You showed up on time. The load wasn't ready, or it got canceled after you deadheaded to the shipper. Now you're sitting, burning hours and money, and wondering if anyone owes you a dime. The answer is often yes — but only if you know what to bill and how to bill it.

Two accessorial charges exist for exactly these moments: layover pay and TONU. Here's what each one means and how to actually collect.

What is layover pay?

Layover pay compensates you when you're stuck waiting — usually overnight or longer — through no fault of your own. Think of a shipper that isn't loading until tomorrow, or a receiver that can't take the freight until the next day.

Layover typically kicks in after a defined waiting period (often the first free hours are covered by detention, then layover starts once you're held into another day). It's meant to offset the reality that your truck is parked and can't earn.

  • Detention covers hourly waiting at a dock, usually after a free window of 1-2 hours.
  • Layover covers being held long enough that you lose a working day or have to stage overnight.

What is TONU (Truck Ordered Not Used)?

TONU is what you bill when a load you were dispatched on gets canceled after you've committed — you've deadheaded to the pickup, or you're on-site, and the freight simply isn't going. The truck was ordered. It wasn't used. You still spent fuel and time.

TONU is negotiated per load, not fixed by law. That's the catch: unless the amount was agreed to up front and documented, you're negotiating after the fact — and a shipper or broker has every reason to lowball or ignore you.

Why collecting is the hard part

Neither layover nor TONU is guaranteed by regulation. They're contractual. Whether you get paid comes down to:

  • Whether the rate confirmation spelled out layover, detention, and TONU terms
  • Whether you documented arrival times, wait times, and the cancellation
  • Whether someone with leverage actually chases the money

A solo owner-operator fighting a broker over a few hundred dollars in TONU often gives up — the phone calls and emails cost more than the charge is worth. That's exactly why brokers stall on these.

Why having a carrier bill it for you changes the math

This is where running under an established carrier pays off. When you lease on with ARI and run under ARI's authority, the billing, paperwork, and collections aren't your fight alone. Your dedicated dispatcher — who handles no more than seven trucks — knows the lanes, negotiates the rate confirmation up front, and gets accessorial terms in writing before you roll.

When plans change, ARI's billing side pursues the layover or TONU as part of the invoice. A carrier that moves real volume and has standing relationships carries weight a single truck doesn't. That's a core reason owner-operators choose to lease on rather than go it alone.

A few things that stack in your favor:

  • Same-day pay — deliver before noon EST with paperwork in and you're paid that business day, no quick-pay fees eating your margin.
  • No forced dispatch — you pick your loads, so you're never stuck taking a lane that's likely to strand you.
  • 82% revenue share — when accessorials get billed and collected, your cut stays your cut.

To be clear, ARI is a motor carrier, not a broker. You run under ARI's authority — not your own — and that's precisely what makes the billing muscle work in your favor on charges like these.

The takeaway

Layover and TONU are real money, but only if the terms are set up front and someone with leverage collects them. Document your times, get accessorials in writing, and let a carrier that bills for a living do the chasing.

If you're tired of eating downtime alone, take a look at what running with ARI looks like — or call us at (888) 600-9098 to talk it through.