Truckers detained at customer facilities drive 14.6% faster than non-detained drivers, GPS data shows

A new report examines the high cost of driver detention at customer facilities to motor carriers and drivers in 2023.

On September 10, 2024, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released results from a new study looking the impact of driver detention on fleets, truck drivers, and U.S. supply chain last year.

A major takeaway from the report was that researchers were able to link detention time to increased speed:

“ …an analysis of ATRI’s large truck GPS data at different customer facility types found that detention contributes to higher truck speeds. Trucks that were detained drove 14.6% faster on average than trucks that were not detained. Interestingly, trucks also drove faster on trips to facilities where they were detained, indicating that truck drivers know which firms and facilities will likely detain them. “

Researchers found that truck drivers were detained at shipper and receiver facilities for 117 and 209 hours per year (depending on sector), resulting in a total of 135 million hours of driver detention in 2023.

The study also found that truck drivers were detained at 39.3% of all stops. Detention rates were higher for women drivers (49.1%), refrigerated trailer drivers (56.2%), and among fleets that operate in the spot market (42.5%).

According to the ATRI, 44% of customer facilities do not allow drivers to use restrooms while waiting to load or unload, and 78% of customer facilities do not provide truck drivers with a lounge, break room, or waiting area.

The ATRI found that while driver detention has decreased slightly overall over the past few years, but the cost of detention is still staggering. The study found that while 94.5% of trucking companies charge detention fees, they are paid for less than half of those invoices. This results in trucking industry losses of $3.6 billion in direct expenses and $11.5 billion in lost productivity from driver detention in 2023, the group says.

“Detention is so common that many industry professionals have accepted it as inevitable without realizing the true extent of its costs,” said Chad England, C.R. England CEO. “ATRI’s report puts real-world numbers to the true impact that truck driver detention has on trucking and the broader economy.”

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