Guide
TONU in trucking: truck ordered not used and how to claim it
TONU is a fee a carrier may bill when a load is cancelled after the truck was committed. Whether you get it depends on your rate con and on the time of the cancellation. This guide shows what to record and how to ask.
In short
- TONU needs a clause in the rate con or another written agreement. No clause, no automatic claim.
- Timing matters. Terms often depend on how close to pickup the cancellation came.
- Keep three records: the dispatch, the cancellation message with its time and what the truck had done by then.
- Bill TONU on its own invoice line right away, with the packet attached.
The cancellation clock
Many TONU terms work like a window before pickup. Cancel early and nothing is owed. Cancel inside the window and the fee applies. The length of the window and the amount are in your rate con.
The picture uses an invented 4-hour window. The load was dispatched at 05:45 and cancelled at 06:30. The pickup appointment was 09:00. The cancellation falls inside the window, so the fee would apply under these made-up terms.
That is why the cancellation time is the key record. A phone call with no record leaves you arguing about when it happened.
Step by step
Check the TONU clause at booking
Find the amount, the window and who it applies to. Some terms pay only if the truck was already moving or on site. Note any conditions in the load record.
Log the dispatch
Record the time the driver was assigned and told to go. A dispatch message or load board entry is enough.
Get the cancellation in writing
If the broker calls, reply by text or email: "Confirming you cancelled load [number] at [time]. Truck was dispatched at [time]." The reply creates the record.
Record what the truck did
Note miles driven, position and any wait. If the truck was at the shipper, ask for the check-in time. This supports the claim and sets up a request for more than the flat fee if your terms allow it.
Bill it as its own invoice
There is no delivery, so there is no POD. Send an invoice titled TONU with the rate con page and the cancellation message.
Follow up on the due date
Note the reason for any refusal, and compare it with the clause.
What proof carries the claim
| Fact to show | Good proof | Weak proof |
|---|---|---|
| TONU is agreed | Rate con clause, signed by both sides | A verbal promise |
| Truck was committed | Rate con and dispatch message with a time | "We were on our way" |
| When it was cancelled | Broker's text or email, or your confirming reply | An unlogged phone call |
| Truck effort | Dispatch time, location, miles, check-in slip | No record |
Nothing here is legal advice. If a large amount is in dispute, ask a lawyer to read your contract.
Worked example EXAMPLE VALUES
Invented numbers. Broker A's rate con says TONU is $150 flat if the broker cancels less than 4 hours before the pickup appointment.
- Pickup appointment: 09:00. Window opens: 09:00 - 4 h = 05:00.
- Truck dispatched: 05:45. Broker cancels by phone: 06:30.
- Time between cancellation and pickup: 09:00 - 06:30 = 2.5 hours, inside the window.
- Dispatcher texts a confirmation at 06:35. Invoice: TONU $150.
Had the broker cancelled at 04:30, the cancellation would be 4.5 hours ahead and outside the window. Under these terms nothing would be owed.
Message to send with the invoice
Keep it factual. Quote the clause, give the times and do not add costs the clause does not cover. You may still ask the broker to consider more.
See which cancelled loads in your last 20 were never billed as TONU
Do not wait for the broker to offer
Brokers rarely add TONU on their own. The cancellation call ends, the truck goes back to the yard and the money is never asked for. Make the confirming text part of the dispatcher's routine: time of the cancellation, time of the dispatch, and the words "TONU applies per the rate confirmation".
Then check the load list each week for cancelled loads with no TONU line. Those are the ones that slip through.
Questions
Is TONU owed if there is no clause?
Not automatically. It depends on your agreement with the broker. We are not lawyers. You can ask, and expect the answer to rest on your paperwork.
Does the truck have to be at the shipper?
Some terms require it and some do not. Read yours. If the truck was on site, get the check-in time.
What if the shipper cancels, not the broker?
Still tell the broker right away, in writing, and ask whether TONU applies. Some terms treat the cause differently. The rate con is the guide.
Can I bill TONU and detention together?
Only if the hours do not overlap and the terms allow both. If the truck waited then got cancelled, bill the wait and the TONU separately, with a clear timeline.
Can I use the truck on another load?
Yes, and it matters. If you rebook the truck quickly, the broker may argue the loss was smaller. Note what you did and when.
Related: accessorial recovery, rate con vs invoice, deadhead calculator, detention pay, layover pay, detention pay calculator, detention vs layover vs TONU vs lumper, short pay and chargebacks.
See what your last 20 loads show.
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