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Detention vs layover vs TONU vs lumper: which charge applies

Four events create four different charges, and brokers pay them on different documents. Billing the wrong one, or the same hours twice, is a common reason an extra is refused. This page matches the event to the charge.

In short

  • Waiting at the dock past free time: detention. Held overnight or longer: layover.
  • Load cancelled after the truck was committed: TONU. You paid for unloading help: lumper.
  • Each depends on the rate con. No clause usually means you must ask and keep proof.
  • Do not bill the same hours as detention and layover. Show a timeline.

Start from what happened

Ask one question about the event: what did the truck lose? Time at the dock, a night away, a booked load, or cash paid at the dock.

The boxes show the four events and the charge each points to. The guides behind each line walk through proof and billing.

Terms are in your rate con. These are the questions to ask before you bill.

Event to chargeFour boxes matching an event to a charge: truck waited past free time is detention; truck held overnight or longer is layover; load cancelled after commitment is TONU; paid someone to unload is lumper.Truck waited past free timeDetention: hours × rate after free timeHeld overnight or longerLayover: a day rate, per the rate conCancelled after truck committedTONU: usually a flat fee, with timing termsYou paid for unloadingLumper: reimbursement with the receipt
The right-hand text is the usual shape of each charge. The amount and conditions come from your rate con.

A quick routine at the end of each load

  1. Ask what the truck lost

    Time, a night, the load or a cash payment.

  2. Open the rate con

    Find the clause: free hours, rate, cap, notice requirement.

  3. Collect the proof for that charge

    Check-in and out times for detention. Dates and place for layover. Cancel time for TONU. Receipt for lumper.

  4. Bill each charge on its own line

    One line per charge, with the document attached.

  5. Check for overlap

    If a truck waited and then was cancelled, bill the wait and the TONU, not the same hours twice.

The four charges side by side

Detention, layover, TONU and lumper
AspectDetentionLayoverTONULumper
TriggerWaiting past free timeHeld overnight or a full dayCancelled after truck committedYou paid for unloading
Key proofCheck-in and out timesDates, location, who held the truckDispatch and cancel timesReceipt, signed BOL note
Where the terms liveRate conRate conRate conRate con, shipper rules
Usual amount shapeHourly after free timePer dayFlatActual cost
Billing lineOwn lineOwn lineOwn invoiceOwn line with receipt
Deepest guideDetention payLayover payTONULumper fees

General shape, not a statement of what your rate con says. Amounts differ and are not quoted here.

Worked example EXAMPLE VALUES

Invented numbers. Broker A’s rate con: 2 free hours, then $50 an hour, with a TONU of $150.

  • Truck A waits 4 h 15 min, 2 h free. Detention: 2.25 h × $50 = $112.50.
  • Truck B, same broker, load cancelled at the dock after waiting 3 h. Bill 1 h × $50 = $50 for the wait and the $150 TONU, with a timeline: $200 in total.
  • Truck C pays a $65 lumper and keeps the receipt. Lumper line: $65.00.

Three trucks, three charges, three lines. The total extras are $112.50 + $200.00 + $65.00 = $377.50.

End-of-load checklist

Load [number] Broker [name] Date [date] [ ] Waiting past free time? In [time] Out [time] Hours [n] [ ] Held overnight? Dates [ ] Reason [ ] [ ] Cancelled? Dispatch [time] Cancel [time] [ ] Paid for unloading? Amount [$] Receipt photo [ ] Rate con clause found for each: yes / no Each charge on its own invoice line: yes / no

Paste into the load file. A blank line is a charge you may have left unbilled.

Three mistakes that cost the charge

First, billing from memory. A detention claim written two weeks later with rounded times is easy to dispute. Write the check-in and out times on the day. Second, one lump invoice. When detention, lumper and the line haul are on one line, a broker who disputes one can hold the whole amount. Separate lines let the clean part be paid. Third, missing the notice step. Some rate cons ask you to tell the broker about a delay while it is happening. Message the broker at the time with the facts, and keep the message.

When two charges overlap

A truck can wait, then be held overnight, then be cancelled. Three events, three possible charges, one timeline. Write the timeline first with times, then assign each period to one charge. If a clause says layover replaces detention after a set hour, follow the clause. If it is silent, state your timeline plainly and let the broker respond.

What we would check in your audit

  • Loads with check-in and out times that show waiting past the free time and no detention billed.
  • Overnight holds with no layover line.
  • Cancelled loads with no TONU invoice.
  • Lumper receipts that never reached the broker.

Find which of these four charges are missing from your last 20 loads

Questions

Can the same hour count as detention and layover?

Not if the terms say otherwise. Show a timeline and bill separately.

What if the rate con is silent?

You may ask, and the answer rests on your agreement. Do not assume.

Which is easiest to win?

The one with the clearest clause and the best proof. Lumper with a receipt is often direct.

Are there deadlines?

Many brokers set a window to dispute or bill an extra. The number sits in your agreement. verify

Related: detention pay, layover pay, TONU, lumper fees, accessorial recovery calendar, accessorial recovery.

See what your last 20 loads show.

One short form. We reply by email with the next step, and a one-page report follows. Free, no obligation.

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