What is layover pay in trucking? When a delay costs you the day

A few hours at a dock is detention. A whole day lost is layover. Layover pay compensates a carrier when a delay it didn't cause holds the truck overnight or into the next day: a receiver pushes the delivery to tomorrow, a dock is closed when you arrive, or a permit only lets an oversize load move in a later window. This guide explains where detention ends and layover begins, what triggers layover, how it's quoted on the rate con, and the proof that gets it paid.

The timeline below spans two days. Under EXAMPLE rate con terms, detention runs after free time up to a daily cap, and a truck held overnight earns a layover. Change the times and terms to match your rate con.

Layover vs detention: the day boundary

Detention and layover pay for the same thing, time the truck can't use, but they measure it differently.

• Detention is hourly, for waiting at a facility past the free time. Many rate cons cap it per day.
• Layover is daily, for a delay that costs the truck a day or a night. It's usually a flat amount per day.

The switch point is the most important line to read on the rate con. Some rate cons start layover when the truck is held past midnight; some when detention reaches its daily cap; some only when the appointment is moved to another day. Some pay detention and layover on the same day; others pay one or the other. If the rate con doesn't say, ask before you accept, because it's the difference between being paid for the night and not.

What triggers layover

Layover is owed when the delay comes from the other side of the load, not the carrier:

• The receiver reschedules: the truck arrives on time, and the delivery is pushed to the next day.
• The freight isn't ready: the shipper can't load until tomorrow.
• The dock is closed: the facility closed early, or is closed on a day the load was scheduled.
• Permit and travel windows: oversize loads often can only move in daylight or outside certain hours, so a late release can mean waiting for the next window.
• Broker or shipper changes: the load is held while someone sorts out paperwork or a delivery address.

A carrier that misses its own appointment, breaks down or runs out of hours usually can't claim layover, because the delay is its own.

How layover is quoted on the rate con

Layover usually appears as a flat amount per day or per night, sometimes with conditions: the delay must exceed a number of hours, notice must be given, or the first day is unpaid. Some contracts quote it per 24-hour period rather than per calendar day. Write down exactly what the rate con says, because the claim is judged against that wording. The accessorial charges calculator adds layover to detention and the other lines on a load, so you can see the whole picture before you accept.

Layover and oversize loads

Oversize carriers meet layover more often than anyone. Permits set travel times, escorts have to line up, some routes close at night or on weekends, and a late load-out can push the next legal travel window to the next morning. That's why oversize rate cons often spell out layover in detail, and why it pays to read every condition before you book. A load that looks good at its linehaul can lose its margin to two unpaid nights.

What proves layover

The proof has to show two things: that the truck was held, and that the delay wasn't the carrier's fault.

1. The appointment: the original date and time, from the rate con or the facility's confirmation.
2. Arrival on time: check-in time on a gate slip, the facility's system or the BOL.
3. The delay in writing: a message from the facility or broker that the load is rescheduled, the dock is closed or the freight isn't ready.
4. Your notice: a message to the broker as soon as you learn of the delay, asking for layover under the rate con.
5. The release: when you were finally loaded, unloaded or released.

Send all of it with the invoice. A layover claim without the reason for the delay in writing is easy to refuse.

A worked example

The amounts are EXAMPLE terms. What matters is the record: on-time arrival, the delay in writing, notice to the broker, and the release time.

Layover for company drivers

For a company driver, layover pay is a question about the carrier's pay policy, not the rate con. Some carriers pass a daily layover amount to the driver when a load is held; others pay by the hour on duty; some pay nothing for the first day. Ask before you take a job, and check whether the policy pays when the delay is the shipper's fault, the broker's, or any delay at all. A carrier that collects layover from brokers and passes part of it to drivers usually keeps better drivers.

Lumpers and layovers

Some layovers start at the dock when a lumper crew isn't available until the next day. The lumper fee is still a separate charge, usually reimbursed, while the lost day may count as layover under the rate con. Our guides to the lumper and to lumper fees explain how lumper charges are paid and reimbursed.

When the load is cancelled instead

If the delay ends with the load cancelled rather than moved, a different accessorial applies: truck order not used. Our guide to TONU in trucking explains when it's owed and how much it usually involves. Layover, detention and TONU are all covered together in our guide to accessorial charges in freight.

How our desk handles it

Days are the hardest thing to get back in trucking. Our oversize dispatch desk, like every desk here, puts layover terms on the rate con before you book, sends the notice the moment a delay starts, and files the claim with proof. You approve every load. Send an application.