Trucking terms
Trucking glossary
Plain-English definitions of the dispatch, freight and paperwork terms you'll hear from brokers, shippers and dispatchers. It's the same list we use to train our own dispatch team.
Who's involved in a load
- Shipper
- The company sending the freight. It loads the trailer and issues the bill of lading.
- Receiver (consignee)
- The company taking delivery. It unloads the freight and signs the proof of delivery.
- Broker
- A company with FMCSA broker authority that connects shippers with carriers, sets the rate with the carrier and pays the carrier for the load.
- Carrier and owner-operator
- The carrier is the company that hauls the freight. An owner-operator owns and drives their own truck, under their own authority or leased to another carrier.
- Dispatcher
- Works for the carrier, not the broker: finds and books loads, negotiates rates, handles broker paperwork and keeps the truck moving.
- Factoring company
- Buys your invoices and pays you quickly, minus a small fee, then collects from the broker. It's how many small carriers keep cash coming in.
- FMCSA
- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It registers carriers and brokers and enforces trucking safety rules.
Paperwork and documents
- Rate confirmation (rate con, RC)
- The broker's written agreement for a load: pickup and delivery details, the agreed rate, accessorials and payment terms. If anything changes, such as added detention, the broker issues a revised rate con.
- Bill of lading (BOL)
- The document the shipper gives the driver at pickup. It lists the freight, piece count and weight, and works as both a receipt and the contract for carrying the goods.
- Proof of delivery (POD)
- The bill of lading signed by the receiver at delivery, with the date and any shortages or damage noted. Brokers need it before they pay.
- Carrier packet
- The setup paperwork a broker needs before giving you a load, usually your operating authority, W-9, certificate of insurance and payment details. Some brokers use online portals, others a PDF.
- Carrier profile
- A one-page summary of your company, equipment, authority, insurance and contacts that a dispatcher shares with brokers to speed up setup.
- USDOT number
- A unique number FMCSA assigns to companies that run commercial vehicles in interstate commerce. Your safety record, inspections and registration are all tied to it.
- W-9
- The IRS form that gives a broker your legal business name and taxpayer ID so they can pay you and report the payments.
- Certificate of insurance (COI)
- Proof of your auto liability and cargo coverage, issued by your insurance agent. Most brokers want at least $1,000,000 in auto liability and $100,000 in cargo coverage.
- Notice of assignment (NOA)
- A letter from your factoring company telling brokers to send your load payments to the factor instead of to you.
- Voided check
- A check marked VOID that a broker uses to set up direct deposit to your bank account.
- Carrier invoice
- The bill you send the broker after delivery, with the rate con and POD attached. Complete, accurate invoices get paid faster.
Pay, fees and charges
- Detention
- Pay for waiting at a shipper or receiver past the free time, which is often two hours. It's usually paid per hour at the rate on your rate con.
- Layover
- Pay when a load can't be picked up or delivered as scheduled and you have to wait overnight or longer. Usually a flat daily amount.
- TONU (truck ordered, not used)
- A fee paid to the carrier when a load is canceled after the truck was dispatched or arrived at pickup.
- Lumper and lumper fee
- A lumper is a third-party crew that unloads freight at a warehouse. The driver often pays the fee up front and the broker reimburses it with the receipt.
- Deadhead
- Miles you drive empty, such as getting to a pickup. Deadhead usually isn't paid, so good dispatching keeps it low.
- Loaded miles
- Miles driven with paying freight on the truck. Rate per mile is usually figured on loaded miles.
- Fuel card
- A payment card for diesel and truck expenses that tracks spending and often comes with discounts at partner truck stops.
- D-rated broker
- A broker with a poor credit or payment grade from credit services or factoring companies. Loads from D-rated brokers carry a real risk of slow or missing payment.
- Trailer interchange insurance
- Covers damage to a trailer you don't own while it's in your care. Brokers usually require it for power only loads.
Trucks, trailers and gear
- Box truck (straight truck)
- A truck with the cargo box mounted on the same frame as the cab, usually 24 to 28 ft long. See box truck dispatch.
- Hotshot
- A heavy-duty pickup or medium-duty truck pulling a flatbed or gooseneck trailer for smaller, time-sensitive loads. See hotshot dispatch.
- Dry van
- An enclosed trailer, usually 53 ft, for freight that doesn't need temperature control. See dry van dispatch.
- Reefer
- A refrigerated trailer with its own cooling unit for produce, meat, dairy and frozen freight. See reefer dispatch.
- Flatbed
- An open trailer with a single deck about 5 ft high, loaded from the sides or top. See flatbed dispatch.
- Step deck (drop deck)
- An open trailer with a raised front section and a lower main deck, built for taller freight. See step deck dispatch.
- RGN (removable gooseneck)
- A heavy haul trailer whose front neck detaches so the deck drops to the ground and equipment can drive on. See heavy haul dispatch.
- Lowboy
- A trailer with a very low deck between the axles for tall, heavy machinery.
- Landoll
- A tilt-deck trailer, named after the company that popularized it. The deck tilts to the ground so equipment can be loaded without ramps.
- Power only
- The carrier supplies only the tractor and driver and pulls a trailer owned by someone else. See power only dispatch.
- Lift gate
- A powered platform at the back of a truck that lowers freight to the ground where there's no loading dock.
- Pallet jack
- A hand or electric jack for moving pallets inside the trailer. Some deliveries require the driver to bring one.
- Straps and chains
- Ratchet or winch straps and binder chains used to secure freight on open decks. Heavy steel and machinery usually need chains.
- Roll-up and swing doors
- Roll-up doors slide up into the roof and are common on box trucks. Swing doors open outward, are standard on most vans and reefers, and give you full door height.
- Day cab and sleeper
- A day cab has no bunk and suits local or regional runs. A sleeper cab has a bunk for multi-day trips.
- Air ride
- Suspension that rides on air bags instead of steel springs. Some shippers require air-ride trailers for fragile freight.
Freight and operations
- FTL and LTL
- Full truckload means one shipment fills or reserves the whole trailer. Less than truckload means several smaller shipments share a trailer.
- Dedicated lanes
- Regular runs between the same origins and destinations, often for the same shipper or broker. They trade some rate upside for steady, predictable freight.
- Solo and team drivers
- A solo driver runs alone within hours-of-service limits. A team splits the driving so the truck keeps moving, which suits time-critical freight.
- Hazmat
- Hazardous materials regulated by the DOT. Hauling placarded loads takes a hazmat endorsement on the driver's CDL plus extra insurance and paperwork.
Rules and limits
- Hours of service (HOS)
- FMCSA limits on driving time. Property-carrying drivers can drive up to 11 hours after 10 hours off duty, within a 14-hour on-duty window. They need a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving, and can't drive after 60 or 70 hours on duty in 7 or 8 days. In practice, a solo driver covers roughly 500 to 650 miles a day.
- CDL and non-CDL
- A commercial driver's license is required for a single vehicle rated at 26,001 lbs or more, for a combination rated at 26,001 lbs or more when the trailer is rated over 10,000 lbs, and for placarded hazmat. Many box trucks and lighter hotshot setups don't need one.
- Legal dimensions
- Without a permit, loads generally have to stay within 8 ft 6 in wide and 80,000 lbs gross on the interstate, and around 13 ft 6 in tall overall (some states allow more). On a flatbed that means freight up to about 8 ft 6 in tall, on a step deck about 10 ft, and on an RGN or lowboy about 11 ft 6 in.
- OD permit (oversize/overweight)
- A state permit for a load beyond legal size or weight, needed from every state on the route. The permit sets the route, travel hours and whether escorts or flags are required. Carriers apply through each state's DOT permit office or use a permit service.
- TWIC card
- The Transportation Worker Identification Credential from the TSA. You need one for unescorted access to secure areas of ports and some maritime facilities.
Let us handle the paperwork
Rate cons, carrier packets, invoices and detention claims are all part of our dispatch service. Call or text (302) 532-0356.