Detention, TONU and layover on a rate con: what to check and how to claim

Waiting at a dock, sitting overnight, or driving to a load that was cancelled all cost the carrier a day. Whether the broker pays for it is decided by a few lines on the rate con, and by the records you keep while it happens.

Updated November 3, 2026 · Tandem Fleet

Three words, three different payments

Term	What it pays for	How it is usually written
Detention	Hours the truck waits at a shipper or receiver beyond the free time	Free hours, then an amount per hour, often with a notice rule and sometimes a cap
Layover	A day lost when the truck cannot load or unload until the next day	A flat amount per day, or a cap on detention once it runs overnight
TONU (truck ordered, not used)	The truck was dispatched or arrived, and the load was cancelled	A flat amount, when the rate con states one at all

Detention: read the conditions, not just the rate

These are detention lines from real rate confirmations received by a small carrier in 2026 (broker names removed):

"Detention $25/hour after 2 free hours with prior notice to broker"

"Detention $25.00/hour after 2 hours & carrier notifies us PRIOR to detention occurring"

Each one has four parts, and a claim fails on any of them:

Free time. Two or three hours is common. On many rate cons it counts from the appointment time, not from when the truck shows up early. Check which one yours uses.
The hourly amount. Note whether it is per full hour or per started hour, if the rate con says.
The notice rule. "Prior notice" means the broker hears from you while the truck is still inside the free time. A phone call after the truck leaves is too late on these rate cons.
The cap. Some rate cons cap detention per stop or per day. A cap is often where layover begins.

Tracking is part of the claim

"If not tracking there won't be any detention, tracking has to be on all times in order to approve detention."

"No Detention or Layover will be approved if Driver can not accept [the] Tracking."

On loads like these, the tracking record is the broker's proof of arrival and departure. If the tracking app was not accepted or stopped running, the claim is refused before anyone looks at the times. Accept the broker's tracking before pickup and keep it running until the last delivery.

Layover

"Detention caps $250 for layover."

Here an overnight wait pays at most $250, however long it was. When the rate con says nothing about layover, ask the broker the moment it looks like the truck will not be loaded or unloaded today, and get the amount in writing before the driver parks for the night.

TONU

A truck ordered, not used payment covers the miles and the day when a load is cancelled after the truck was dispatched or arrived. Many rate cons don't mention it. When a load is cancelled:

Ask for the cancellation in writing (email or the broker's portal), with the time.
Agree the TONU amount at that moment, in writing. A number agreed on the phone is easy to forget a week later.
Keep the truck's position and time when the cancellation came, and the empty miles driven to the shipper.
Invoice the TONU like a load: the broker's confirmation of the amount, and your record of the time.

The records that get a claim paid

Arrival time at the stop, and departure time, from tracking or the driver's app.
In and out times written on the BOL and signed by the shipper or receiver, when they will do it.
The time the broker was notified, and how (email is easiest to prove).
The broker's approval of the detention, layover or TONU amount, in writing.
The claim sent with the invoice, not weeks later.

Paying the driver

What the broker pays the carrier and what the carrier pays the driver are two different decisions. Many small fleets pay drivers detention or layover only when the broker pays it; others pay a set amount either way. Whatever your rule is, write it down and apply it the same way every week. Driver settlements explained

Tandem Fleet keeps the times for you. The driver app records arrival, loading and departure on every stop, and the Planner shows when detention is running past the free time, so the claim starts while the truck is still at the dock.

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This guide is practical advice, not legal advice. Twelve rate con clauses that cost carriers money