New Study: Truckers Are Waiting Longer

By: ClassADrivers.com

Ever feel like your dwell time has increased over the past few years? Well, you are not just imagining it. On average,truckers are spending longer durations of time waiting for their trailers to be loaded and unloaded.

And a new analysis of national delay reports proves it.

Study Analysis Reported Wait Times

In a recent study conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute, or ATRI, the research shows the frequency of 6-hour or longer detentions have increased roughly 27% in the last five years.

And an increase in dwell time means a loss of major revenue. According to the Department of Transportation, detentions in 2018 resulted in a cumulative loss of approximately $1.2 billion.

Although the average profit reduction due to detention is not known, one thing is clear. The more dwell time added to a trucker’s schedule, the likelihood of an accident increases.

According to ATRI data, as the average length of dwell time increases, the odds of a trucker getting into an accident goes up 15%. This can be due to lost time for sleep or a feeling of pressure to speed and make up the time elsewhere.

The new study makes it easy to see why working for a trucking company offering detention pay is imperative.

Detained Truckers Don’t Earn Money. For Anyone.

Although detention time is an omnipresent concern, pay for the dwell time isn’t. Here’s why. Trucking companies negotiate a rate with the shipper or receiver for moving product from point A-to-B upfront.

Since delays for unloading cannot be accounted for at point-of-sale, any hourly amount charged for the downtime after the product is delivered tends to be ignored.

Trucking companies that offer detention pay usually make that clear to their employees before any deal is made with an individual shipper/receiver. But this cost is ultimately borne by the shipper/receiver because companies are likely to raise their truckload rates.

That said, it is much easier for trucking companies and businesses they work with to simply ignore detention.Fortunately, there are a few companies out there that pay truckers for their time, usually for waits over two hours:

  • Werner
  • Convoy
  • Schneider
  • Prime Inc.
  • Crete Carrier
  • JB Hunt

Although trucking companies may only offer a bit of compensation for detention, it is a start. Ideally, truck drivers should be paid per hour of wait time, even if they arrive on site early.

A Timely Issue

According to American Transportation Association, about 12 billion tons of freight was moved in 2018. That’s about 15% more tons of freight moved than in 2014. In all likelihood, this increase in product attributes to detention generation.

Yet despite this, profits are not being used to improve the loading and unloading experience. According to ATRI Senior Vice President Dan Murray, “Drivers are saying the customers never responded with more docks, more staff, more flexible hours.”

Class A Drivers fully supports all measures to reduce detention time and save money for the industry. Keeping truck drivers idle doesn’t help anyone.

In addition to more docks, more staff, and better hours, trucking companies can forge better relationships with shippers and receivers to prevent delays.