Broker Won’t Pay Detention? How to Collect
UPDATED JUNE 2026
You billed detention, and it’s gone quiet. Unpaid detention is the norm, not the exception — ATRI found fewer than half of detention invoices get paid. Here’s the escalation path that actually moves a stuck claim.
Start with a clean, evidenced invoice
Before escalating, make sure the claim is airtight: the right load and stop, ELD arrival and departure timestamps, the free-time and rate from the rate confirmation, the math, and the signed BOL attached. Most “won’t pay” situations are really “can’t verify” situations — strong evidence removes the excuse. (See how to invoice for detention.)
The escalation ladder
- 1. Firm reminder. Re-send with the evidence and a clear due date. Reference the rate-con detention clause by name.
- 2. Formal dispute. Open a documented dispute in writing, restating the timestamps and the contractual basis. Keep a paper trail.
- 3. Demand letter. For continued silence, a formal demand letter signals you’re serious and creates a record before any collections step.
- 4. Collections agency or attorney. For aged, disputed, or refused claims, hand it to a transportation collections agency (they work on contingency) or a freight attorney.
Know your footing: this is commercial debt
Detention owed between businesses is commercial debt, not consumer debt, so the FDCPA’s consumer restrictions don’t apply. That gives you and any agency you hire more room to pursue it — useful leverage to know when a broker stalls.
When to escalate vs. when to prevent
A collections agency is the right tool once a bill has gone bad — but the cheaper win is not letting it get there. Detention that’s billed promptly with ELD evidence, then chased on a schedule, rarely reaches the demand-letter stage. That contrast is laid out in Akru vs. a collections agency: Akru works upstream to bill and collect before claims sour, while an agency cleans up the ones that already have.
Either way, the lever is the same — evidence and persistence. If you don’t have time for the chase, that’s the part Akru does on contingency.
FAQ
What can I do if a broker won’t pay detention?
Escalate in order: a firm reminder with your evidence, a formal written dispute, then — for aged or refused claims — a demand letter or a transportation collections agency. A clean, ELD-backed invoice is what makes each step stick.
Is freight detention covered by the FDCPA?
No. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act governs consumer debt. Freight detention owed between businesses is commercial debt, so the FDCPA’s consumer restrictions don’t apply, which gives carriers and their agencies more latitude to pursue it.
When should I use a collections agency for detention?
When a bill has genuinely gone bad — it’s aged, formally disputed, or the broker has refused or defaulted. Transportation collections agencies work on contingency and specialize in recovering debt that’s already in trouble.
Does strong evidence really change the outcome?
Yes. Most detention disputes come down to “how long were you actually there?” ELD arrival/departure timestamps plus a signed BOL answer that definitively, which is why evidence-backed claims get paid far more often than bare invoices.