Layover
A layover is the charge when a driver is held overnight, or into the next day, because the shipper or receiver is not ready for the truck.
Last updated 11 October 2026.
A driver who cannot make the next pickup because this dock slipped a day has lost that day. The layover pays for the time, the truck, and often the night.
The amount is not a national rule. It is the figure on the rate confirmation, or the carrier rule you accepted when you booked the truck. If it was never written down, the invoice is a negotiation you are having too late.
Hours past free time, on a dock that still loads the same day, are detention. A hold that pushes the driver into the next calendar day is the layover. Some rate cons name the point where one stops and the other starts. Read that sentence before you approve the bill.
If the shipper caused the hold, you may pass the layover through. If the carrier missed the appointment and then sat, that pass-through is harder to defend. The load note should say who slipped, and when the driver was told to wait.
FreightScout does not invent a layover amount. The exception and the rate confirmation stay on the load, and a person approves the charge. How FreightScout handles billing.
Questions people actually ask
What has to be written down before you pay a layover?
The amount, or the rule you already accepted when you booked the truck. A number that shows up for the first time on the invoice is a dispute, not an agreed charge.
When can you pass a layover through to the shipper?
When the shipper caused the hold and your agreement with them says so. Write who slipped, and when, on the load before you pass it through.