Guide
Layover pay: when a long wait becomes a billable day
Detention pays for hours at a dock. Layover pays when the hold runs overnight or into another day. Most rate cons write one, the other, or neither. The money is lost when drivers and dispatchers mix the two up, or claim the same hours twice.
In short
- Layover is a per-period amount for a hold that passes a start point in your rate con, often a night or a full day. Detention is an hourly amount for waiting past free time.
- Your rate con decides everything: whether layover exists, when it starts, the amount, and whether detention stops once layover begins.
- Count each hour once. If the terms pay detention for the first part of a hold and layover for the rest, bill exactly that split.
- Proof is the same as for detention: times in and out, who caused the hold, and the notice you sent.
One long hold, split correctly
Picture a truck held 30 hours at one receiver. The first two hours are free. Some of the hold pays as detention. Once the hold passes the layover start point, a layover period begins.
The figure uses invented terms. Detention stops at hour 10. Layover starts at hour 24. The hours in between pay nothing under these terms, and that is a normal gap in real rate cons. Each hour sits in one box only.
Try your own hours in the layover calculator.
Detention and layover side by side
| Question | Detention | Layover |
|---|---|---|
| What triggers it | Time on site past free hours | A hold that passes a start point, often overnight or a full day |
| How it is counted | Billable hours at an hourly rate | Periods at a fixed amount each |
| Where the rule lives | Rate con or broker agreement | Rate con or broker agreement, and many say nothing |
| Main proof | Arrival and departure times at the stop | Times, plus why the driver could not load or unload that day |
| Common trap | Early arrival starts no clock | Claiming the same hours as detention too |
Five steps to bill a layover
Read the terms
Find the layover wording in the latest signed rate con. Note the start point, the amount, any cap and any notice rule.
Log the hold
Record arrival, the appointment, each message about the delay and the release time. Write down who caused the hold.
Split the hours
Mark which hours fall under detention and which fall under layover. Check whether the terms let you bill both.
Send notice
If the terms ask for notice, send it when the hold crosses the start point. Keep the message.
Invoice with proof
Put layover on its own invoice line. Attach the rate con page, the times and the notice.
Not sure what your last holds were worth? See which of your last 20 loads have unbilled detention or layover.
Worked example EXAMPLE VALUES
All numbers are invented. A driver reaches a receiver at 14:00 for a 14:00 appointment. The receiver says the dock is full and releases the truck at 20:00 the next day, 30 hours later.
- Free time: 2 hours.
- Detention: $75 an hour, paid for hours 2 to 10 only. 10 - 2 = 8 hours. 8 x $75 = $600.
- Layover: $250 per 24-hour period once the hold passes hour 24. Hold of 30 hours: periods = 1 + floor((30 - 24) / 24) = 1. 1 x $250 = $250.
- Total claim: $600 + $250 = $850.
A claim for 28 hours of detention plus a layover would count hours 10 to 30 twice under these terms. Expect it to be denied.
A plain message to send
Keep it factual. State times you can prove, quote the rate con, and skip commentary about the receiver.
Habits that keep layover claims clean
- Tell the driver to message the dispatcher at arrival, at the delay and at release.
- Photograph anything that shows the time or the reason, such as a posted note or a signed sheet.
- Mark detention and layover hours in different colours on your load notes.
- Ask the broker early whether it will approve a layover. Save the answer.
- Bill on the normal invoice, not weeks later.
Related tools and pages
- Layover calculator for periods and amount.
- Detention calculator for the hourly part.
- Detention evidence, the proof list that also fits layover.
- Detention pay guide and TONU guide.
- Accessorial recovery for the whole routine.
Waiting also eats the driver's day. The 14-hour window keeps running while the truck waits, but that cost is only recoverable if your terms say so.
Questions
Is layover the same as detention?
No. Detention is hourly pay for waiting past free time. Layover is a fixed amount for a longer hold, usually overnight. Some rate cons have one, some both, and many neither.
Can I bill detention and layover for the same stop?
Only if your terms allow it, and only for different hours. Never claim one hour under both. If the terms say layover replaces detention, bill layover alone.
What if the rate con says nothing about layover?
You can ask the broker, but you may be owed nothing. We are not lawyers. A verbal promise rarely survives a signed rate con that is silent, so get any approval in writing before the hold ends.
Does the driver's own choice to stay put count?
Usually not. Layover terms tend to cover holds caused by the shipper, receiver or broker. If the driver chose to rest, say so honestly and do not bill it as a hold.
How long do I have to bill it?
Check your rate con and broker agreement. Some set a deadline measured from delivery. Bill with the load invoice so the deadline never matters.
Related: layover calculator, detention pay, glossary, POD checklist, detention vs layover vs TONU vs lumper.
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