EKA DockTime™ Detention Management
Stop Losing Money While Your Trucks Wait. EKA DockTime™ automates detention tracking, monitoring, and billing, recovering lost revenue and eliminating the manual chase for detention fees you’re owed.
The Problem
Your driver just texted: “Hour 4 at the dock. Still no bay assignment.” Nearly 40% of stops blow past the two-hour “free” window. About 5% stretch beyond four hours. That’s $15+ billion in lost productivity annually, plus another $3.6 billion in detention fees that shippers simply won’t pay.
The challenge: Manual detention tracking with spreadsheets, disputed timestamps, missing documentation, and shippers who find any excuse to void fees they contractually agreed to pay.
The Result
Lost revenue from unpaid detention fees. Drivers losing $11,000–$19,000 annually in wages. Driver turnover from excessive wait times. And your team buried in manual tracking, with less than 45% of detention claims ever getting paid. The carriers absorb tens of millions in uncompensated costs while shippers get free warehouse services courtesy of your equipment and drivers.
How EKA DockTime™ Works
Automated Detention Tracking & Alerts
Shipments are automatically tracked, with arrival and departure times at each pickup and delivery location checked against detention limits.
When detention thresholds are exceeded:
System immediately notifies operations and shipper contacts
Telematics-backed tracking ensures accurate arrival times at every location
Automated alerts trigger for operations and customer contacts when detention limits are breached
No more he-said-she-said arguments about when your driver showed up: the system captures objective timestamps that shippers can't dispute.
Automated Detention Billing & Driver Pay
Once detention tracking and notifications workflow is completed, then begins the workflow to automate the money side:
Automated shipper invoicing for detention at pickup and delivery locations
Automated driver pay workflows for detention time payments
Supporting detention data and documents auto-attached to invoices
Billing happens while you sleep. The moment detention kicks in, invoices generate automatically with all supporting documentation.
The Impact: Time Savings and ROI
Tracking and Detention Notifications Results:
- Accurate detention tracking at every stop
- Automated alerts reduce manual monitoring
- Objective timestamps eliminate billing disputes
- Operations team focuses on exceptions only
Invoicing and Driver Detention Results:
- Automated detention invoicing recovers lost revenue
- Driver pay is processed automatically
- 60-80% reduction in manual detention tracking work
- Improved cash flow from the collection of detention fees paid by the shipper
Expected ROI
Less than one year
Best-in-Class Reporting & Analytics
Real-time operations exception reporting by load.
Flexible detention compliance reports by:
Shipper (which customers consistently detain your trucks?)
Pickup and delivery location (which facilities are the worst offenders?)
Driver and lane (where are you losing the most time?)
Time period (weekly, monthly, quarterly data and trends)
Pattern recognition you can bank on: Identify chronic detention abusers, renegotiate contracts, adjust rates, or stop doing business with facilities that cost you money.
Automated Workflow & Notifications
What happens automatically:
Arrival tracked via telematics (GPS/ELD integration)
Detention clock starts after the free window expires
Threshold alerts sent to the operations team and shipper contacts
Documentation captured (timestamps, location data, driver check-ins)
Invoice generated with supporting data attached
Driver detention pay processed based on the detention time recorded
Your team handles exceptions only, not every detention event.
Pricing
Monthly Subscription Fee: Included in bundled fee per truck per month for EKA Omni-TMS™ customers
One-Time Setup Fee: $150 to $500 for initial setup and training, depending on company size.
Implementation Timing: 1-2 weeks from kickoff to live tracking.
Expected ROI: Less than one year based on recovered detention fees and reduced manual tracking time.
Implementation
1-2 weeks from kickoff to live processing. What's included:
Detention rules configuration
Set thresholds by shipper, location, and load type
Telematics integration setup
Connect GPS/ELD systems for automatic tracking
User training and workflow configuration
Train the operations team and drivers on mobile tools
Testing and validation before go-live
Verify the accuracy of tracking and billing workflows
Why EKA DockTime™ vs. Manual Tracking
Manual Tracking
- Spreadsheet-based, error-prone
- Disputed timestamps with shippers
- Manual invoice creation
- <45% of detention claims paid
- Hours spent chasing payments
- No pattern visibility
EKA DockTime™
- Automated telematics tracking and notifications to both operations and customer contact(s)
- Objective GPS/ELD timestamps
- Auto-generated invoices with supporting data and docs
- Increased collection rates with bulletproof data and documentation
- Automated follow-ups and alerts
- Analytics show chronic detention abusers
Stop Letting Detention Pick Your Pocket
EKA DockTime™ doesn’t just track detention. It recovers the revenue you’re leaving on the table.
GPS timestamps and notifications, shippers can’t argue with. Automated billing that chases down every unpaid fee.
Real-time data showing which customers are worth the headache and which aren’t. When detention becomes something you control instead of something that controls you, profit margins start looking healthier.