Carrier finances · Accessorial charges

Detention & Layover Revenue Calculator

Enter your agreed free time, detention rate, billing increments and any separate layover or TONU terms. See the requested amount, cash actually collected and the cost of waiting.

Editable assumptions

Build your scenario

Type of event

Trip statusCancelled trips use only the TONU scenario below.Documented wait or disruption time (hours)Completed: facility dwell; cancellation: documented hours lost before release. This is used for delay cost in both cases.

Detention terms

Agreed free time (hours)Enter your actual contract free-time allowance. Detention rate ($/hour)From your rate confirmation or contract. Billing incrementRound excess wait up to the contract billing unit. Detention fee cap ($)Enter 0 for no cap. Cap applies only to detention.

Layover terms (only if separately authorized)

Billable layover nightsDo not infer nights from total hours; verify written authorization and eligibility. Layover charge per night ($)Contracted fee for each billable night.

Cash collection and cost impact

Actual fees collected ($)Cash received for the accessorials modeled here; not the whole linehaul invoice. Estimated wait cost ($/hour)Optional operating / opportunity-cost assumption. Use 0 if unknown; avoid double counting.

This tool estimates a contractual claim; it does not decide whether a shipment meets the contract's grace-period, appointment, notice, proof-of-delivery or approval conditions.

Fees and cost recovery

Estimated accessorial revenue

Requested accessorial charges—Calculated from your inputs; not guaranteed payment.

Chargeable wait / billed hours—

Detention requested—

Layover requested—

TONU requested—

Actually collected—

Still uncollected—

Modeled time / opportunity cost—

Collected less modeled waiting cost—

Recovery of requested fees—

The cost figure reflects only the hourly amount you enter and the total observed wait. It is not a complete load-profit estimate or an actual receivable ledger.

Calculation method

Separate time, entitlement and collection

Excess wait = max(0, total dwell − agreed free time). Billed hours round excess wait upward to the selected contractual increment. Detention requested = billed hours × agreed hourly rate, limited by any explicitly entered detention cap.

Layover is an independently authorized night-based amount, not an automatic consequence of long detention. TONU is calculated as a separate cancellation event. Changing event type prevents automatic stacking of detention, layover and TONU claims.

Outstanding is requested minus recorded collection. Net collected after modeled waiting cost is actual collection minus estimated hourly cost times total hours. Review accessorial terms, timestamps, confirmation emails and supporting evidence before sending a claim.

The FMCSA detention research examines why detention matters to safety and carrier operations. Research is not a uniform schedule of mandatory detention fees. The DOT Inspector General describes the broader economic impact of delayed loading and unloading.