Logistics terms · Logistics terms

What does Detention mean in logistics?

Short answer

Time a vehicle is held at a loading or unloading point, or elsewhere at the shipper’s instance, beyond the free time agreed in the contract.

Detention at factories and consignee warehouses is one of the largest hidden costs in Indian road freight. It is measured from reporting time, needs trustworthy in and out timestamps (gate records or GPS geofences) and is billed as detention charges. Ask our desk how this applies to your consignment.

Period: General definition. Data as of 29 Sep 2026. How we count

We publish no freight rates. Our desk confirms your price within minutes.

The numbers behind this answer

Category
Operations & tech
Related terms
Detention charges, Reporting time, Dwell time, Geofence

Sources

  1. SSL logistics glossary

Period: General definition. Data as of 29 Sep 2026.

Need this for your own load?

Send the details to our desk. It confirms your price within minutes.

Chat with SSL

Talk to a person