When discussing driver detention, Ed Nagle, the president and CEO of Nagle Companies based in Ohio, doesn’t hold back about the frustration his drivers face while waiting at shipping and receiving facilities.
“It’s the biggest waste and a real problem,” he said. “Right now, two hours of detention time is the standard before additional fees can be charged.”
Detention eats into carriers’ revenue significantly, yet the shippers and receivers responsible for inefficient loading and unloading processes often show little interest in resolving the issue, according to Nagle. Shippers and receivers are typically only willing to reimburse carriers for 50% to 70% of the lost revenue incurred during idle truck time.
So, what’s the remedy? Nagle suggests a step in the right direction would be to cut “free” detention time from the current two hours down to just one.
“The shippers and receivers pay their employees,” he said. “Why should a carrier be expected to tell its drivers they are unpaid for time on the job?”
Nagle’s thoughts and opinions resonate with many professionals in the trucking industry. Driver detention consistently ranks among the top frustrations. The unnecessary delays at shipping and receiving facilities highlight a significant inefficiency that impacts drivers’ experience behind the wheel and carriers’ operations.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has taken notice and is beginning to analyze the impact of excessive detention time on highway safety. Public feedback received by FMCSA has shown that the depth of the problem has bypassed initial expert and government expectations.
In August 2023, the FMCSA collected data for the report, Impact of Driver Detention Time on Safety and Operations. This effort received 176 comments, highlighting various aspects of detention time’s impact on the industry.
The FMCSA organized the issues into 11 categories:
- The relationship between detention time and driver compensation
- Organizational issues at the shipper/receiver, carrier, and/or broker
- The relationship between detention time and pick-up/delivery appointment times
- Examples of detention time characteristics as experienced by commenters
- The relationship between detention time and hours of service regulations
- The impact of detention time on logistics and the economy
- The impact of detention time on driver welfare
- The impact of detention time on driver and roadway user safety
- Suggestions and support for detention time-related regulations
- Considerations for defining and quantifying detention time and collecting necessary data
- General support for the study
It was clear that from the expansive 11 categories, the FMCSA had not anticipated the true depth of the issue of excessive detention time.
Then, in February 2024, FMCSA reopened the issue for public comment, providing background information on detention time and outlining a data collection plan with three primary objectives:
- Assess the frequency and severity of driver detention time using data that represents the major segments of the motor carrier industry.
- Assess the utility of existing ITS solutions to measure detention time.
- Prepare a final report that summarizes the findings, answers the research questions, and offers strategies to reduce detention time.
Additionally, the FMCSA expanded the study to include supply chain efficiency alongside highway safety concerns. Although the agency has yet to analyze responses from the most recent comment period, an initial review suggests a diverse range of opinions from industry stakeholders.
Comments from drivers highlighted the real-world challenges posed by detention time, along with possible suggestions for resolution. Some emphasized the lack of compensation for detention time, calling for action from carriers and shippers/receivers, while others highlighted potential worsening from Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs).
Trucking organizations like the Truckload Carrier’s Association (TCA) supported the study, urging transparency and action based on the findings.
“The FMCSA needs to act accordingly upon their findings, in which they did not do after the 2001 and 2014 detention time studies. While we appreciate the FMCSA’s commitment to further investigating issues related to detention time, we are concerned about potential delays in addressing new issues that may be identified. Given the length of the initial study, we are apprehensive that any new issues that arise may not be promptly explored, potentially leading to significant delays, like the decade-long interval observed in the past,” read the TCA’s comment.
TCA emphasized the need to leverage technology like ELDs and suggested sharing study data openly with affected motor carriers.
“FMCSA’s recommendations for lowering detention could serve as valuable guidelines for shippers, receivers, carriers, and drivers seeking to minimize delays and improve their operations,” TCA commented.
As for Ed Nagle, his view on how detention time impacts driver safety is straightforward.
“It makes drivers tired,” he said.
Source: The Trucker
