Trucking & Dispatch Glossary: Freight Terms Explained

Accessorials: Accessorials are extra charges on top of the base freight rate for additional work or time, such as detention, layover, lumper fees, extra stops or TONU. They should be agreed and written on the rate confirmation.
Back-haul: A back-haul is a load that brings a truck back toward its home base or a busier freight market after a delivery, so it doesn’t have to return empty.
Bill of lading (BOL): A bill of lading is the shipping document issued at pickup that lists the freight, the shipper, the receiver and the terms of the shipment. It is signed at pickup and again at delivery, and is needed to bill the load.
Carrier packet: A carrier packet is the set of documents a broker requires before working with a carrier for the first time, usually including the operating authority, certificate of insurance, W-9 and payment details. Completing it is called carrier or broker setup.
Deadhead: Deadhead is driving with an empty trailer (or no trailer), most often to reach the next pickup. Deadhead miles are unpaid, so they lower a load’s all-in rate per mile. Learn more
Detention: Detention is pay for waiting at a shipper or receiver beyond the agreed free time, commonly about two hours. It is usually paid per hour at the rate written on the rate confirmation. Learn more
Dry van: A dry van is an enclosed, non-refrigerated trailer, usually 53 feet long, used for general freight such as packaged goods, retail products and paper.
Flatbed: A flatbed is an open trailer with no sides or roof, used for freight like steel, lumber, building materials and machinery that must be loaded from the side or top and secured with straps or chains.
Forced dispatch: Forced dispatch is when a carrier or driver is required to accept the loads they are assigned. Load & Go does not use forced dispatch — every load is run by the driver first.
Freight broker: A freight broker is a licensed company that connects shippers who need freight moved with motor carriers who haul it. Brokers post loads, negotiate rates and pay the carrier after delivery.
Freight factoring: Freight factoring is when a carrier sells an unpaid invoice to a factoring company in exchange for a fast advance, often within a day or two. The factoring company then collects payment from the broker and keeps a fee. Learn more
Hotshot: Hotshot trucking uses a heavy-duty pickup truck pulling a flatbed or gooseneck trailer to move smaller, often time-sensitive loads.
Layover: Layover is pay for being held over to another day — for example when a receiver can’t unload until the next morning. It is typically a flat amount per day set in the rate confirmation. Learn more
Load board: A load board is an online marketplace where brokers and shippers post available loads and carriers or dispatchers search for freight that fits their trucks and lanes.
Lumper fee: A lumper fee is a charge paid to a third-party crew that unloads (or loads) a trailer at a warehouse. Carriers should keep the receipt so the fee can be reimbursed by the broker.
MC number: An MC number is the docket number for a carrier’s interstate operating authority, issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Brokers use it to verify a carrier is authorized to haul freight for hire.
Notice of assignment (NOA): A notice of assignment is a letter from a factoring company telling brokers to send payment for a carrier’s invoices to the factoring company instead of the carrier.
Owner-operator: An owner-operator is a truck driver who owns or leases their truck and runs their own trucking business, either under their own authority or leased onto another carrier.
Power only: Power only means a carrier provides only the truck (tractor) and driver to pull a trailer that belongs to the shipper, broker or another company.
Proof of delivery (POD): A proof of delivery is the bill of lading signed by the receiver at delivery, confirming the freight arrived. It is required to invoice the load or submit it for factoring.
Rate confirmation: A rate confirmation (rate con or RC) is the agreement between a broker and a carrier for a specific load. It lists the rate, pickup and delivery details, and terms such as detention and layover. It must be signed before the load moves.
Rate per mile (RPM): Rate per mile is the load pay divided by the miles driven. Loaded RPM uses only loaded miles; all-in RPM also includes deadhead miles and shows what the load really pays. Learn more
Recourse factoring: With recourse factoring, the carrier must repay the factoring company’s advance if the broker never pays the invoice. Non-recourse factoring shifts more of that risk to the factoring company, usually for a higher fee.
Reefer: A reefer is a refrigerated trailer used to haul temperature-controlled freight such as produce, meat, dairy and pharmaceuticals.
TONU: TONU stands for “truck ordered, not used.” It is a payment to the carrier when a load is cancelled after the truck has already been dispatched to it.
Truck dispatcher: A truck dispatcher finds and books loads for carriers, negotiates rates with brokers, handles paperwork such as carrier packets and rate confirmations, communicates with drivers and brokers, and often handles billing and factoring submissions. Learn more
USDOT number: A USDOT number is a unique identifier the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) assigns to companies operating commercial motor vehicles, used to track safety records, audits and inspections.

Trucking & dispatch glossary