the same logic apply to LTL?

Mostly, with smaller stakes. An LTL driver is usually on a route with several pickups, so the driver can rarely wait long. If the shipment isn't ready, the driver typically leaves and the shipment moves to the next day's pickup, sometimes with an attempted pickup charge. The right move is to tell the carrier as early as possible, ideally before the driver arrives, and request a new pickup for the time the freight will really be ready. If the shipment is tied to a delivery appointment, move that appointment at the same time.

What if the order is ready but wrong?

Sometimes the pallets are staged, but the count is short, a line is missing or the freight is packed differently from what was booked. Treat it the same way: get the real ready time for the corrected order, decide within 30 minutes and record why. A truck booked for 22 pallets that can only take 18 because of a packing change is a not-ready event, even if the staging lane looks full.

Can the driver come back later?

Sometimes. If the carrier has other work nearby, the dispatcher may send the driver to another pickup and return in a few hours. This is often the cheapest outcome for both sides, but it only works if the shipper asks early. A driver who has already waited three hours has usually lost the chance to do anything else that day.

How the detention clock works while you decide

The detention clock measures how long the driver waited beyond free time, and in a not-ready situation it is running the whole time the team is deciding. Understanding exactly how it works helps the team pick the cheaper option.

When the clock starts

Most carriers start counting free time at the appointment time if the driver arrived on time, or at check-in if the driver arrived after the appointment. Some start at arrival regardless. The terms on the rate confirmation decide. Free time of two hours is common for truckload; after it ends, detention is billed by the hour, sometimes in 15-minute increments.

What counts as the end

Detention usually ends when the driver is loaded and the paperwork is signed, not when the last pallet goes on the truck. Slow paperwork adds time. Having the BOL, packing slip and labels ready before loading ends keeps the clock short.

Detention, TONU and dry runs compared

Charge When it applies How it is billed Typical proof
Detention Driver waits past free time and then loads Per hour after free time Arrival, loading and departure times
Truck ordered not used (TONU) Load cancelled after the truck is dispatched Flat fee in the carrier's terms Dispatch and cancellation times
Dry run Truck arrives and leaves without freight Flat fee, sometimes plus mileage Driver arrival record, shipper's release
Layover Delivery or pickup moves to the next day and the driver is held Flat daily fee Original and new appointment times

A long wait can stack charges: hours of detention, then a layover if the truck must stay overnight, then a missed delivery appointment at the receiver. Releasing early limits the cost to one flat fee.

Record the times yourself

Write down when the driver checked in, when the decision was made, when loading started and finished, and when the truck left. If the truck was released, record the time and who released it. These records decide later disputes, and they are the data the team needs to see how often not-ready orders happen.

A hypothetical example

Consider a hypothetical shipper with a full truckload scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The driver arrives on time. Production says the order will be ready at 7 p.m. The carrier's free time is two hours, detention is billed hourly after that, and the TONU fee is a flat amount on the rate confirmation. Waiting would mean about three and a half hours of detention, and a 7 p.m. departure would miss the receiver's 7 a.m. appointment anyway. The shipping lead releases the truck at 1:50 p.m., books a 7 a.m. pickup for the next day, moves the delivery appointment with the customer and accepts the TONU fee. The cost is one flat fee instead of detention plus a failed delivery.

How do we reschedule and communicate the new ready time?

Give the carrier and the customer a specific new ready time, in writing, as soon as the decision is made. A clear message keeps the carrier willing to come back and the customer able to plan.

What to tell the carrier

A useful message to the carrier's dispatcher includes:

  • The load or PRO number and the original appointment
  • What happened: order not ready, how much is staged
  • The decision: wait, partial load or release
  • The new ready time and the requested pickup window
  • Who on the shipper's side confirms the new pickup

Ask the carrier to confirm the new pickup in writing. If the carrier can't cover the new time, book another approved carrier quickly rather than waiting for a reply that may not come.

What to tell the customer

If the delivery date or time changes, tell the customer the same day. Give the new expected delivery and ask whether the receiving appointment needs to move. Customers accept a moved delivery far better when they hear about it before the original appointment than after it.

What to tell sales and production

Sales should know when a customer delivery moves, especially near month or quarter close. Production should know that its ready time missed the truck, with the cost attached. Agree in advance which delays are escalated internally and to whom, so nobody has to work it out with a driver waiting.

Partial shipments

If the customer accepts a partial, the BOL must match what was loaded: the pallet count, weight and pieces. Generate a new BOL or correct it before the driver signs. Book the balance as its own load with its own paperwork, and tell the customer which purchase order lines are on each shipment.

How do we stop orders from missing their trucks?

Book trucks against a confirmed ready time, check that time before the carrier dispatches, and give production a clear rule for reporting slips. Most not-ready trucks come from a gap between the production schedule and the shipping schedule, not from either team being careless.

Where the gap comes from

The usual pattern: customer service promises a ship date when the order is entered. Logistics books a truck for that date. Production builds to its own schedule, which changes with material shortages, machine downtime and rush orders. Nobody tells logistics when the order slips, because nobody owns that message. The truck arrives on the original date.

The staged freight that still misses pickup problem is the mirror image: the order is ready, but the pickup facts don't line up. Both come from the same missing handoff.

Fixes that work

  • Book against a confirmed ready time. Logistics books the truck only after production or the warehouse confirms a ready date and time, not from the order's promised ship date.
  • Reconfirm before dispatch. The day before pickup, or the morning of for same-day loads, check that the order is on track. If it isn't, reschedule before the carrier dispatches, when changes are usually free.
  • Set a slip rule. Any order that will miss its ready time by more than a set amount, such as two hours, must be reported to logistics immediately, by a named person.
  • Stage on a fixed lead time. Full truckloads staged two hours before the window, LTL one hour before, with paperwork ready.
  • Track not-ready events. Count every time a truck arrives to an order that isn't ready, with the cause: material, labor, quality hold, late release or schedule change.

Common mistakes

  • Booking from the sales order date. The date sales promised and the date production can deliver are often different.
  • Holding the driver "just in case." Waiting without a ready time is the most expensive way to decide.
  • Releasing without telling the customer. The carrier knows, the shipper knows, and the receiver finds out at 7 a.m.
  • Fixing it with expedites. Moving the late order to expedited service hides the problem and adds cost.
  • Blaming the warehouse alone. Most not-ready trucks trace back to a ready time nobody confirmed.

What should a not-ready checklist look like?

Keep two short checklists: one for the moment the truck is at the dock, and one for prevention. Post the first at the shipping office, and review the second monthly.

At the dock

Step Action Owner
1 Record driver check-in time and appointment time Shipping
2 Ask production or warehouse for a specific ready time and the reason Shipping lead
3 Check free time, detention rate and TONU terms on the rate confirmation Logistics
4 Check the delivery appointment and whether the driver can still make it Logistics
5 Decide: wait, partial load or release, within 30 minutes of arrival Logistics lead
6 Tell the driver and dispatcher; confirm by email with the new time Logistics
7 Book the new pickup or the balance load with an approved carrier Logistics
8 Tell the customer if the delivery moves; request a new appointment Customer service
9 Record loading start, departure or release time Shipping
10 Log the event with its cause Logistics

Prevention

Area Check Frequency
Booking Trucks booked only against a confirmed ready time Every load
Booking Ready time reconfirmed before carrier dispatch Every load
Production Slip rule in place, with a named person who reports to logistics Ongoing
Warehouse Staging lead times met, paperwork ready before the window Every load
Review Not-ready events counted by cause, product line and customer Monthly
Review Detention, TONU and dry-run charges matched to not-ready events Monthly
Carriers Cancellation and detention terms clear on each rate confirmation At booking

What the monthly review shows

A month of not-ready events usually shows a pattern. One product line may always slip on Fridays. One customer's orders may be released late. One shift may miss staging. Fix the biggest cause first. When order volume spikes, such as during the end-of-quarter shipping rush, the same causes appear more often, so the review is worth doing before each peak.

How does Wilson, by Cartage, help when the order isn't ready?

Wilson, by Cartage, is an AI logistics agent that books, schedules, tracks and handles exceptions on each load for manufacturers and distributors, so a not-ready order turns into a quick, recorded decision instead of an afternoon of phone calls. Traditional logistics software gives teams information. Wilson executes the work required to move shipments forward.

Here is how Wilson fits into the not-ready situation:

  • Booking and pickup scheduling. Wilson requests quotes from the company's approved carriers, compares them on total cost, books with written acceptance and a rate confirmation, and schedules the pickup. The rate confirmation, with its free time and cancellation terms, stays on the load where the team can check it at the dock.
  • When the plan changes. When a pickup has to move or a load is cancelled, Wilson contacts the carrier, tells the team in Slack, Microsoft Teams or email, tells the customer by email or SMS if configured, and starts rebooking from the approved carrier list automatically within the rules or after approval.
  • New paperwork. For a partial shipment or a rebooked load, Wilson generates the bill of lading, packing slips and pallet labels from the booked load, so the documents match what is actually loaded.
  • Tracking. Wilson tracks each load with the best source available: carrier API or EDI, GPS or ELD data where the carrier shares it, the carrier's website by PRO number, and email or phone calls when nothing else is current.
  • Invoice check. When the detention, TONU or dry-run invoice arrives, Wilson audits it against the rate confirmation and POD before paying the carrier from the Wilson Wallet. Payments above the approval limits or outside the rules wait for a person.

Every message, confirmation and change is kept in the shipment's change history, including when the truck was released and what the carrier agreed. Wilson can also produce carrier-performance and lane-rate reports on request from the loads it runs.

Wilson replaces the TMS for freight execution and connects to the company's ERP. Wilson works with SAP, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle, Infor, Epicor, Sage, Acumatica and other ERP environments, with the exact connection depending on the customer's data flow and scope. Teams start with assisted execution and set their own approval limits; routine actions can run automatically within those rules as the workflow is proven.

Pricing

Wilson is free on Wilson's network: the shipper pays the freight rate and nothing on top. When a shipper keeps its own carriers, the fee is 2% to 0.5% of what Wilson pays them, falling with volume. There are no seat fees, no setup cost and no contract. Timing depends on scope: most teams start on a few lanes and expand from there.

FAQs

The truck arrived but the order isn't ready. What do we do?

Get a specific ready time from production within 30 minutes, then decide: wait if the order will load within or near free time, load what is ready if the customer accepts a partial, or release the truck and reschedule if the order is hours away. Wilson, by Cartage, an AI logistics agent, contacts the carrier, tells the team and customer, and starts rebooking within the company's rules.

How long should we make a driver wait?

Only as long as a confirmed ready time justifies. If the order will be ready shortly after free time ends and the delivery is still possible, waiting is often cheaper. If it is several hours away, release the truck.

Will we be charged if we send the truck away empty?

Usually. Most carriers charge a truck ordered not used or dry-run fee when a dispatched truck leaves without freight. Check the amount on the rate confirmation and compare it with the expected detention.

When does detention start?

It depends on the carrier's terms. Most start counting free time at the appointment time if the driver was on time, or at check-in if the driver was late. Detention is billed after free time ends.

Can we ship part of the order?

Yes, if the customer accepts it. Correct the BOL to match what was loaded, book the balance as a separate load and tell the customer which lines are on each shipment.

What should we tell the carrier?

The load number, what happened, the decision, a specific new ready time and the requested pickup window. Ask the carrier to confirm the new pickup in writing.

Should we tell the customer right away?

Yes, whenever the delivery date or time will change. Give a new expected delivery and ask whether the receiving appointment needs to move.

How do we stop trucks arriving before orders are ready?

Book trucks only against a confirmed ready time, reconfirm it before the carrier dispatches, and require production to report any slip to a named person in logistics right away.

Who should pay for detention caused by a late order?

The shipper usually pays the carrier, because the carrier's driver waited at the shipper's dock. Internally, tracking the cause of each not-ready event shows which team's process needs to change.

Does Wilson decide whether to release the truck?

Wilson follows the company's rules and approval limits. Decisions outside those rules go to the logistics team, and Wilson then contacts the carrier, rebooks and records every step in the change history.

Sources

Bring the last load where the truck beat the order to the dock and see how Wilson would have handled the reschedule.