Fleets Use detention data to cut driver wait times and boost safety

Truck drivers and carriers are using e-logs and telematics to track detention time at shipping and receiving facilities, turning a persistent productivity drain into measurable data that drives operational changes. According to Transport Topics, Averitt Express, the No. 29 for-hire carrier in North America, monitors arrival times to calculate detention at the customer and facility levels across its network. Carriers are moving beyond reactive measures by scheduling preset appointments before dispatch and factoring historical dwell times into transportation management systems. This data feeds directly into planning software, helping fleets avoid chronically slow facilities and set realistic transit expectations. The approach also changes shipper relationships: facilities with a history of excessive delays often face higher rates when capacity tightens. Detention carries a safety dimension that shippers and carriers cannot ignore. The Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General found in a 2018 report that every 15-minute increase in average dwell time raises expected crash risk by 6.2%. Driver fatigue from waiting can trigger unsafe behaviors as drivers try to make up lost time on the road. Fleets are moving beyond basic arrival and departure logs to systems that track dwell patterns and integrate detention insights into broader planning. This shift from treating detention as routine overhead to managing it as measurable performance data is reshaping how carriers allocate capacity and set rates with shippers.