Key Points:
- Detention, layover, and TONU are accessorial charges on top of line-haul for delays outside your control. They are not automatic, and what is written on the rate confirmation governs.
- Detention typically starts after a free period, often two hours, from a trigger defined in the agreement: appointment time, check-in, or dock-door placement. Some confirmations cap detention or exclude it entirely.
- Layover covers an overnight or multi-day hold, and agreements differ on whether detention and layover can both be paid for the same waiting period.
- TONU applies when a load you were dispatched for is cancelled or unavailable when you arrive through no fault of yours. Message the broker immediately with your location and arrival time.
- Claims are won on paperwork: timestamped arrival and check-in, written delay updates, signed in-and-out times on the bill of lading, and a prompt, clean claim package tracked to payment.
- Negotiate all three charges before you book, in writing. After delivery is too late, and a broker who will not answer is telling you how that load will pay.
Waiting is the most expensive part of trucking that nobody puts on a rate posting. Your truck payment does not pause at the dock. Your insurance does not pause. Your 14-hour clock does not pause. Yet many new owner-operators treat waiting as free time, accept loads with no accessorial terms, and then wonder why a week of hard work produced a thin settlement.
Detention, layover, and TONU pay exist to change that. They are accessorial charges: extra pay, on top of line-haul, for time and costs caused by delays outside your control. They are not automatic. They are not set by a single national rule. They are whatever you negotiate, get written on the rate confirmation, and then document well enough to collect. This guide explains each charge in plain language, shows what carriers commonly see in the market, and gives you a paperwork routine that turns waiting time into paid time.
One warning up front. There is no universal detention rate, no standard layover amount, and no fixed TONU fee that applies to every load. Any article that tells you otherwise is selling certainty the market does not offer. Your contract for each load, usually the rate confirmation plus any broker or shipper terms it incorporates, is what governs. Read it before you book, negotiate it before you roll, and keep the proof after you deliver. If you are still setting up your operation, How to Start a Trucking Company covers the authority and compliance steps that come before any of these charges apply.
Detention Pay: Getting Paid for Waiting at the Dock
Detention pay compensates you for waiting beyond an agreed free period at a shipper or receiver. The usual structure is simple: a free period, often two hours, then an hourly rate for additional waiting time. Commonly reported detention rates in carrier discussions and broker agreements cluster around $50 per hour after two hours free, though individual agreements vary widely, from lower company-driver hourly figures to higher owner-operator contract rates.
Here is how the math works on a real delay. Suppose you arrive on time for a 9 a.m. appointment, check in, and are not loaded until 1:30 p.m. That is four and a half hours at the facility. With two hours free, you have two and a half billable hours. At $50 per hour, that is $125 in detention. That $125 helps, but it rarely covers the full cost of the delay, because the hours also burn your driving clock and can cost you the next load. Detention pay is compensation, not a profit center. Its real value is that it makes waiting less punishing, and it gives brokers a reason to push shippers to load faster.
Detention usually starts from a defined trigger, and the trigger matters as much as the rate. Common triggers include the appointment time, the time you arrive and check in, or the time you are placed at a dock door. If your confirmation says detention starts two hours after appointment time, but you arrived an hour early and waited, those early hours may not count. If it says two hours after check-in, your check-in timestamp is the start of your case. Always clarify the trigger before you book, and write it down in your own notes even if the broker says it is standard.
Some confirmations cap detention, for example at a maximum number of hours per day, or require approval before detention accrues beyond a threshold. Others exclude detention entirely with language such as "accessorials included in rate" or "no detention." That language is a pricing decision, not a footnote. If a load offers no detention at a facility known for slow loading, either raise the line-haul rate to cover the risk, or pass on the load. Accepting a no-detention load at a slow shipper and hoping for goodwill after delivery is how waiting time stays unpaid.
Reefer, flatbed, and multi-stop loads deserve extra attention. Reefer appointments often involve temperature checks and longer loading. Flatbed loads involve securement time that can blur into waiting time. Multi-stop loads can stack detention at each stop, or cap it across the whole trip, depending on the wording. Ask, in writing, how detention applies at each stop, not just the first one.
Layover Pay: When Waiting Becomes an Overnight Stay
Layover pay applies when a delay stretches beyond a same-day wait into an overnight or multi-day hold. The line between detention and layover is defined by your agreement, not by a clock on the wall. As a general pattern, detention covers hours at a facility, while layover covers a truck held overnight because the next step cannot happen until the following day, for example when a receiver closes, a load is not ready, or a weekend gap leaves no freight to move.
Commonly reported layover amounts for company drivers fall roughly between $75 and $200 per day, while owner-operator layover is typically negotiated per contract and can be higher, because the owner bears the truck costs as well as the driver's time. Some agreements pay layover after 24 hours of unproductive waiting. Others trigger sooner, for example when a driver is held past a certain hour and cannot legally or practically move to the next load that day. A few pay nothing at all, which is another reason to read the confirmation before you accept.
Layover often brings costs beyond the daily amount. You may need a safe place to park, food, and a shower, and you may miss a delivery window that cascades into a lost next load. Some agreements cover parking or meals separately, but many do not. If you are held in an area with no safe parking, tell the broker early and in writing. That message protects you twice: it creates a record of the delay, and it gives the broker a chance to solve a problem before it becomes a missed appointment and a blame dispute.
Layover and detention can overlap, and agreements handle the overlap differently. Some pay detention up to a point and then switch to layover. Others pay one or the other, never both, for the same waiting period. Ask directly: "If I am detained today and held overnight, do I get detention for today plus layover for the overnight, or does layover replace detention?" The answer belongs on the confirmation or in a saved message, not in your memory of a phone call.
TONU Pay: Truck Ordered, Not Used
TONU stands for Truck Ordered, Not Used. It applies when you arrive for a load, or you are dispatched and on your way, and the load is cancelled, is not ready, or cannot be picked up through no fault of yours. You did the work of positioning the truck, you turned down other freight to cover that load, and then the freight disappeared. TONU is the payment for that wasted positioning.
Carrier discussions commonly treat $150 as a floor for TONU, with many agreements setting $200 to $250, and some higher for long deadhead or specialized equipment. The trigger matters as much as the amount. Some agreements pay TONU only if cancellation comes within a set window, often 24 hours before pickup. Others pay if you have already arrived at the shipper. Others pay a reduced amount if you are cancelled en route but have not yet arrived. A cancellation three days out, when you can still book other freight, is a different loss from a cancellation after you have driven 100 empty miles to the shipper.
TONU also covers the messy middle cases that new carriers often absorb for free. The load is not ready, but the broker asks you to wait and see. The shipper says come back tomorrow. The product is damaged, short, or the wrong product entirely. In each case, your first move should be a message, not a silent wait. Tell the broker what happened, where you are, what time you arrived, and ask for direction in writing. That message starts the clock on your claim and prevents a later argument about whether you were really there, or really on time.
Do not confuse TONU with a cancellation fee you charge because you changed your mind. TONU is for the broker or shipper cancelling on you, or the load not being available when you arrive as agreed. If you cancel a booked load yourself, you owe the broker a prompt, professional message and a clean record, not a fee. Reliability runs both ways, and brokers book the carriers who communicate cancellations early and honestly.
Other Accessorials Worth Knowing
Detention, layover, and TONU are the big three, but several smaller charges can add up across a month, and they are all worth getting in writing before you book.
Lumper fees cover third-party unloading labor, common at grocery and retail warehouses. Some brokers reimburse lumpers in full, some cap reimbursement, and some require pre-approval or a receipt before they will pay. Never pay a lumper out of pocket without confirming reimbursement terms first, and always keep the receipt.
Extra-stop pay covers additional pickups or deliveries beyond the first. Each stop costs time, fuel, and dock waiting, so a load with three stops at a one-stop rate is a pay cut disguised as a load. Confirm the per-stop amount and whether detention applies separately at each stop.
Stop-off, redelivery, storage, and reconsignment charges arise when freight must be held, delivered to a different location, or returned. These are less common for new spot-market carriers, but when they happen, the amounts can be large and the paperwork is unforgiving. Get the broker's instruction in writing before you move freight to a new location, because an unauthorized redelivery can become your liability instead of your extra pay.
The Paperwork Routine That Gets You Paid
Accessorial claims are won or lost on paperwork, and the routine is not complicated. It is just unforgiving if you skip a step. Build it into every load, so you are not reconstructing times from memory three weeks later when a broker asks for proof.
First, record arrival and check-in times the moment they happen. Take a timestamped photo of the facility sign, the check-in sheet, or your arrival message if the facility allows it. Note the name of the person you checked in with, the dock door if assigned, and the appointment time. Your electronic logging device helps here, because it records location and time, but an ELD log alone does not prove you checked in or were ready to load. Pair the ELD record with a facility timestamp whenever you can.
Second, communicate delays early and in writing. A message that says, "Arrived 09:02, checked in with receiving, still waiting at 11:30, please advise," is worth more than a phone call you cannot prove. Send updates at reasonable intervals, keep the tone professional, and save the broker's replies. If the broker tells you to wait, that instruction supports your claim. If the broker tells you to leave, follow it and record the instruction.
Third, get in and out times signed or stamped on your paperwork before you leave the facility. A bill of lading with handwritten in and out times, signed by facility staff, is the single strongest detention document you can carry. If staff will not sign, note that fact, photograph the paperwork you do have, and send a message to the broker immediately with your arrival and departure times. Do not leave the facility and hope to reconstruct the times later.
Fourth, submit the claim promptly with a clean package: the rate confirmation showing the agreed terms, the bill of lading with in and out times, your arrival and delay messages, and a short calculation showing free time, billable time, and total claimed. A claim that arrives weeks later, with no timestamps and a round-number guess, is easy to deny. A claim that arrives within days, with timestamps and a clear calculation, is easy to approve.
Finally, track every claim to payment. Log the load, the amount claimed, the date submitted, and the date paid, and check your settlement statement for each one. Accessorials are commonly lost not because they were denied, but because they were never submitted, or were submitted and then forgotten. Your tracking sheet is the difference between a right you have on paper and money in your account.
Negotiating Accessorials Before You Book
The best time to negotiate accessorials is before you accept the load, when the broker still needs your truck. The worst time is after delivery, when the broker has what it needed and you have only a complaint.
Use short, specific language on the call. For detention, say: "Before I book, can we put detention on the confirmation at two hours free, then hourly after that, with in and out times on the paperwork?" For layover, say: "If this holds overnight through no fault of mine, what is the layover amount, and when does it trigger?" For TONU, say: "If the load cancels after I am dispatched, or is not ready when I arrive, what is the TONU amount on this confirmation?" Each question is reasonable, each answer belongs in writing, and a broker who refuses to answer any of them is telling you something useful about how that load will pay.
If a broker says accessorials are included in the rate, treat that as a rate question, not a dismissal. Reply: "Understood. At a facility known for slow loading, I need the line-haul higher to cover that risk. Can you get me to a higher total?" That script, and others like it, are covered in detail in Rate Negotiation Scripts: Exact Words That Get You More Per Mile, which pairs with this guide for the full negotiation toolkit.
New carriers sometimes worry that asking about accessorials makes them look difficult. The opposite is true. Brokers prefer carriers who confirm terms upfront, because those carriers do not surprise them with disputes after delivery. A two-minute terms check before booking marks you as professional. A three-week payment fight after delivery marks you as a problem, even when you are right.
One last negotiation point: get the whole package, not just one charge. A load with strong detention but no TONU, or good TONU but a layover cap of one day, can still leave you exposed on a multi-day hold. Ask about all three before a load that carries real delay risk, such as a Friday pickup, a produce load, or a receiver with a reputation for slow unloading.
FAQ
What is the standard detention rate in trucking?
There is no single standard rate. Commonly reported detention in carrier and broker agreements clusters around $50 per hour after two hours free, but individual agreements vary, and some pay less, more, or nothing at all. Your rate confirmation governs. Always confirm the rate, the free period, and the trigger before you book.
How is layover pay different from detention pay?
Detention generally covers hours waiting at a facility beyond a free period. Layover generally covers an overnight or multi-day hold when the truck cannot move to its next step. Agreements define the boundary differently, and some pay one but not both for the same period, so confirm how your agreement handles the overlap before you accept a load with delay risk.
What does TONU mean, and when do I get it?
TONU means Truck Ordered, Not Used. It is paid when a load you were dispatched for is cancelled or is not available when you arrive, through no fault of yours. Carrier discussions commonly treat $150 as a floor, with many agreements at $200 to $250, but the amount, the cancellation window, and deadhead conditions vary by agreement.
What proof do I need to collect detention pay?
You need the rate confirmation showing the agreed terms, a bill of lading or facility paperwork with in and out times, and a record of your arrival and delay messages to the broker. Timestamped photos and ELD location records help, but a signed in and out time on the paperwork is the strongest single document. Submit the claim promptly with a clear calculation.
Can a broker refuse to pay detention if it was not on the rate confirmation?
Usually, yes, in practice. If the confirmation says no detention, or says accessorials are included in the rate, collecting detention afterward is very difficult. That is why accessorial terms must be negotiated before you book, not after you deliver. If the terms are missing, raise the line-haul rate to cover the risk, or decline the load.
Should I charge detention to a broker I want to keep working with?
Yes, if the terms were agreed and the delay was real. Professional brokers expect accessorial claims on loads with agreed terms, and a clean, documented claim does not damage a good relationship. What damages relationships is an undocumented claim weeks later, or a surprise dispute. Submit promptly, with proof, in a professional tone, and keep hauling clean loads for the same broker.
This guide was prepared in good faith from official sources, including FMCSA and state agency publications, and was checked at the time of writing. Fees, rules and procedures change, and errors and omissions are excepted. Please confirm current requirements with the relevant agency before filing or travelling. If you spot anything that needs correcting, email us at contact@truckingmind.com — we will verify it and update this page.