TONU
Truck Order Not Used: a fee paid when a carrier dispatches for a load that's cancelled after the truck is already committed or en route.
TONU in Practice
It's a Flat Fee, Not a Rate
Unlike detention or layover, TONU is typically a single flat amount rather than something calculated by time or distance. The figure is usually set by the carrier's agreement with the broker or stated on the original rate confirmation.
Timing Determines Eligibility
A load cancelled the night before pickup with plenty of notice rarely qualifies, but one cancelled after the driver is dispatched, en route, or already at the shipper almost always does. The closer to pickup the cancellation happens, the stronger the claim.
Get It on the Rate Confirmation Early
Some carriers only pay TONU if the rate confirmation explicitly includes a cancellation clause. Confirming that language exists before rolling toward a pickup avoids a dispute later if the load falls through.
TONU: What It Means and Why It Matters
TONU protects a carrier from the cost of committing a truck to a load that falls through before it ever gets loaded. Once a driver has been dispatched, and especially once that truck is already en route or has arrived at the pickup, the carrier has turned down other freight and burned time and fuel getting there. A TONU fee is meant to cover that sunk cost, but like most accessorials it isn't automatic. It has to be documented and claimed, and the exact trigger point for when a cancellation qualifies varies by broker and carrier agreement.
How TONU Works
TONU applies when a broker or shipper cancels a load after a carrier has already committed to it, meaning the truck has been dispatched, is en route, or has arrived at the pickup location expecting to load. Because the carrier turned away other freight to cover that load and spent time and fuel getting into position, TONU compensates for that lost opportunity even though no freight actually moved.
The exact point at which a cancellation triggers TONU eligibility depends on the broker's policy and whatever the rate confirmation says. Some brokers only pay it if the truck has physically arrived at the shipper, while others honor it as soon as the driver has been dispatched and started toward the pickup, even if they haven't arrived yet.
A Practical Example
A driver is dispatched on a load with a 7:00 AM pickup and drives two hours to get there. Upon arrival, the shipper tells the driver the freight was cancelled overnight and no one notified the broker in time. The driver has burned fuel, time, and lost the chance to book another load for that slot.
If the carrier's TONU rate is $150, that amount gets billed to the broker separately from any linehaul revenue, since none was earned. Without a documented arrival time, such as a photo of the gate log or a check-in message to dispatch, the driver has little to point to if the broker questions whether the truck actually showed up.
Why TONU Matters for Owner-Operators
For an owner-operator, a cancelled load isn't just a missed payday, it's also a truck that sat idle during a window that could have gone to a different load, plus real fuel and time already spent getting there. TONU exists specifically to prevent brokers and shippers from cancelling freely with no cost, which keeps carriers willing to commit to loads in the first place.
Common TONU Mistakes
The most common mistake is not confirming the cancellation policy before accepting the load, then being surprised that a last-minute cancellation isn't covered because the rate confirmation never mentioned TONU at all. Reading that clause before committing the truck avoids the surprise.
The second mistake is not documenting the drive time or arrival before the cancellation happens. A dispatch message, a timestamped photo, or a mileage log showing the driver was genuinely en route or on site makes a TONU claim far harder for a broker to dispute.
Related Calculators
Related Dispatch Operations Terms
Carriers on TONU
“I drove ninety minutes to a shipper only to find out the load had been cancelled hours earlier and nobody called me. The TONU fee didn't cover the whole day, but it kept me from eating the loss entirely.”
“Now I always check that TONU language is on the rate confirmation before I commit to a load I haven't worked with that broker on before.”