Nearly all fleets bill for detention. Fewer than half of those invoices ever get paid. The gap between what a load is contractually worth and what actually lands in a carrier's account usually isn't the linehaul rate — it's the accessorial line nobody followed up on.
An accessorial charge is a fee for anything a shipment requires beyond a standard, on-time pickup and delivery: extra waiting, a canceled load, an extra stop, help unloading, an overnight delay. None of it is a bonus. Every one of these charges exists because a carrier's truck, driver hours, or fuel got consumed doing something the base linehaul rate never covered. Research published by the American Transportation Research Institute found that while the large majority of fleets bill detention fees, they collect on well under half of the invoices they submit — not because the charges aren't owed, but because nobody tracked, documented, or followed up on them.
Why Accessorials Exist in the First Place
The linehaul rate on a rate confirmation covers one thing: moving freight from origin to destination within normal operating parameters. The moment real-world freight deviates from that — a facility runs behind, a shipper cancels last minute, a receiver needs a driver to physically help unload — the extra cost lands on the carrier unless it's explicitly invoiced. Under federal hours-of-service rules, a driver's daily clock is finite. Every hour spent waiting at a dock is an hour that truck cannot generate revenue elsewhere, which is the entire economic logic behind billing for it.
The 10 Accessorials Carriers Encounter Most
Detention
Billed once a driver waits beyond the standard two hours of free time at pickup or delivery, typically $50–$100 per hour, higher for reefer and specialized equipment.
TONU
Truck Ordered, Not Used. A flat fee, commonly $150–$500, charged when a shipper cancels after a truck has been dispatched or the freight isn't ready.
Layover
Applied when a driver must wait overnight because loading wasn't completed or an appointment was missed, typically $250–$500 per night on top of any detention already accrued.
Additional Stop
Charged when a load requires more pickups or drop-offs than originally quoted, usually a flat per-stop fee to cover the extra time, mileage, and handling.
Lumper Reimbursement
Covers the cost of a third-party loading/unloading crew at facilities that require one, paid by the driver upfront and reimbursed by the broker or shipper.
Redelivery / Second Trip
Applied when a delivery can't be completed on the first attempt — nobody available to receive freight, wrong appointment, missing liftgate — commonly landing near $400 per occurrence.
Liftgate Service
A fee for equipment or service required to load or unload freight without a dock, typically requested and quoted before the load is booked.
Tarping / Strapping
Applies to flatbed loads requiring tarps, chains, or straps beyond standard securement, billed as a flat fee per load or per tarp used.
Driver Assist / Touch Freight
Billed when a driver is required to physically load or unload product rather than a dock crew handling it, distinct from a lumper fee paid to a third party.
Fuel Surcharge Adjustment
Not a delay-based fee but a separate, formula-driven line reimbursing the carrier for diesel price movement relative to a base rate set in the schedule.
Detention: The One Every Fleet Bills, and Most Under-Collect
Most carriers grant two hours of free time at pickup and delivery before detention begins accruing, then bill by the hour afterward — commonly in the $50 to $100 range, higher for temperature-controlled or specialized equipment where a delayed load carries added risk. The mechanics are simple. Collecting on it consistently is not, because detention requires documentation: a timestamped arrival, a timestamped departure, and proof the delay wasn't the carrier's fault. Fleets that win on detention are the ones that treat that documentation as part of the delivery, not an afterthought filed days later.
Not: "Accessorials Are Extra Money"
They're reimbursement for real costs already incurred — driver hours, fuel, and equipment time the base linehaul rate was never priced to cover.
Not: "If It's Not on the Rate Con, I Can't Bill It"
Standard accessorial rates are frequently covered in a carrier's broader broker agreement or setup packet, not restated on every individual rate confirmation.
Not: "Chasing a $150 TONU Fee Isn't Worth the Time"
At scale, uncollected TONU and detention charges are one of the largest sources of invisible margin loss for small fleets — individually small, cumulatively significant.
Detention vs. Layover: Time-Based, Different Timeframes
| Feature | Detention | Layover |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Per hour after free time | Per night / per day |
| Typical trigger | Loading/unloading runs past 2 free hours | Driver can't proceed to next load, overnight delay |
| Typical rate | $50–$100/hr | $250–$500/night |
| Common cause | Facility understaffed, freight not ready | Missed appointment, incomplete loading |
| Stacks with other fees? | Can lead into layover if unresolved | Often billed on top of accrued detention |
"The accessorial isn't the tip. For a lot of small fleets, it's the difference between a break-even week and a profitable one."
Why These Charges Get Left Uncollected
- No timestamped proof of arrival or departure at the facility.
- Accessorial rates never confirmed with the broker before the load was accepted.
- Invoices submitted without the required documentation attached the first time.
- No follow-up once a broker's initial payment excludes the accessorial line.
- Drivers not trained on when the detention or layover clock actually starts.
Collecting consistently on these charges starts before the load is even booked — confirming accessorial terms in writing, understanding a broker's documentation requirements, and following invoices through to payment rather than treating the linehaul check as the end of the transaction. That follow-through is a meaningful part of what ITSHaul's rate negotiation and broker communication support is built around: making sure the accessorial terms are clear before dispatch, not disputed after delivery.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much free time is standard before detention kicks in?
Two hours is the widely used industry standard at both pickup and delivery, though this can vary by facility and should be confirmed with the broker or shipper before the load is booked.
What's the difference between TONU and a cancellation fee?
TONU specifically applies once a truck has been dispatched and freight isn't ready or the shipper cancels after that point. A cutoff time in the carrier agreement typically determines when a cancellation becomes billable as TONU.
Who pays a lumper fee, and how does reimbursement work?
The driver typically pays the lumper crew directly at the facility, then submits a receipt to the broker or shipper for reimbursement, separate from the linehaul payment.
Are accessorial rates negotiable?
Yes. Detention, layover, and stop-off rates are commonly set in a carrier's broker agreement or setup packet and can be negotiated, particularly for carriers with a track record on a given lane.
The Audit Worth Running on Your Last Ten Loads
Pull your last ten rate confirmations and check two things: whether accessorial terms were confirmed in writing before the load was accepted, and whether every detention, TONU, or layover event that actually happened got invoiced and paid. Most small fleets find at least one uncollected charge in that review — and that charge is worth chasing.
Want Accessorial Terms Confirmed Before Every Load?
ITSHaul locks down detention, layover, and stop-off terms during rate negotiation — and follows up on the charges brokers try to quietly drop from settlement.
