TONU is charged when a carrier dispatches a truck for a confirmed load and the load is cancelled or unavailable after dispatch. It compensates the carrier for deadhead miles driven to the pickup location and the revenue opportunity displaced when the truck was committed to this load.
The key timing factor: cancellations with 24–48 hours of notice typically do not trigger TONU because the carrier can reassign the truck. Cancellations after dispatch — particularly when the driver is en route or has already arrived — almost always do.
Three specific triggers generate TONU: cancellation after the carrier has committed the driver to the load; driver arrives and freight is unavailable (wrong location, not produced, facility closed); freight that materially differs from the booking description, making pickup impossible as tendered.
TONU disputes are common because shippers often believe their cancellation was early enough to avoid the charge while the carrier had already dispatched. Written, timestamped records of when cancellation notice was sent are the only reliable way to resolve these disputes.
Good communication is the primary defense: notify the carrier the moment a load becomes uncertain, not after the decision is made. For the full breakdown of when TONU applies and how to prevent it, see the TONU guide.