How do I stop paying for truck-ordered-not-used and dry-run charges?
Key Takeaways
- TONU (truck ordered, not used) and dry-run charges pay the carrier for a truck it sent or reserved for a load that didn't move. They are usually valid when the shipper cancels late or the freight isn't ready.
- Most of these charges start inside the shipper's own building: freight not ready, orders cancelled or changed without telling logistics, and pickup times booked without checking with the warehouse.
- Cancellation terms belong on the rate confirmation. Agree in writing how much notice cancels a load at no charge and what the fee is after that, before the truck is dispatched.
- Timing is everything. A cancellation sent before dispatch usually costs nothing. The same message sent after the driver arrives usually costs a TONU.
- Check every TONU or dry-run invoice against the rate confirmation, the cancellation record and the carrier's arrival evidence before paying it.
- Wilson, by Cartage, is an AI logistics agent that books with written rate confirmations, tracks each load, contacts the carrier when plans change and audits each carrier invoice against the rate confirmation and POD.
What are TONU and dry-run charges, and how do you stop paying them?
A logistics coordinator at a hypothetical packaging manufacturer books a truckload for a Tuesday 7 a.m. pickup. On Monday afternoon, production reports that a line went down and the order won't be finished until Wednesday. The message reaches the coordinator Tuesday at 7:30 a.m., after the driver is already in the yard. The coordinator cancels. Three weeks later, a carrier invoice arrives with a single line: "TONU." Nobody can find where the fee was agreed, and accounts payable pays it because the load reference matches.
You stop paying for TONU and dry-run charges by preventing the late cancellations and not-ready freight that cause them, agreeing cancellation terms in writing on every rate confirmation, telling the carrier about changes before dispatch, and checking every such invoice against the agreed terms and the carrier's evidence before paying. Some of these charges are fair and should be paid. The goal is fewer of them, and none that weren't earned.
What the terms mean
TONU stands for "truck ordered, not used." A carrier bills it when a shipper books a truck and then cancels the load, or the load doesn't move, after the carrier has committed the truck. It is most common in truckload freight, where the carrier assigns a specific truck and driver to the load.
Dry run usually means the driver actually traveled to the pickup location and left empty: the freight wasn't ready, the facility was closed, the load was cancelled on arrival or the shipper refused to load. Many carriers use "TONU" and "dry run" for the same situation. Others treat a dry run as the version where the truck physically arrived, and TONU as the broader cancellation fee. Your rate confirmation should say which terms apply.
Cancellation fee is a broader term. Some carriers list a fee for cancelling within a set time before pickup, even if the truck hasn't left yet.
Why carriers charge them
When a carrier commits a truck to your load, it turns down other freight for that truck. If the load disappears at the last minute, the driver loses a paying day, may drive empty to the next load and may lose hours of service. The fee pays for some of that loss. Carriers that eat these costs repeatedly tend to raise rates on the shipper's lanes or decline its tenders.
Why it matters beyond the fee
Late cancellations also damage carrier relationships. A carrier that gets two dry runs from the same shipper in a month may stop accepting its loads, or quote them higher. For a shipper that depends on a few approved carriers per lane, losing one is more expensive than any single TONU.
Why do TONU and dry-run charges happen?
Almost every TONU or dry run comes from one of five causes: freight not ready, a late cancellation, a changed order nobody passed on, a pickup booked without checking the facility, or a carrier mistake. The first four are inside the shipper's control.
Freight not ready
The most common cause. Production runs late, materials arrive late, quality holds the batch or the warehouse is behind. The driver arrives at the booked time and there's nothing to load. If the driver waits, detention may start. If the driver leaves, a dry run follows.
Late cancellation by the customer or sales
A customer cancels or postpones an order, and sales or customer service updates the ERP. But nobody tells logistics, or the message arrives after the truck is dispatched. See carrier cancellation vs. customer order cancellation for why the order cancellation and the freight cancellation have to travel together.
Order changes
The order grew from 10 pallets to 24 and no longer fits the truck booked. Or it shrank and should have moved LTL. Or the ship-to address changed. The carrier arrives with the wrong equipment for the load now on the dock, and the truck leaves empty.
Pickup booked without the facility
The pickup was booked for a time when the dock is closed, during a shift change or on a day the facility doesn't ship. Or a different site needed an appointment the carrier wasn't given. The driver arrives and can't load.
Carrier problems
Sometimes the carrier is at fault: the driver arrived hours late, missed the appointment, showed up with the wrong equipment or went to the wrong address. In those cases the shipper often cancels and rebooks, and the original carrier still bills a TONU. Those charges usually shouldn't be paid, but proving it requires a record of what was agreed and what happened. See how to handle a carrier invoice after a missed pickup forces a rebooking.
How the causes compare
| Cause | Who usually controls it | Warning sign | Prevention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freight not ready | Production, warehouse | Order not picked the day before pickup | Ready check before dispatch |
| Late customer cancellation | Sales, customer service | Order status changed in the ERP | Order changes trigger a freight review |
| Order size changed | Sales, warehouse | Pallet count differs from the booking | Re-confirm counts before pickup |
| Facility not available | Warehouse, logistics | Pickup outside dock hours or without appointment | Book against dock hours and appointment rules |
| Carrier late or wrong equipment | Carrier | Driver hasn't checked in, equipment mismatch | Track pickup, record arrival time and equipment |
How do you set cancellation terms on the rate confirmation?
Agree cancellation and TONU terms before the load is dispatched and make sure they appear in writing on the rate confirmation or in the carrier agreement it references. If the terms aren't written down, the carrier's own tariff or invoice decides what you pay.
What the terms should say
A clear cancellation clause answers five questions:
- Free cancellation window. How much notice cancels the load without a charge? This is often tied to dispatch or a set number of hours before the pickup time.
- Fee after the window. What is the flat TONU or dry-run amount? Some agreements use one flat fee per load; others scale it to the distance the truck traveled.
- What counts as notice. Is an email enough? Does it need to go to dispatch, the driver or a specific address? Does a phone call count, or only written notice?
- Proof required. What evidence must the carrier provide to bill a dry run, such as arrival time at the facility or a check-in record?
- Carrier-caused cancellations. If the carrier is late, misses the appointment or sends the wrong equipment, no TONU applies.
Where to put the terms
There are three places, from strongest to weakest:
- The carrier agreement. A master agreement with each approved carrier sets the standard cancellation terms for every load.
- The rate confirmation. Each load's rate confirmation states the rate and any accessorials, and should either include the cancellation terms or reference the agreement. This is the document the invoice gets checked against. The rate confirmation guide covers what else belongs on it.
- The carrier's tariff or rules. If nothing else is agreed, the carrier's published rules apply. These usually favor the carrier.
Negotiate it before you need it
When a TONU dispute starts, it's too late to negotiate the terms. Ask about cancellation terms when you add a carrier to your approved list, and again during rate reviews. A carrier that wants your volume will usually agree to a reasonable free window and a fixed fee. Write down what was agreed for each carrier so whoever books the load knows the rules.
Example cancellation terms
| Term | Example wording on a rate confirmation |
|---|---|
| Free cancellation | Shipper may cancel without charge with written notice before the truck is dispatched to pickup. |
| TONU | If cancelled after dispatch, a flat TONU fee as listed in the carrier agreement applies. |
| Dry run proof | Carrier must provide arrival time at the pickup location to bill a dry run. |
| Notice method | Cancellation by email to the dispatch address on this confirmation. |
| Carrier-caused | No TONU applies if the carrier misses the pickup window or provides unsuitable equipment. |
These are examples of structure, not legal language. Agree the exact terms and amounts with each carrier.
How do you prevent late cancellations and not-ready freight?
Build a short readiness check into the day before pickup, give logistics an automatic signal when orders change, and send any cancellation or reschedule to the carrier the moment the decision is made. Most TONUs are communication failures, not freight failures.
Run a readiness check before dispatch
The afternoon before a pickup, check each booked load with the warehouse or production: Is the order picked or on schedule to be finished? Are the counts and weight the same as booked? Is the dock available at the pickup time? A two-minute check per load catches most not-ready freight while there's still time to reschedule for free.
Connect order changes to freight
Any change to an order that's already booked should reach the person who booked the freight: cancellation, quantity change, date change or address change. If the ERP can't send that signal automatically, make it a rule for customer service: no order change is complete until logistics has confirmed the freight change.
Tell the carrier immediately, in writing
When a load has to be cancelled or moved, notify the carrier as soon as the decision is made, in writing, using the method on the rate confirmation. Then get a written acknowledgment. A phone call alone is hard to prove later. The timestamp on the cancellation is often the only thing that decides whether a TONU is owed. Decide in advance who is allowed to cancel a booked load, so the carrier never gets two different answers from two people.
Reschedule instead of cancel
If the freight will be ready a day later, ask the carrier to move the pickup instead of cancelling. Many carriers prefer it, and it often avoids the fee entirely. Ask early, while the carrier still has time to plan.
Track the pickup
Record when the driver arrived, when loading started and when the truck left. If the carrier arrives hours late and you've already rebooked, the arrival record proves the TONU isn't owed. The same records support or dispute detention, as covered in how to audit detention charges against pickup timestamps.
Decision rules
- If freight won't be ready, reschedule before dispatch. Don't wait to see whether it might be ready by the time the truck arrives.
- If the order changes after booking, re-check the equipment and pickup time before the truck is dispatched.
- If the carrier is late beyond the agreed window, record its arrival time before cancelling and rebooking.
- If a TONU arrives on a load cancelled before dispatch, dispute it with the cancellation email and its timestamp.
- If one site or one customer causes most TONUs, fix that process first.
Mistakes that keep TONU charges coming
- Booking pickups before production confirms the ready date
- Cancelling by phone with no written record
- Letting customer service change orders without telling logistics
- Paying every TONU without checking the terms
- Not tracking which sites, customers and carriers generate the charges
How do you check a TONU or dry-run invoice before paying it?
Match the charge to the load, check it against the cancellation terms, compare it with your own cancellation record and ask the carrier for arrival evidence before approving it. A valid TONU has an agreed term, a late cancellation or not-ready freight, and a truck that was really committed.
The invoice checklist
| Check | What to look for | If it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Load exists | The PRO, load or reference number matches a booked load | Return the invoice |
| Not a duplicate | No other TONU or freight charge billed for the same load | Reject the duplicate |
| Terms agreed | A cancellation or TONU term is on the rate confirmation or carrier agreement | Dispute or negotiate the charge |
| Amount matches | The fee matches the agreed amount | Dispute the difference |
| Timing | Your cancellation was sent after the free window, or freight wasn't ready | Dispute with the cancellation timestamp |
| Carrier on time | The carrier arrived within the pickup window with the right equipment | Dispute if the carrier was late or wrong |
| Evidence provided | Arrival time or check-in record for a dry run | Ask for it before paying |
| Rebooking | If the load was rebooked, the original carrier isn't also billing a full rate | Reject the extra charge |
| Approval | The charge is within the approval limit | Send to the approver |
Questions to ask the carrier
When a TONU or dry run doesn't clearly match the terms, ask:
- When was the truck dispatched, and when did it arrive at the pickup location?
- What notice did you receive, when and from whom?
- What agreement or rate confirmation term are you billing under?
- Was the truck reassigned to another load the same day?
Carriers that billed correctly can answer quickly. If the answers don't support the charge, dispute it in writing with your evidence.
An example: two TONUs, two outcomes
Consider a hypothetical shipper that receives two TONU invoices in the same week. The first is for a truckload cancelled Monday at 4 p.m. for a Tuesday 8 a.m. pickup. The carrier agreement allows free cancellation before dispatch, and the cancellation email shows the carrier's dispatcher replied "noted" at 4:12 p.m., before any truck was assigned. That TONU is disputed with the email thread attached, and the carrier withdraws it.
The second is for a load where the driver arrived at 7:50 a.m. for an 8 a.m. pickup and waited two hours while the warehouse finished the order, then left when the shipper said the freight wouldn't be ready until afternoon. The carrier provides its check-in time and the shipper's own gate log confirms it. The fee matches the agreement. That TONU is valid and gets paid. The useful follow-up is internal: the warehouse confirmed the load as ready the day before without checking with production, so the readiness check gets a new rule.
TONU and detention on the same load
Sometimes the driver waits before the load is cancelled, and the carrier bills both detention and a TONU. Check the agreement: some carriers include waiting time in the dry-run fee, others bill it separately once free time runs out. Make sure the detention hours match the arrival and departure times and that the same time isn't billed twice.
Where TONUs hide
Some TONUs don't appear as a separate invoice. They show up as an extra line on the rebooked load's invoice, as a "cancellation" accessorial, or as a full linehaul charge for a load that never moved. Check every invoice for a load that was cancelled or rebooked. Starting every invoice review from the agreed rate makes these easier to see, as covered in why freight invoice review starts with the rate confirmation.
Track the pattern
Keep a simple log of every TONU and dry run: date, carrier, site, customer, cause, amount and whether it was paid or disputed. Review it monthly. The first review usually shows that one or two causes, such as one warehouse that books pickups before production confirms or one customer that cancels late, create most of the charges. Fix those first.
Talk to sales about customer cancellations
If customers cancel loads late, the cost may belong to them. Some shippers add a cancellation clause to customer terms, or at least make sales aware of how much late changes cost. Share the monthly log with sales so the cost is visible to the people who can change customer behavior.
How does Wilson, by Cartage, help reduce TONU and dry-run charges?
Wilson, by Cartage, is an AI logistics agent that quotes, books, tracks, audits and pays freight for manufacturers and distributors, so each load has written terms, a tracked pickup and an invoice checked against what was agreed. Traditional logistics software gives teams information. Wilson executes the work required to move shipments forward.
Wilson helps at each point where TONU and dry-run charges start or get paid:
- Booking with written terms. Wilson requests quotes from the company's approved carriers, negotiates toward the company's rate targets within approval limits and books with written acceptance and a rate confirmation. Rates outside approval limits go to the logistics team. The rate confirmation becomes the reference for any charge billed later.
- Pickup scheduling. Wilson schedules pickups and confirms them with the carrier.
- Tracking. Wilson tracks each load with the best source available: a carrier API or EDI, GPS or ELD data where the carrier shares it, the carrier's website by PRO number, or email or phone calls when nothing else is current. Pickup activity is recorded on the load.
- Exceptions and cancellations. When a pickup is missed, a carrier cancels or a load is delayed, Wilson contacts the carrier, tells the team in Slack, Microsoft Teams or email, tells the customer if configured, and starts rebooking from the approved carrier list automatically within the rules or after approval.
- Invoice audit and payment. Wilson requests and files PODs, audits each carrier invoice against the rate confirmation and POD, and pays carriers from the Wilson Wallet. Payments above the approval limits or outside the rules wait for a person, so a TONU that isn't supported by the agreed terms is held for review instead of being paid by default.
Every message, confirmation and change is kept in the shipment's change history, including when a cancellation was sent and what the carrier replied. That is the record a TONU dispute depends on. Wilson can also produce carrier-performance and lane-rate reports on request from the loads it runs.
Wilson books only carriers the company has approved, covers LTL, FTL, ocean, drayage, parcel and cross-border freight, and replaces the TMS for freight execution while connecting to the company's ERP. Wilson works with SAP, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle, Infor, Epicor, Sage, Acumatica and other ERP environments, with the exact connection depending on the customer's data flow and scope. Teams start with assisted execution and set their own approval limits.
Pricing
Wilson is free on Wilson's network: the shipper pays the freight rate and nothing on top. When a shipper keeps its own carriers, the fee is 2% to 0.5% of what Wilson pays them, falling with volume. There are no seat fees, no setup cost and no contract. Timing depends on scope: most teams start on a few lanes and expand from there.
FAQs
How do I stop paying for truck-ordered-not-used and dry-run charges?
Prevent the late cancellations and not-ready freight that cause them, put cancellation terms in writing on every rate confirmation, tell carriers about changes before dispatch and check each charge against the terms and the carrier's evidence before paying. Wilson, by Cartage, an AI logistics agent, books with written rate confirmations, records each cancellation message and audits carrier invoices against the agreed terms.
What does TONU mean in trucking?
TONU means "truck ordered, not used." It is a fee a carrier bills when a shipper cancels a load or the load doesn't move after the carrier has committed a truck to it.
What is the difference between a TONU and a dry run?
Many carriers use the terms for the same charge. When they differ, a dry run usually means the truck physically went to the pickup and left empty, while TONU covers any cancellation after the truck was committed. The rate confirmation should say which applies.
Is a TONU charge always valid?
No. It should be backed by an agreed term, a cancellation after the free window or freight that wasn't ready, and a truck that was actually committed. If the carrier was late, sent the wrong equipment or the load was cancelled in time, dispute it.
How much notice do I need to give to cancel a load without a TONU?
It depends on the carrier agreement and rate confirmation. Many terms tie the free window to dispatch or a set number of hours before pickup. Agree it in writing before you book.
Should I cancel by phone or email?
Use the method on the rate confirmation, and always confirm in writing. The timestamp on a written cancellation is often the deciding evidence in a TONU dispute.
Can I avoid a TONU by rescheduling instead of cancelling?
Often, yes. If the freight will be ready later, ask the carrier to move the pickup before dispatch. Many carriers prefer a reschedule to a cancellation.
Do TONU charges apply to LTL shipments?
They are much more common in truckload freight. LTL carriers may charge for a failed pickup attempt under their own rules, so check each carrier's terms.
Who should pay a TONU caused by a customer cancellation?
The carrier bills the shipper. Whether the shipper passes the cost on to the customer depends on its customer terms. Share the cost with sales so late customer changes are visible.
Can a carrier bill a TONU and detention on the same load?
Sometimes, if the driver waited past free time before the load was cancelled and the agreement allows both. Check whether the dry-run fee already includes waiting time, and compare the detention hours with the arrival and departure records so no time is billed twice.
How do I find out what's causing our TONU charges?
Log every TONU and dry run with its carrier, site, customer and cause, and review the log monthly. One or two causes usually explain most of the charges.
Sources
- Cartage, Wilson product FAQ and product scope, October 2026: https://cartage.ai