What To Say · A HaulProof Pocket Guide
What To Say When You're Sitting at a Dock
You've been backed in for three hours. Nobody's told you anything. And somewhere in the back of your mind you already know how this ends — you'll mention it at settlement time, somebody will say there's no record of it, and that'll be that. The fix isn't arguing better. It's writing it down while the clock is still running.
In a hurry? Jump straight to the six messages.
The one thing that decides everything
Detention isn't decided by how long you actually sat. It's decided by what can be proven about how long you sat. Those are two different things, and the gap between them is where the money goes.
Your free time — usually two hours, but whatever your rate confirmation says for that specific load — starts running at check-in. What happens after it expires depends entirely on your contract and your broker agreement. But none of that matters if there's no timestamped record that you were there.
So the goal at the dock isn't to win an argument. It's to make sure nobody ever has to take your word for it.
Four rules before you type anything
- Facts only. Times, load numbers, what you're waiting on. No opinions about the receiver, no frustration. Frustration gets ignored; timestamps don't.
- Write it while you're sitting. A message sent at 10:15 proves something. The same message typed from your kitchen table three days later proves a lot less.
- Text or email, not a phone call. Calls leave no record. If you do call, follow it up with a short message repeating the times.
- Get it acknowledged. A one-word "got it" back from dispatch is stronger than anything you write alone.
The six messages
Fill in the brackets and send. These are written to be sent in order, from the moment you roll in to the moment you roll out.
1 · On arrival — every single time
Load [number]: arrived [facility] at [arrival time], checked in at [check-in time]. Logging arrival for the record. Will advise when [loaded / unloaded].
Send this even on a fast turn. It costs you nothing and it starts the clock in writing.
2 · The heads-up before free time runs out
Load [number]: checked in at [check-in time], free time ends at [free time end]. Still waiting on a door. Giving you a heads-up before it runs out in case you want to make a call.
The most valuable message in the set. It gives dispatch a chance to act, and it proves you flagged it early instead of complaining after.
3 · Free time has elapsed
Load [number]: checked in [check-in time], free time ended [free time end]. Current time is [current time] and I am still [waiting on a door / being unloaded]. Please advise.
Plain, factual, no arguing. You are creating a record, not opening a debate.
4 · The hourly update
Load [number] update: still at [facility]. Checked in [check-in time], free time ended [free time end], current time [current time] — [X] hours past free time. No movement yet.
One an hour, on the hour. A row of timestamped messages is a far stronger record than one long complaint at the end.
5 · Asking for written acknowledgment
Load [number]: can you confirm you've received these times — checked in [check-in time], free time ended [free time end]? Just want us on the same page on the record.
The pro move. A "yes, got it" back from dispatch is worth more later than anything you write yourself.
6 · Released — clock stopped
Load [number]: [loaded / unloaded] and released at [release time]. Checked in [check-in time], free time ended [free time end]. Total time on site [X hr Y min], [X] hours past free time. Departing for [next stop / safe parking].
Closes the loop the same day, while the numbers are still clean.
The habit, in one line
Arrival, free-time warning, elapsed, hourly, acknowledgment, release. Six messages, all facts, no arguing. You're not making a claim — you're making a record. What that record turns out to be worth is between you and your contract.
Want the other 76?
These six are from What To Say, a HaulProof Pocket Guide — 82 ready-to-send messages for the whole job, not just the dock. Running late, breakdowns, paperwork that doesn't match, wrong gate, no appointment, day-end recaps. Plus three printable pages for the truck. One PDF, keep it on your phone.
It's $19 on its own — or you get it free with a HaulProof subscription.
And then check the settlement
Documenting the wait is half of it. The other half is looking at the settlement two weeks later and knowing whether the detention you logged actually showed up on it. That's the part HaulProof does — it reads your settlement line by line and tells you when something doesn't add up. Here's how to read one yourself, line by line.
Common questions
What should I text dispatch when I am stuck waiting at a dock?
Send the facts, not the frustration. A good waiting message has four things in it: the load number, the time you checked in, the time your free time ends, and what you are still waiting on. Example: "Load 41892: checked in at 08:15, free time ends at 10:15. Still waiting on a door. Giving you a heads-up before it runs out." Times in writing are worth far more later than a phone call nobody wrote down.
When does detention start at a shipper or receiver?
Detention normally starts after your free time expires — commonly two hours from your appointment or check-in, though the exact amount is set by your rate confirmation, your carrier agreement, or the broker's terms. Free time is not a law; it is whatever you agreed to. Read the rate confirmation for the specific load, because it varies from broker to broker and shipper to shipper.
How do I document detention time as an owner-operator?
Write the times down while the clock is running, not afterward. Record your arrival time, your check-in time, when free time ended, and your release time — and send them to dispatch in a message the same day so there is a timestamped record on both ends. Ask dispatch to confirm they received the times. A short reply saying "got it" is stronger evidence than anything you write by yourself weeks later.
Should I call or text dispatch about detention?
Text or email, and do it while you are sitting. A phone call leaves no record. If you do call, follow it with a short message repeating the times so the conversation exists in writing. The point is not to argue at the dock — it is to make sure nobody has to take your word for it when the settlement shows up two weeks later.
These templates help you communicate and document what happened. They do not decide whether you're owed detention, layover, reimbursement, or any other payment — your contract, your company policy, and your broker agreement decide that. This is general education for owner-operators and company drivers, not legal or financial advice. Built by a driver, for drivers.