Lumper Fees, Layover and TONU: What Brokers Should Put on the Rate Confirmation
Quick Answer
Lumper fees, layover, and truck ordered not used (TONU) are different charges with different triggers. Required loading or unloading assistance has a specific federal rule: the shipper or receiver requiring that assistance must provide it or compensate the vehicle owner or operator for the cost. Layover and TONU ordinarily depend on the transportation agreement. The rate confirmation should identify the trigger, amount, payer, approval process, and required evidence for each charge.
Settling those details before dispatch prevents an avoidable disagreement after the truck has already committed time.
In this article
Who pays lumper fees?
A lumper is a third party providing loading or unloading assistance. Under 49 U.S.C. § 14103, when a shipper or receiver requires such assistance for an interstate motor-vehicle shipment, it must provide the assistance or compensate the owner or operator for all associated costs. The statute also prohibits specified coercion involving loading, unloading, or paying someone to do it. Source: 49 U.S.C. § 14103.
The payment workflow can still run through a broker. For example, a broker may advance an authorized fee and recover it from its customer. That accounting arrangement should be clear before the driver reaches the receiver.
Separate a required unloading charge from a service the carrier independently chooses to purchase. Do not assume that every charge labeled “lumper” has identical facts.
What is layover pay?
Layover generally addresses a substantial delay, often an overnight hold, that prevents the truck from continuing its planned work. There is no single universal layover amount for all truckload shipments.
Define the qualifying event. A missed appointment, an unavailable receiver, a rejected load awaiting instructions, and a driver arriving outside the agreed window may produce different outcomes.
Also define whether the amount is per night, per calendar day, or per 24-hour period. Those phrases can produce very different invoices on a weekend hold.
A rate confirmation should explain whether detention stops when layover begins, whether any detention is credited, and whether the charges can apply to distinct periods.
When is TONU owed?
TONU means truck ordered not used. It commonly addresses a truck committed to a shipment that is then canceled or unavailable.
A truck being discussed during a quote is not necessarily an ordered truck. A truck arriving with the wrong equipment is not necessarily entitled to the same cancellation compensation as a compliant truck turned away because the freight is not ready.
Use a defined commitment point: written acceptance, dispatch, departure toward pickup, or arrival. Specify the cancellation cutoff and any mileage or other compensation that applies.
The phrase “industry standard TONU” is too vague to settle those questions reliably.
What belongs on the rate confirmation?
A useful accessorial section should state:
- The charge: lumper reimbursement, detention, layover, or TONU.
- The trigger: the exact event that creates eligibility.
- The amount: a stated rate, fixed fee, or documented reimbursement method.
- The payer: who owes the carrier and how the broker bills its customer.
- Authorization: who can approve the expense and the after-hours process.
- Evidence: receipts, time records, cancellation messages, or dispatch records.
- Deadlines: when notice and supporting documents must be submitted.
- Interactions: caps, credits, exclusions, and overlap with other charges.
- Contract priority: how the rate confirmation relates to the master agreement.
Distinguish an operational recommendation from a statutory requirement. This checklist is a drafting approach; there is no single federally prescribed rate-confirmation form for all ordinary property-broker shipments.
How can brokers prevent approval disputes?
Give the driver and dispatcher a usable contact, including after-hours coverage. Identify a backup approver if the primary contact does not respond.
For predictable lumper locations, obtain the expected fee and authorization method before pickup. If the charge changes, record the reason and written approval.
For layover, confirm the next available appointment and what the carrier is expected to do with the equipment. For TONU, keep the cancellation time and evidence showing how far the carrier had progressed.
Do not require paperwork that the facility never produces without explaining an acceptable alternative.
What does a documented dispute look like?
Imagine a truck arrives as agreed, but the receiver moves the appointment to the next morning. The broker first preserves the original appointment and the receiver's new instruction.
The parties then confirm where the truck will wait, the agreed layover amount, and whether earlier detention remains payable. The final invoice attaches that agreement and the supporting timeline.
That is more reliable than trying to reconstruct an overnight phone conversation several weeks later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are lumper receipts always necessary?
They are important evidence of the charge and often a contractual reimbursement condition. Confirm what documentation is required before the expense is incurred.
Can the broker refuse payment because its customer refused reimbursement?
That depends on the governing agreements and facts. A customer's refusal alone does not resolve a separate obligation the broker accepted toward the carrier.
Is there a standard federal TONU fee?
No universal federal dollar amount governs ordinary truckload TONU. Agree on the terms in advance.
Keep the accessorial record with the shipment
Receipts and approvals should be easy to find when accounting reviews the invoice. Explore CargoGuard's document capture workflow and book a demo to discuss your load-document process.