TONU Pay in Trucking: What It Is and How to Collect It
TONU (Truck Ordered Not Used) is compensation a carrier earns when a load is canceled after the truck has been dispatched or committed, but before pickup. It covers the real costs the carrier incurred — deadhead miles, driver time, and capacity that couldn’t be sold to another shipper. Whether you collect it depends on whether your rate confirmation covers it and whether you document dispatch before the cancellation occurs.
What Is TONU?
TONU stands for Truck Ordered Not Used. It applies when:
- A broker books a load with your carrier
- You dispatch a truck (or commit the truck to the load, removing it from your available capacity)
- The broker or shipper cancels the load
The key trigger is whether the truck was committed before cancellation. A cancellation before dispatch typically doesn’t trigger TONU. A cancellation after the driver is en route, or after you’ve declined other loads to honor this booking, clearly does.
What Triggers TONU (and What Doesn’t)
TONU triggers when:
- The driver has been dispatched (departed the origin yard) and the load is canceled
- The load is canceled within a short window before scheduled pickup (commonly 2–4 hours) as specified in the RC
- The carrier has deadheaded to the shipper and the load is canceled on arrival
- The shipper simply isn’t ready and requests a rebook
TONU typically does NOT trigger when:
- The load is canceled before the truck is dispatched, with sufficient notice (check your RC for any notice requirement)
- The carrier cancels (rather than the broker/shipper)
- The RC explicitly excludes TONU coverage
TONU Rates: What to Expect
TONU rates vary widely because they’re negotiated individually or set by broker standard RC templates.
| Rate Structure | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Flat fee | $100–$300 |
| Percentage of linehaul rate | 10–25% |
| Mileage-based (deadhead reimbursement) | $0.50–$1.25 per mile deadheaded |
The flat fee structure is most common. Some broker RCs don’t specify TONU coverage at all, which means you’ll need to negotiate it before dispatch or accept that you’re running without that protection.
How to Negotiate TONU Coverage Into Your Rate Confirmations
For Every Load
When reviewing the RC, look for TONU language. It might appear as:
- “TONU: $200 flat if load is canceled after dispatch”
- “Cancellation fee: 15% of linehaul rate if canceled within 4 hours of pickup”
- “Carrier must be notified of cancellation no less than [X] hours prior to scheduled pickup”
If the RC doesn’t mention TONU, you can request it before accepting: “Our standard TONU rate is $150 flat. Can you add that to the RC?”
For Regular Broker Relationships
Establish a standing TONU provision in your carrier/broker relationship and reference it on every load. Some carriers include TONU terms in their carrier packet that brokers agree to when setting up the relationship.
Documenting TONU When It Happens
TONU disputes are almost always about whether the truck was actually dispatched (and thus committed) before the cancellation.
What to document immediately:
- Timestamp of when the truck was dispatched (GPS data showing truck departed or is en route)
- Load tender or rate confirmation showing the booking
- The cancellation communication (email, text, or load board message) — save this immediately
- Any deadhead miles incurred (GPS mileage from dispatch point to where the truck turned around)
Send a confirmation email to the broker immediately after the cancellation: “Confirming load [number] was canceled at [time]. Our truck was dispatched at [time] and was [X] miles en route. Per the rate confirmation, TONU of $[amount] applies. Invoice to follow.”
This creates a contemporaneous written record and signals that you’re tracking it.
Submitting the TONU Invoice
Your TONU invoice should include:
- Load/PRO number
- Original scheduled pickup date and time
- Truck dispatch time (GPS-verified)
- Cancellation time and source (screenshot or forward of cancellation communication)
- Deadhead miles (if applicable)
- TONU rate per rate confirmation
- Total TONU amount
Submit within the same timeframe you’d submit any accessorial — ideally same day as the cancellation.
When Brokers Dispute TONU
The most common dispute: “The truck wasn’t dispatched yet” or “We notified you with enough lead time.”
If the broker claims insufficient dispatch: Your GPS records are your counter. If the truck was moving toward the facility at the time of cancellation, that’s proof of dispatch. If the truck hadn’t moved yet but capacity had been committed (you declined other loads), that’s harder to prove but not impossible — load board records, emails, and dispatch logs help.
If the broker claims they gave adequate notice: Check your RC for any notice period language. If the RC says “no TONU if canceled 24+ hours in advance” and they canceled 26 hours in advance, you don’t have a claim. If there’s no notice language and the load was canceled the morning of pickup, you do.
TONU at Scale: How It Adds Up
For a fleet running primarily spot loads with a modest 2–3% TONU rate:
| Fleet Size | Loads/Month | TONU Rate | Events | Avg. TONU | Uncollected (at 40% collection) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 trucks | 600 | 2.5% | 15 | $175 | $1,575 |
| 100 trucks | 1,200 | 2.5% | 30 | $175 | $3,150 |
| 200 trucks | 2,400 | 2.5% | 60 | $175 | $6,300 |
Small per-event amounts add up. Carriers who don’t have a TONU billing process often write these off as “just how it is” rather than a systematic revenue gap with a systematic fix.
Related Articles
- The Carrier’s Complete Guide to Accessorial Charges
- What Are Accessorial Charges in Trucking?
- Layover Pay Guide for Carriers
- How to Read a Rate Confirmation: A Carrier’s Guide
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