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Layover
A layover is a truck and driver held until the next day because a shipper or receiver could not load or unload them in time. Carriers charge a flat amount for each day of layover, separate from hourly detention. FEMA's 2026 freight tariff pays up to USD 550 a day, and never pays both for the same wait.
Layover and detention
| Detention | Layover | |
|---|---|---|
| What it pays for | Waiting beyond free time at the dock | A truck held over until the next working day |
| How it is charged | By the hour, up to USD 135, at most USD 550 in 24 hours | By the day, up to USD 550 |
| Both at once? | No — detention is not combined with layover | No |
When it applies
FEMA's tariff applies layover when loading or unloading is delayed beyond the two hours of free time and then runs outside the site's operating hours, so the tractor and trailer must stay until operations resume — through no fault of the carrier. At a site that works round the clock, the tariff says, layover cannot occur; the wait is detention.
Worked example: the same wait, two kinds of site
FEMA's tariff works one through. A truck arrives at 08:00 on Wednesday and is unloaded at 13:00 on Thursday at a site running 24 hours a day, so the wait is detention, not layover: two hours free, the next 24 hours capped at USD 550, and three more hours at USD 135.
Round-the-clock site: 2 hours free + USD 550 (24-hour cap) + 3 × USD 135 = USD 955 of detentionHad the receiver closed for the night with the truck still waiting, the overnight hold would be a layover instead — up to USD 550 for the day — and not detention on top of it.
Who pays
The party that caused the delay, under the carrier's tariff or contract — usually the shipper or receiver that could not load or unload in time. FEMA's tariff pays layover only when the delay is no fault of the carrier.
The mistake people make
Billing, or paying, detention and layover for the same wait. FEMA's tariff says detention charges will not be combined with layover charges; check that an invoice does not count the same hours twice.
FAQ
Layover: common questions
- What is a layover in trucking?
- A truck and driver held over to the next day because loading or unloading could not be finished during the site's working hours. The carrier charges a flat amount per day.
- What is the difference between layover and detention?
- Detention pays for waiting at the dock beyond free time, by the hour. Layover pays for being held over to the next day, by the day. FEMA's tariff never pays both for the same wait.
- How much is a layover charge?
- Each carrier's tariff sets its own. FEMA's freight tariff, effective 1 July 2026, pays up to USD 550 for each day of layover.