Trucking Glossary

One complete shipment assignment — pickup, delivery, cargo, agreed rate. "A load" = one job.

A document confirming the rate and arrangements for a specific load, often called a rate con. It commonly lists pickup, delivery, timing, and freight charges; accessorial and payment terms may also appear in a separate agreement.

A common shipping document recording the consignor, consignee, origin, destination, package count, freight description, and applicable weight or volume. It helps parties identify freight received for transportation; read the actual document and shipping arrangement for its terms and signature requirements.

A record showing delivery, such as a signed bill of lading or another paper or electronic delivery receipt. It records receipt of the freight and is often used for billing; having a POD does not mean the freight bill has been paid.

An online subscription marketplace where carriers search loads by lane. Examples: DAT, Truckstop, 123Loadboard.

LTL (Less Than Truckload) generally shares trailer space among shipments. FTL (Full Truckload) generally reserves a truck’s capacity for one shipment; the trailer need not be physically full. Pricing also depends on the lane, freight, equipment, and service.

A leg driven without freight, such as traveling from delivery to the next pickup. It may involve an empty trailer or a tractor alone; compensation for empty miles depends on the agreement.

A reference used by a pickup facility to identify the freight you are collecting, often labeled Pickup # or Reference #. A shipment may also have order, BOL, and appointment numbers; these are not necessarily interchangeable.

An estimate of when you will arrive based on current progress. “What is your ETA?” asks for the expected arrival time; it does not book an appointment or establish that you have arrived.

Loading or unloading generally arranged in check-in order rather than a reserved appointment slot for each truck. Receiving hours, separate queues, and site conditions may still apply; it does not mean arrival at any time or immediate service.

Dropping one trailer and hooking to another to reduce live loading or unloading time. Either trailer may be loaded or empty; it is not limited to dropping a loaded trailer and collecting an empty one.

A charge for third-party loading or unloading labor at a warehouse or distribution center. A broker or carrier may arrange payment, or a driver may pay with authorization; the word alone does not mean the driver must fund it.

In road freight, a charge associated with driver or vehicle waiting at pickup or delivery. Free time, billing conditions, rates, and responsibility depend on applicable terms. In ocean shipping the word can refer to equipment use, so context matters.

Reporting arrival at pickup or delivery to the gate, shipping or receiving office, or designated system and confirming the job. Reaching the area is not necessarily check-in, and check-in does not by itself authorize docking.

The place where a warehouse loads or unloads a trailer, often with numbered dock doors. “Door 8” usually identifies a loading position, not the facility entrance; confirm the site’s directions.

A platform beneath freight that lets handling equipment move a unit of cargo, commonly made of wood or plastic. Two pallets need not mean two cartons. “Skid” is also used for a freight base, though its construction can differ.

A numbered seal placed on trailer or container doors to help reveal tampering or replacement. It is not cargo securement and does not by itself prove the count or condition of the contents, or that the doors were never opened.

The truck waits while its trailer is loaded or unloaded at the facility before leaving, rather than dropping one trailer and hooking to another. “Live” does not refer to live animals or automatically mean the driver must handle the freight.

Charges beyond the base line-haul transportation price for extra services or circumstances, such as detention, layover, loading labor, tarping, or liftgate use. Check which items are separately billable and their agreed terms.

An extended delay, such as a load being pushed to the next day, and the related charge. Spending a night away does not automatically earn a layover payment; the trigger, amount, and payer depend on applicable terms.

Short for Truck Order Not Used: a possible cancellation charge when a truck has been arranged but the shipment does not use it. Terms determine whether dispatch or arrival is required, the cancellation cutoff, and the amount.

A group of freight discrepancies: more than documented, fewer than documented, or damaged goods. If the document says ten cartons and only nine are counted, that is a shortage. Describe visible damage as observed.

The receiver declines all or part of a shipment, potentially because of freight, paperwork, timing, or another dispute. Refusal describes the delivery outcome; it neither decides driver fault nor authorizes disposal.