Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/723417
Voices 10 | Overdrive | September 2016 How big is the problem of detention at shippers and receivers for Ameri- can truckers? For readers of Overdrive, it's a "major trucking issue," in the words of more than one you'll hear in a July "mailbag" edition of the Overdrive Radio podcast. Furthermore, readers noted, excess detention's effects are felt throughout several areas at the intersection of trucking and American life, from the strain on driver and owner-operator income to their health and safety. Drivers were responding to DAT's recent broker and carrier survey on detention, which showed concern over the issue rated much lower for owner-operators' broker freight part- ners. More than one driver endorsed establishment of a $1-a-minute stan- dard throughout the industry, close to the $64-an-hour rate that Overdrive estimated in 2015 reporting would compensate the average independent adequately for time that otherwise could be spent driving. One key issue in bringing that to fruition: Shippers and receivers must accept it in contracts, and brokers no doubt will play a role in their own contracts with customers. A greater appreciation of the issue to drivers is key in that regard, though owner-op- erators' establishment of detention rates with brokers complicates matters. As a broker commenting under the story about DAT's recent publi- cation of its survey put it to opera- tors, "We are aware that your time is valuable, but we are only going to be able to bill so much for detention, and there are requirements that we have to follow before we even bill it. The customer is going to do every- thing in their power to not have to pay any accessory charges. They will deny them if the in-and-out times are not legible or just aren't in a place on the bills they expect them to be. They can think of all kinds of reasons. If you're an owner-op or just a small carrier, it's great that you have your detention rate set, [but] the broker you use can't go by that if that isn't what they can bill the customer." Echoing the thoughts of another operator commenting in the podcast, Pat Hockaday suggested such sen- timents don't exactly help matters. "Until we drivers start charging the brokers and the carriers for our lost time, we will get nothing!" he said. "It starts with us." Visit OverdriveOnline. com/OverdriveRadio to hear more. Pointing fingers over a detention fix Before worrying too much about cargo theft … There has to be freight to steal. The only theft I have seen lately is the freight rates. — Gabriel Martinez, responding to a news item at Overdrive's Facebook page showing a decline in theft incidents Dealing with detention | Many an operator has rejoiced at the opportunity to hook a preloaded trailer and drop and hook another on the other end. But sometimes, as with the end point pictured here, live-unload is the reality. Fortunately, this unload took just two hours before the operator was on his way.