Freight dictionary
57 terms from bills of lading, rate cons and dispatch calls, explained the way our dispatchers explain them to new shippers.
- Accessorial chargesBILLING
Fees on top of the line-haul rate for extra work: liftgate, inside delivery, detention, lumper, residential stops. On our rate confirmations they're listed before you book.
- All-in rateRATES
One number that includes line haul and fuel surcharge. The rate a shipper is quoted and a carrier is paid, before any accessorials.
- AppointmentOPERATIONS
A fixed pickup or delivery time slot at a dock. Missing it can mean a reschedule fee or a truck waiting overnight.
- BackhaulCARRIERS
A load that takes a truck back toward its home base after a delivery. Backhauls are often cheaper because the truck is heading that way anyway.
- Bill of lading (BOL)DOCUMENTS
The shipping contract and receipt. It lists shipper, consignee, piece count, weight and freight class, and it's signed at pickup and delivery.
- Blind shipmentOPERATIONS
A shipment where the consignee doesn't see who the original shipper is. Common for resellers and drop-shipping.
- Chassis splitDRAYAGE
When a driver has to collect a chassis from an off-terminal pool before picking up the container. Usually billed as an extra $100–$175.
- ConsigneeDOCUMENTS
The person or company receiving the freight at delivery: the name on the "ship to" line of the BOL.
- Cross-dockOPERATIONS
Unloading freight from one truck and loading it straight onto another, with little or no storage in between.
- DeadheadCARRIERS
Miles a truck drives empty, usually to reach the next pickup. Carriers price long deadhead into the rate, so a load near the truck is often cheaper.
- DemurrageDRAYAGE
A daily fee the terminal or ocean carrier charges when a container stays at the port past its last free day.
- DetentionBILLING
Pay for the driver's time when loading or unloading runs past the free time, usually two hours. Billed per hour, and it needs in and out times on the BOL.
- Drop trailerOPERATIONS
The carrier leaves an empty trailer at the dock and picks it up loaded later, so nobody waits while it is loaded.
- Dry vanEQUIPMENT
An enclosed, unrefrigerated trailer, usually 53'. The standard for palletized freight that doesn't need temperature control.
- ELDCOMPLIANCE
Electronic logging device. It records a driver's hours of service automatically, and it's the reason a driver can't "just push through" a late load.
- Expedited freightOPERATIONS
A load that moves on the fastest possible schedule, often with team drivers or a dedicated truck, and priced higher for it.
- FlatbedEQUIPMENT
An open trailer loaded from the top or sides. Used for steel, lumber, machinery and anything too big or awkward for a van.
- Freight classLTL
A number from 50 to 500 that sets the LTL price per hundredweight. It depends on density, handling, stowability and liability.
- Fuel surchargeRATES
A charge that follows diesel prices, usually tied to the weekly DOE average. It sits on top of line haul unless the rate is all-in.
- Full truckload (FTL)OPERATIONS
One shipper uses the whole trailer. The truck goes straight from pickup to delivery with no stops for other freight.
- Guaranteed deliveryLTL
An LTL option where the carrier commits to a delivery date or time and refunds the premium if it misses.
- HazmatCOMPLIANCE
Hazardous materials regulated by the DOT. They need placards, a certified driver and the right paperwork, and not every carrier can haul them.
- Hot shotEQUIPMENT
A pickup truck pulling a small flatbed. Good for urgent, lighter loads that don't need a full tractor-trailer.
- Hours of service (HOS)COMPLIANCE
Federal limits on driving time: 11 hours of driving within a 14-hour window, then 10 hours off duty.
- Inside deliveryBILLING
The driver brings freight past the dock or front door into the building. It is an accessorial and has to be booked in advance.
- IntermodalOPERATIONS
A container that moves by rail for the long haul and by truck at each end. Slower than truckload, and usually cheaper on long lanes.
- Just-in-time (JIT)OPERATIONS
Deliveries timed to arrive right when a plant or store needs them, with little inventory on hand. Tight windows, little room for delay.
- KingpinEQUIPMENT
The steel pin under the front of a trailer that locks into the tractor's fifth wheel.
- Last free day (LFD)DRAYAGE
The last day a container can sit at the terminal without demurrage. After it, daily fees start.
- LayoverBILLING
Paid when a driver has to wait overnight because the load isn't ready or the receiver can't take it until the next day.
- Less than truckload (LTL)OPERATIONS
Freight that shares a trailer with other shippers. You pay for the space you use, priced by weight and freight class.
- LiftgateEQUIPMENT
A powered platform on the back of a truck that lowers freight to the ground where there is no dock. Billed as an accessorial.
- Line haulRATES
The base charge for moving freight from origin to destination, without fuel or accessorials.
- LumperBILLING
A third-party crew that unloads trucks at a warehouse or grocery DC. The lumper fee is paid at the dock and billed back with a receipt.
- MC numberCOMPLIANCE
The FMCSA operating authority number a carrier or broker needs to haul or arrange freight across state lines.
- Multi-stopOPERATIONS
One truckload with more than one pickup or delivery. Each extra stop usually adds a stop-off charge.
- NMFCLTL
National Motor Freight Classification: the code list that assigns an item to its LTL freight class.
- OS&DDOCUMENTS
Over, short and damaged. Noted on the delivery receipt when the count or condition doesn't match the BOL, and needed for any claim.
- Oversize loadCOMPLIANCE
Freight wider, taller or longer than legal limits. It needs state permits, set travel hours and sometimes escort vehicles.
- Pallet exchangeOPERATIONS
The driver swaps loaded pallets for the same number of empty ones at delivery. It has to be agreed before the load is booked.
- Per diemDRAYAGE
A daily fee for keeping a container or chassis outside the terminal past the free days. Different from demurrage, which runs inside the port.
- Power onlyCARRIERS
The carrier supplies the truck and driver and pulls the shipper's own trailer.
- Pre-pullDRAYAGE
Pulling a container out of the terminal early and storing it in a yard, to beat the last free day or a missed appointment.
- Rate confirmationDOCUMENTS
The agreement between broker and carrier for one load: rate, stops, times, equipment and accessorials. Signed before the truck is dispatched.
- ReeferEQUIPMENT
A refrigerated trailer that holds a set temperature, for produce, meat, pharma and anything that can spoil or freeze.
- Residential deliveryBILLING
A delivery to a home or a business without a dock. Carriers add a fee because it takes smaller trucks and more time.
- ShipperDOCUMENTS
The company sending the freight. The name on the "ship from" line of the BOL.
- Spot rateRATES
A one-time price for a load today, set by current truck supply. The opposite of a contract rate agreed for months ahead.
- Step deckEQUIPMENT
A flatbed with a lower rear deck, so taller freight fits under bridge height without an oversize permit.
- Team driversCARRIERS
Two drivers sharing one truck and taking turns, so the load keeps moving almost around the clock.
- TONUBILLING
Truck ordered, not used. A fee paid to the carrier when a load is cancelled after the truck is already on its way.
- Transit timeOPERATIONS
How long freight takes from pickup to delivery. For truckload it is roughly 500 miles per driving day.
- UN numberCOMPLIANCE
A four-digit code that identifies a hazardous material on shipping papers and placards.
- Volume LTLRATES
A quote for large LTL shipments, often six pallets or more, priced on space instead of class. Often cheaper than standard LTL.
- White gloveBILLING
Premium delivery with unpacking, assembly, placement and debris removal. Common for furniture, medical and retail fixtures.
- Yard moveOPERATIONS
Moving a trailer inside a shipper's yard, from a parking spot to a door or back. Often done by a yard jockey with a shunt truck.
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