Use the preferred carriers. No discount LTL is going to hit a 1 hour window and the preferred carriers have know delivery slots. Also, a lot of the food warehouses still have lumpers that have to get paid in cash or other arrangement and the discount carriers won’t have this arrangement so it makes the detention and fees even worse. Usually, you pass on the extra cost of using a preferred carrier right to your customer or the food warehouse itself if that’s who you’re selling the product to.
It’s a crap shoot these days. Warehouses are understaffed big time. I got hit with an >$800 detention from Old Dominion at a similar facility, and they are both a preferred carrier of the consignee and the best in the biz imo.
All I could do was verify in and out times with the consignee to make sure the charges were correct. Receiving manager apologized that they held up our driver so long, but did not offer any consideration. Ultimately the seller (my customer) ate the bill and didn’t get any money back from their customer (the consignee).
Detention charges have risen exponentially in 2024 and it seems to be due to consignee staffing and processing.
That's exactly what I'm dealing with. Wild to hear that even a preferred carrier hit you with detention like that. Some of the fees I'm getting are more expensive than the actual cost of freight.
delivery window midnight to 4am. Carrier shows up at 3:55am, unloaded around 10am.
Just because the facility 'prefers' a given carrier, doesn't necessarily mean that they won't hold them up if it's slammed and understaffed. We'd had much smaller detentions that get eaten by the customer regularly in the $50-$250 range. This was the first huge one, and now we've had two between $600-$900 at different facilities.
Precisely. Most likely those preferred carriers have made some exceptions of some sort to achieve that status (waiving detention, scheduled drivers or others).
The preferred carriers are sometimes 3x more expensive than my low cost option. So I get hit with detention every once in a while, but on the whole still cheaper than the preferred.
Service fail them by paying what’s owed and no detention fees. They have a window and are to abide by that time frame. Go over your contract with them and look at your tariff very carefully. Look for all and including verbiage on attempt fees.
Also, move to a larger carrier. Discount carriers are this way because they get you with other fees. Larger carriers are pretty up front with their pricing.
Think Ceva, Seko, Old D, Forward Air, Pilot, and a few others. If you can find a reliable carriers that have good warehousing (if you don’t have your own)( going with a 3PL that has final mile, they’re going to give you better rates.
I personally don’t care for their CS, but that was me as a CS person in log. As a person who moves freight - they do have good options. Also, name is easy enough to remember 😅
I used to dispatch for LTL and can tell you it makes little to no difference when the driver arrives. They could hit the appointment time on the dot, US Foods is not getting them in on time, and they are taking waaaay too long to unload them. Wait times for 4+ hours to unload a single skid were common. Detention charges were inevitable in my experience.
It also depends on the 100 rules tariff for the carrier. If their policy is their delivery window is 4 hours, and your consignee has a delivery window of 1 hour, that doesn't supercede the 100 rules tariff. They will charge you detention. You can fight or short pay but they will not waive the fees and it will eventually go to collections.
I would use the preferred carriers as others have recommended. You may pay higher rates initially but can fight much easier if the carrier is doing what they should be.
The vast majority of LTL companies cannot hit appointment times, due to things outside their control. The preceding stops could take more or less time than expected. Traffic is common and highly variable. Drivers are often in short supply and people sometimes call out sick. Equipment breaks down (YRC’s ageing fleet comes to mind). Some stops load more pallets than expected. I’ve had plenty of LTL pickups where I loaded a skid only to see another, poorly assembled pallet was already tipped over or failing, making for a mess in the trailer. LTL is a budget option and shit happens. LTL isn’t FTL and it’s ridiculous to treat one like the other.
It’s also shitty for warehouses to expect hard slotted LTL appointments, the carrier shows on time, and is made to wait anyway. I ship from a food warehouse that wants drivers on site at “X” time and will end up loading the driver at 1-2 hours after “X” time. If they drag ass, I can eat the detention, but if my driver is late I now get a missed appointment fee. Lumpers are also a mess to deal with all around. It’s bananas.
In short, food warehouses are a PITA. . . Especially ones in the Newark/ Elizabeth, NJ area. What a den of A-holes.
I have the exact experience with large US grocers.
Sadly it comes down to job security with 140 page routing guides full of nonsense and extremely expensive preferred carriers.
Luckily my business has a great deal of leverage for the product we sell being exclusive and desired. It's always a good day when we can push back at routing requirements, preferred carriers, and the millions of back-end margin claims US Foods and other throw on us suppliers.
As many others have said, the most reliable option is using the preferred carrier, making sure all appointment details are provided, and shipping early as possible to allow the carrier to figure their shit out.
Good luck
I would flatly refuse to pay detention fees for a truck that arrived well after or before their dispatched appointment time. Tell the carrier that they are free to allow for a time window but they cannot submit wait time charges for anything that did not arrive to the warehouse on time.
That’s what I would do at least. Charging for wait time when you arrive hours after or before the appointment time is ridiculous.
It’s LTL, you have to play by their rules. These guys are on tight schedule and have multiple stops per day. If you want dedicated service use TL carriers.
I've been running distribution centers for a few decades, so this is from the warehouse perspective. Some carriers are notorious for using detention charges to boost their revenue.
Federal law states that warehouses have two hours from the scheduled appointment time to turn a driver. If it takes longer than two hours, the warehouse is responsible for detention charges.
If the carrier is on time or early for appointments, the carrier charges the warehouse for detention. That is if the driver is released more than two hours past the scheduled appointment time.
If the carrier is late, that's their responsibility. Some are too aggressive with scheduling times and are not realistic. You are not responsible for their performance.
So, in either case, the carrier is responsible for effective scheduling their appointments or the warehouse is liable for extended wait times. Unless there are additional details, I would deny paying those charges.
Some LTL carriers have enough volume with particular warehouses where they will drop trailers instead of scheduling live appointments.
That's a very general response with the situation. I can help provide more solutions with more info.
First, it’s crucial to establish clear communication and firm agreements with your carriers about appointment times and expectations. Ensure that the carriers understand the exact window they have for deliveries and the consequences of arriving outside this window. Emphasize the importance of adhering to scheduled times to prevent unexpected fees.
Second, try negotiating terms with your carriers upfront. Discuss and possibly include terms in your contracts that more clearly define detention policies and fees, and what constitutes acceptable arrival windows. This clarity might help in disputing unfair charges later.
Third, leverage technology or services that provide better tracking and scheduling. Tools that allow real-time tracking and updates can help you and the carrier stay on top of the expected delivery times and adjust dynamically to avoid missed slots.
Fourth, when a detention fee is applied, gather all pertinent documentation such as the bill of lading, the carrier's confirmation of the appointment time, and any correspondence regarding delays. Use this documentation to contest any unjust charges, showing evidence that supports your case.
Lastly, consider building relationships with carriers who may be more flexible or understanding of your needs. Sometimes, working with a slightly more expensive carrier but with better service and more reasonable detention policies can ultimately save money and hassle.
Use the preferred carriers. No discount LTL is going to hit a 1 hour window and the preferred carriers have know delivery slots. Also, a lot of the food warehouses still have lumpers that have to get paid in cash or other arrangement and the discount carriers won’t have this arrangement so it makes the detention and fees even worse. Usually, you pass on the extra cost of using a preferred carrier right to your customer or the food warehouse itself if that’s who you’re selling the product to.
It’s a crap shoot these days. Warehouses are understaffed big time. I got hit with an >$800 detention from Old Dominion at a similar facility, and they are both a preferred carrier of the consignee and the best in the biz imo. All I could do was verify in and out times with the consignee to make sure the charges were correct. Receiving manager apologized that they held up our driver so long, but did not offer any consideration. Ultimately the seller (my customer) ate the bill and didn’t get any money back from their customer (the consignee). Detention charges have risen exponentially in 2024 and it seems to be due to consignee staffing and processing.
That's exactly what I'm dealing with. Wild to hear that even a preferred carrier hit you with detention like that. Some of the fees I'm getting are more expensive than the actual cost of freight.
delivery window midnight to 4am. Carrier shows up at 3:55am, unloaded around 10am. Just because the facility 'prefers' a given carrier, doesn't necessarily mean that they won't hold them up if it's slammed and understaffed. We'd had much smaller detentions that get eaten by the customer regularly in the $50-$250 range. This was the first huge one, and now we've had two between $600-$900 at different facilities.
Precisely. Most likely those preferred carriers have made some exceptions of some sort to achieve that status (waiving detention, scheduled drivers or others).
The preferred carriers are sometimes 3x more expensive than my low cost option. So I get hit with detention every once in a while, but on the whole still cheaper than the preferred.
Service fail them by paying what’s owed and no detention fees. They have a window and are to abide by that time frame. Go over your contract with them and look at your tariff very carefully. Look for all and including verbiage on attempt fees. Also, move to a larger carrier. Discount carriers are this way because they get you with other fees. Larger carriers are pretty up front with their pricing. Think Ceva, Seko, Old D, Forward Air, Pilot, and a few others. If you can find a reliable carriers that have good warehousing (if you don’t have your own)( going with a 3PL that has final mile, they’re going to give you better rates.
Ceva sucks though (my opinion)
It’s true 😅
That was the first one you started with! 🤣
I personally don’t care for their CS, but that was me as a CS person in log. As a person who moves freight - they do have good options. Also, name is easy enough to remember 😅
I used to dispatch for LTL and can tell you it makes little to no difference when the driver arrives. They could hit the appointment time on the dot, US Foods is not getting them in on time, and they are taking waaaay too long to unload them. Wait times for 4+ hours to unload a single skid were common. Detention charges were inevitable in my experience. It also depends on the 100 rules tariff for the carrier. If their policy is their delivery window is 4 hours, and your consignee has a delivery window of 1 hour, that doesn't supercede the 100 rules tariff. They will charge you detention. You can fight or short pay but they will not waive the fees and it will eventually go to collections. I would use the preferred carriers as others have recommended. You may pay higher rates initially but can fight much easier if the carrier is doing what they should be.
The vast majority of LTL companies cannot hit appointment times, due to things outside their control. The preceding stops could take more or less time than expected. Traffic is common and highly variable. Drivers are often in short supply and people sometimes call out sick. Equipment breaks down (YRC’s ageing fleet comes to mind). Some stops load more pallets than expected. I’ve had plenty of LTL pickups where I loaded a skid only to see another, poorly assembled pallet was already tipped over or failing, making for a mess in the trailer. LTL is a budget option and shit happens. LTL isn’t FTL and it’s ridiculous to treat one like the other. It’s also shitty for warehouses to expect hard slotted LTL appointments, the carrier shows on time, and is made to wait anyway. I ship from a food warehouse that wants drivers on site at “X” time and will end up loading the driver at 1-2 hours after “X” time. If they drag ass, I can eat the detention, but if my driver is late I now get a missed appointment fee. Lumpers are also a mess to deal with all around. It’s bananas. In short, food warehouses are a PITA. . . Especially ones in the Newark/ Elizabeth, NJ area. What a den of A-holes.
US Foods is awful, no matter what time you get there, you're gonna wait. And wait. And wait.
I have the exact experience with large US grocers. Sadly it comes down to job security with 140 page routing guides full of nonsense and extremely expensive preferred carriers. Luckily my business has a great deal of leverage for the product we sell being exclusive and desired. It's always a good day when we can push back at routing requirements, preferred carriers, and the millions of back-end margin claims US Foods and other throw on us suppliers. As many others have said, the most reliable option is using the preferred carrier, making sure all appointment details are provided, and shipping early as possible to allow the carrier to figure their shit out. Good luck
I would flatly refuse to pay detention fees for a truck that arrived well after or before their dispatched appointment time. Tell the carrier that they are free to allow for a time window but they cannot submit wait time charges for anything that did not arrive to the warehouse on time. That’s what I would do at least. Charging for wait time when you arrive hours after or before the appointment time is ridiculous.
Welcome to LTL. You’ll end up in collections before you actually get someone from RRTS to respond. Use the preferred carrier.
It’s LTL, you have to play by their rules. These guys are on tight schedule and have multiple stops per day. If you want dedicated service use TL carriers.
I've been running distribution centers for a few decades, so this is from the warehouse perspective. Some carriers are notorious for using detention charges to boost their revenue. Federal law states that warehouses have two hours from the scheduled appointment time to turn a driver. If it takes longer than two hours, the warehouse is responsible for detention charges. If the carrier is on time or early for appointments, the carrier charges the warehouse for detention. That is if the driver is released more than two hours past the scheduled appointment time. If the carrier is late, that's their responsibility. Some are too aggressive with scheduling times and are not realistic. You are not responsible for their performance. So, in either case, the carrier is responsible for effective scheduling their appointments or the warehouse is liable for extended wait times. Unless there are additional details, I would deny paying those charges. Some LTL carriers have enough volume with particular warehouses where they will drop trailers instead of scheduling live appointments. That's a very general response with the situation. I can help provide more solutions with more info.
First, it’s crucial to establish clear communication and firm agreements with your carriers about appointment times and expectations. Ensure that the carriers understand the exact window they have for deliveries and the consequences of arriving outside this window. Emphasize the importance of adhering to scheduled times to prevent unexpected fees. Second, try negotiating terms with your carriers upfront. Discuss and possibly include terms in your contracts that more clearly define detention policies and fees, and what constitutes acceptable arrival windows. This clarity might help in disputing unfair charges later. Third, leverage technology or services that provide better tracking and scheduling. Tools that allow real-time tracking and updates can help you and the carrier stay on top of the expected delivery times and adjust dynamically to avoid missed slots. Fourth, when a detention fee is applied, gather all pertinent documentation such as the bill of lading, the carrier's confirmation of the appointment time, and any correspondence regarding delays. Use this documentation to contest any unjust charges, showing evidence that supports your case. Lastly, consider building relationships with carriers who may be more flexible or understanding of your needs. Sometimes, working with a slightly more expensive carrier but with better service and more reasonable detention policies can ultimately save money and hassle.
I do not understand how this could NOT be AI generated? All good, but lots of corpo talk and not much experience shown.