What is dwell time?
Dwell time is how long a truck, trailer or container sits idle at a facility waiting to be handled. It is the underlying measure that detention charges are calculated from.
Dwell is measured from arrival to departure and covers queueing, loading and paperwork. Detention is the money owed once dwell exceeds the agreed free time.
Facilities vary enormously and predictably, which means dwell is a property of a location as much as of a day.
What it means on a dispatch desk
Dwell is the most under-tracked number on a dispatch desk and the most useful one to start tracking, because it is stable per facility. Once a desk knows which receivers reliably cost three hours, it can price them, schedule around them, or decline them — and that decision is worth more than any individual detention claim it might win.
Related terms
- DetentionDetention is money owed to a carrier when a shipper or receiver holds the truck beyond the free time agreed for loading or unloading, usually two hours. It is billed by the hour after that window closes.
- DrayageDrayage is short-distance trucking that moves a container between a port, rail yard or terminal and a nearby warehouse. The distance is small but the work is dense with waiting and appointment rules.
- LayoverA layover is an overnight delay where a driver has to wait until the next day to load or unload, and is paid a flat daily rate for it rather than an hourly detention rate.
- Hours of serviceHours of service are the legal limits on how long a commercial driver may drive and work before taking mandated rest. They cap daily driving, total on-duty time and weekly hours.
Put dwell time in context when researching carrier leads by state, including Texas, California and Illinois.
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