FTL Accessorial Charges Explained: Detention, Layover & TONU

The rate confirmation is rarely the whole story of what a truckload shipment costs. Accessorial charges — the fees for services and delays beyond a standard pickup and delivery — routinely add hundreds of dollars to an invoice, and most of them are avoidable. Here is what each charge means, what it typically costs in 2026, and how disciplined shippers keep them off the bill.

Detention: the meter on the driver’s clock

Detention is billed when a driver waits at a facility beyond the free time in the rate agreement, almost always two hours. After that, expect roughly $50-$100 per hour, more for refrigerated or specialized equipment. Detention exists because a waiting truck is inventory the carrier cannot sell — under federal hours-of-service rules a driver has a limited daily clock, and hours burned at your dock are hours the truck cannot drive.

Avoiding it is operational, not contractual: stage freight before the appointment, load or unload live shipments promptly, and record in/out times on the BOL. If your facility routinely takes four hours to load, negotiating a drop-trailer program is cheaper than paying detention forever.

Layover: when the wait becomes overnight

If a driver cannot be loaded or unloaded the same day — a missed appointment, freight not ready, a receiver that closed early — carriers charge a layover fee, typically $250-$500 per night, on top of any detention already accrued. Layovers also wreck the next day’s schedule, so the true cost includes a late delivery downstream. The fix is honest scheduling: dispatch trucks only when freight is confirmed ready, and pad appointment times for production delays rather than gambling on a driver’s clock.

TONU: truck ordered, not used

Cancel a load after dispatch and you will see a TONU charge, commonly $150-$350 (higher for specialized equipment that repositioned to reach you). It compensates the carrier for the deadhead miles and lost booking. TONUs are pure process failures — they happen when sales, warehouse, and transportation teams are not talking. A same-day cancellation cutoff and a single point of contact for carrier communication eliminate most of them.

The rest of the accessorial menu

Driver assist and lumper fees

If the driver helps load or unload, expect a driver-assist fee ($75-$200). Grocery and retail warehouses often require third-party lumper services instead, billed at cost plus an administration fee. Build these into your landed cost on food and retail lanes — they are standard, not negotiable surprises.

Reconsignment and redelivery

Changing the destination mid-transit (reconsignment) or sending a truck back after a failed delivery (redelivery) both carry fees plus mileage. Verify the receiving address and hours before the truck rolls.

Scale tickets, permits, and stop-offs

Multi-stop loads carry per-stop charges ($50-$150 each), overweight or oversized moves need permits priced by state and route, and carriers pass through scale ticket costs when you ask for a certified weight.

How to keep accessorials off your invoices

Four habits do most of the work. First, put every known service — liftgate, appointment, driver assist — on the rate confirmation and BOL up front; pre-agreed accessorials cost less than discovered ones. Second, measure your own dock times monthly; facilities that turn trucks in under two hours almost never see detention. Third, audit invoices against documented in/out times instead of paying reflexively. Fourth, concentrate volume with carriers that communicate delays in real time, because a phone call an hour before a problem is the cheapest accessorial prevention there is.

Work with a carrier that prices the whole move

Go Freight quotes full truckload and expedited shipments with accessorials discussed up front, and our TruckHub TMS time-stamps every arrival and departure so disputes are settled with data. If drayage is part of your supply chain, see our companion guide to port accessorial charges, then get a quote that holds up at invoice time.

Frequently asked questions

How much is truck detention in 2026?

Most truckload carriers grant two hours of free time at pickup and delivery, then bill roughly $50-$100 per hour afterward. Rates vary by market and equipment type — reefer and specialized equipment detention runs higher than dry van.

What is a TONU fee?

TONU stands for Truck Ordered, Not Used. If a shipper cancels after a truck is dispatched or the freight is not ready when the driver arrives, the carrier bills a flat fee — commonly $150-$350 — to cover the wasted dispatch and repositioning.

How can I avoid layover charges?

Layover fees apply when a driver must wait overnight, usually because loading was not completed or an appointment was missed. Confirm freight readiness before dispatch, book realistic appointment times, and communicate delays before the driver arrives rather than after.