Last updated: 2026-03-18 – Originally published
Quick Answer: TONU stands for Truck Order Not Used. It’s a fee carriers charge when a truck is dispatched to a pickup, but the load gets canceled, isn’t ready, or doesn’t exist. Standard TONU fees run $150 to $300 for dry vans and $500 or more for specialized equipment. If your rate confirmation includes a TONU clause, you’re owed that money whether the broker likes it or not.
You drove 90 miles to a shipper’s dock. Nobody’s there. The load was canceled two hours ago, and nobody bothered to call.
That dead run just cost you fuel, a missed load opportunity, and half a day. The trucking industry calls this a TONU (Truck Order Not Used), and it happens more often than most owner-operators and fleet carriers want to admit. The American Transportation Research Institute’s 2025 report puts the average cost of operating a truck at $2.27 per mile. Even a short dead run burns real money.
In this post, we cover what TONU means in trucking, typical fee ranges by equipment type, and who actually pays. We also walk through the contract language that protects carriers and what to do when a TONU fee goes unpaid.
In This Post
- What Does TONU Mean in Trucking?
- What Triggers a Truck Order Not Used Charge?
- How Much Does a TONU Fee Cost?
- Who Pays the TONU: Shipper, Broker, or Carrier?
- How Do You Protect Yourself with Rate Confirmation Language?
- What Happens When a Carrier’s Fee Goes Unpaid?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Stop Chasing Unpaid TONU Fees on Your Own
What Does TONU Mean in Trucking?
TONU stands for Truck Order Not Used. A carrier earns this fee when a broker or shipper books a truck, the driver heads to the pickup, and the load falls through. The carrier committed time, fuel, and capacity. The fee compensates for what they lost.
Think of it like a cancellation fee at a hotel. You booked the room. The hotel held it for you and turned away other guests. If you are a no-show, you still pay. The same principle applies when a shipper books a truck and then pulls the load.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) doesn’t regulate these fees directly. TONU in trucking is strictly a contract matter between the carrier and the broker (or shipper).
That’s exactly why the language in your rate confirmation matters so much. Without a written TONU clause, collecting becomes an argument instead of an invoice.
What Triggers a Truck Order Not Used Charge?
A Truck Order Not Used charge kicks in whenever a carrier dispatches and the load doesn’t materialize. The result is always the same: a truck committed to freight that never moved. Five triggers account for most cases.
- Shipper cancels after dispatch: The most common trigger. The load gets pulled after the carrier assigned a driver.
- Load not ready at pickup: The driver arrives on time and the freight isn’t staged. We’ve seen carriers wait four hours only to get sent home empty.
- Wrong equipment ordered: The broker booked a dry van but the load needs a reefer or step deck. The carrier can’t haul it.
- Duplicate booking: Two carriers get dispatched to one load. Second truck gets nothing but a wasted trip.
- Facility closed or inaccessible: The dock is shut down, the appointment was wrong, or weather closed the site.
Every scenario shares one thing: the carrier held capacity that someone else wasted. The question now is how much that costs.
How Much Does a TONU Fee Cost?
Standard TONU fees range from $150 to $300 for dry van loads, with $250 being the most common flat rate. Specialized equipment like reefers and flatbeds costs $300 to $500 or more because the opportunity cost and idle expense are higher.
| Equipment Type | Typical TONU Fee | Why It Costs More |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Van | $150 to $300 | Most common, highest equipment availability |
| Reefer | $300 to $500 | Fuel for the refrigeration unit burns even while waiting |
| Flatbed | $300 to $500 | Limited availability, specialized securement gear |
| Heavy Haul / Oversized | $500+ | Permit costs, escort vehicles, and route planning already incurred |
Some carriers charge a flat rate. Others use loaded miles or 25% to 50% of the line haul rate. No industry standard exists, so your rate confirmation needs the exact amount.
Did You Know: At $2.27 per mile in operating costs and $0.584 per mile in fuel alone, a 100-mile dead run costs roughly $227 before the missed load. ATRI 2025 Report
The fee is just the floor, though. The real cost includes the load you turned down.
Who Pays the TONU: Shipper, Broker, or Carrier?
The party responsible for the cancellation pays the TONU fee. If the shipper pulled the load, the shipper owes. If the broker dispatched the wrong equipment or double-booked, the broker pays.
When the carrier shows up late and misses the window, nobody owes a TONU. The carrier caused the failure.
That’s the simple version. Reality gets messier.
Brokers often push back on TONU charges, even legitimate ones. We’ve seen every excuse. “The shipper won’t reimburse us.” “TONU wasn’t in our system.” “We’ll make it up on the next load.”
None of those changes the contractual obligation. If the rate confirmation includes a TONU clause and the load was canceled after dispatch, the fee is owed.
The tricky part is that many carriers work off verbal agreements or rate confirmations that don’t mention TONU at all. Without written terms, collecting turns into a he-said-she-said dispute.
That’s avoidable. Strong contract language prevents most payment fights before they start.
How Do You Protect Yourself with Rate Confirmation Language?
Your rate confirmation is the single most important document for TONU protection. If the fee amount, trigger conditions, and payment timeline aren’t written into that document before dispatch, collecting gets significantly harder. Build the clause in before you roll, not after you get burned.
A strong clause covers four things:
- Fee amount: State the exact dollar figure. “$250 flat fee” beats “reasonable compensation.”
- Trigger events: Cancellation after dispatch, load not ready, facility closed, or wrong equipment.
- Documentation: GPS-stamped arrival time, written cancellation notice, dock photos.
- Payment timeline: “Payable within 15 business days” gives you a clear deadline.
Pro Tip: Always confirm the clause appears on the broker’s rate confirmation, too. If their document doesn’t match yours, flag it before you dispatch.
Documentation wins disputes. Capture GPS timestamps, photograph the dock, and get written cancellation confirmation. Verbal cancellations are hard to prove 30 days later. With solid paperwork, most fees get paid without a fight. But not all of them.
What Happens When a Carrier’s Fee Goes Unpaid?
When a carrier’s TONU invoice goes unpaid, recovery starts with direct contact to the broker’s accounting department. From there, it escalates to FMCSA complaints, public rating posts, or a freight collections agency. The key is acting within 90 days before recovery rates drop.
Start by calling the broker’s accounting team (not your load contact) and referencing the rate confirmation, TONU clause, and your documentation.
If that fails, you have three options:
- File a complaint with the FMCSA: The National Consumer Complaint Database creates a regulatory paper trail.
- Post to carrier rating platforms: A public record of non-payment on sites like FreightCheckers gets attention fast.
- Turn it over to a transportation collections agency: A freight-focused agency recovers cancellation fees, invoices, and short pays that general collectors can’t.
After 90 days, recovery rates drop fast. Don’t let unpaid fees age out. The steps before sending an invoice to collections are worth reviewing now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a TONU fee legally enforceable?
Yes, if it’s written into the rate confirmation or broker-carrier agreement. These charges are a contract matter, not an FMCSA regulation. The enforceability depends entirely on your documentation. A signed rate confirmation with a clear TONU clause is a binding agreement between two parties.
Can a broker refuse to pay a TONU?
A broker can dispute a TONU, but they can’t refuse to honor a signed contract. If the rate confirmation includes a TONU clause and the event occurred, the broker owes the fee. Common pushback includes claiming the cancellation came before dispatch or that the driver arrived late. Solid documentation shuts down most disputes.
What’s the difference between TONU and detention pay?
TONU applies when a load is canceled or doesn’t exist. The truck never gets loaded. Detention pay applies when loading or unloading takes longer than the agreed free time, usually two hours. They’re separate charges that can’t overlap. If you waited three hours and the load shipped, that’s detention. If the load was gone, that’s TONU.
How long do I have to invoice a TONU fee?
Most broker-carrier agreements don’t specify a TONU invoicing deadline. Standard industry practice is to send the invoice within 7 to 14 days. The sooner you invoice, the easier collection becomes. After 90 days, your leverage drops and disputes become more likely.
Stop Chasing Unpaid TONU Fees on Your Own
Alexander, Winton & Associates has collected unpaid freight invoices and TONU fees for carriers across the U.S. and Canada for over two decades. We work on contingency. If we don’t collect, you don’t pay.
Every unpaid TONU fee you’re sitting on is money that belongs in your account. Don’t let it gather dust in a broker’s dispute folder.
Alexander, Winton & Associates Inc.
8804 Caroma St, Suite 160, Olive Branch, MS 38654
662.892.8591 | Mon-Thu 8 am-5 pm, Fri 8 am-4 pm CST
Submit your unpaid TONU claim today and let our transportation collections team go to work for you.