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The empty is back at the depot. So why does the system still charge detention?

Physical return and recorded return are two different moments, and only one of them stops the clock.

Aron Mayer · 4 min read

Quick take

  • The clock stops when the depot records the return, not when the truck arrives.
  • Depot backlogs of one to three days are routine at busy periods.
  • Your driver receipt is the evidence that closes the gap.

This is one of the most common disputes in the whole cycle, and it comes from a gap that nobody explains at the start.

Where the gap comes from

Your driver drops the empty on Friday afternoon. The depot is busy, the yard staff process the paperwork on Monday, and the carrier's system receives the return with Monday's date. Three days of detention appear on an invoice for a container that was physically back on Friday.

Nobody did anything wrong. The recorded event is simply not the same as the physical event, and every carrier bills from the recorded one.

What counts as proof

An equipment interchange receipt with a timestamp, the depot name and the container number. That document is the difference between a reversed charge and a paid one. Photographs of the container in the yard are weaker but better than nothing.

See it on your own shipment

Paste a container number, bill of lading or booking reference. We detect the carrier across 170+ shipping lines, and when the data does not line up, a person checks it.

How to avoid it

Return early in the week and early in the day where you can. Avoid the last working day before a holiday, which is where the worst gaps happen. And check the recorded return date in your tracking within a day or two of the physical return, while the receipt is still fresh and the conversation is easy.

Questions people ask

What should the driver bring back?

A timestamped interchange receipt naming the depot and the container. Without it you are arguing from memory.

Can I get the charges reversed?

Often yes, if the receipt predates the recorded date. Raise it before you pay, not after.

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