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The words that cost you money
Plain definitions of the freight terms that actually decide whether a load pays. No fluff, and no definitions written by somebody who has never been told to go find another truck. 52 terms.
Rates and cost
Rate confirmationRate conThe document that sets what you are being paid for a load, and on what terms.Cost per mileCPMWhat it costs you to turn one mile, once every expense is counted.BreakevenThe rate below which a load costs you money to haul.Rate per mileRPMWhat a load pays divided by the miles it runs.All-in rateThe total for a load including fuel surcharge and agreed accessorials.DeadheadEmpty milesMiles you run empty to get to a load or get home.HeadhaulThe outbound leg, usually out of a market with more freight than trucks.BackhaulThe return leg, usually paying less than the way out.Spot rateThe price for a single load, right now, at whatever the market is paying today.Contract rateA rate agreed for a lane over a period, usually a year.Fuel surchargeFSCA separate per-mile amount that moves with diesel prices.AccessorialAnything you get paid for beyond moving the freight.DetentionMoney owed when a shipper or receiver holds you past the free time.TONUTruck Order Not UsedA fee owed when you show up and the load is not there.LayoverMoney owed when a delay costs you a whole day.Lumper feeWhat you pay a third party to load or unload the trailer, usually reimbursed.
Getting paid
FactoringSelling your invoice at a discount to get paid now instead of in thirty days.Quick payA broker paying you early in exchange for a percentage.Days to payHow long a broker actually takes to pay, as opposed to what their terms say.ShortpayBeing paid less than the invoice, usually with a deduction you did not agree to.Broker creditWhether a broker is likely to pay you, and how fast.
Who you haul for
Double brokeringA load being re-brokered to another carrier without the shipper's knowledge, often to steal the payment.MC numberMotor Carrier numberThe federal number identifying an entity with interstate operating authority.USDOT numberThe federal identifier for a company operating commercial vehicles.Operating authorityFederal permission to haul regulated freight for hire across state lines.Broker bondBMC-84The $75,000 surety a property broker must carry, which carriers can claim against.Carrier packetThe onboarding paperwork a broker needs before they will give you a load.
Compliance
IFTAInternational Fuel Tax AgreementQuarterly fuel-tax reporting across the states and provinces you drove in.IRPInternational Registration PlanApportioned plates that let you run in multiple states on one registration.Form 2290Heavy Vehicle Use Tax, HVUTThe annual federal tax on vehicles at 55,000 lbs and over.UCRUnified Carrier RegistrationAn annual federal fee scaled to how many vehicles you run.ELDElectronic Logging DeviceThe device that records driving time automatically from the engine.Hours of serviceHOSThe federal limits on how long you can drive and work.34-hour restartThirty-four consecutive hours off that resets your weekly hours.DVIRDriver Vehicle Inspection ReportThe daily record of a driver's pre-trip and post-trip inspection.Driver qualification fileDQ fileThe file proving a driver is legally qualified to drive for you.PSPPre-Employment Screening ProgramA federal report of a driver's inspection and crash history.Drug and Alcohol ClearinghouseThe federal database of drug and alcohol programme violations for CDL holders.CSA scoreBASICSafety measurements built from your inspection and crash history.Out of serviceOOSAn order stopping a driver or vehicle from moving until a violation is fixed.DataQThe federal process for challenging a violation or crash on your record.Weight-distance taxA per-mile tax charged by a handful of states on heavy vehicles.Oversize / overweight permitOS/OWState permission to exceed legal size or weight limits.Trip permitA short-term permit for running in a state you are not registered in.Hazmat route restrictionState and local rules on which roads hazardous materials may use.
On the road
Bill of ladingBOLThe document that describes the freight and acts as the receipt for it.Proof of deliveryPODThe signed document showing the freight arrived and in what state.Load boardA marketplace where brokers post freight and carriers look for it.DrayageShort moves of containers between ports, rail yards and warehouses.Power onlyHauling someone else's loaded trailer with your tractor.BobtailDriving the tractor with no trailer attached.ReeferA refrigerated trailer, and the freight that moves in one.
Knowing the words is one thing. Knowing what a load actually pays you once deadhead, detention and days-to-pay land is the harder part—which is what we build.
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