Trucking back-office glossary: words in plain English

A

Accessorial

An extra charge on top of the linehaul: detention, lumper, TONU, extra stop, layover. It is only billable if your rate con says so and you can prove it. See accessorial recovery.

Aging report

A list of open invoices grouped by how many days old they are, usually 0-30, 31-60, 61-90 and over 90. See invoice aging.

Appointment time

The time the shipper or receiver agreed to load or unload you. Many detention terms start the free-time clock at the appointment or your arrival, whichever is later.

B

Bobtail

Driving the tractor with no trailer attached.

BOL (bill of lading)

The shipping document that lists what was loaded and who it goes to. Signed at pickup and again at delivery, it is the core proof that freight moved. See the POD checklist.

Broker

A company that arranges freight between a shipper and a carrier and usually pays the carrier. A broker is not the carrier and not the shipper.

C

Carrier

The company that owns or leases the trucks and moves the freight. That is you.

Chargeback

Money a broker takes back from a payment or a later payment, usually after a claim or a dispute. Also called a setoff or deduction.

Consignee

The party receiving the freight. Also called the receiver.

Cost per mile (CPM)

Total operating cost divided by total miles, empty ones included. See the cost per mile tool.

D

Deadhead

Miles driven without a load, usually to get to the next pickup. Also called empty miles. See deadhead.

Detention

Pay for waiting at a dock past the free time. Rules, rate and cap come from the rate con. See detention evidence.

Dispute

A broker's formal objection to all or part of an invoice. It usually stops the payment clock until it is resolved.

DOT number

A US Department of Transportation identifier for a carrier. Brokers check it, along with the MC number, before hiring you.

Dry van

An enclosed, unrefrigerated trailer for palletized or boxed freight.

E

ELD (electronic logging device)

A device that records driving hours and location. Its arrival and departure records can support a detention claim.

F

Factoring

Selling your unpaid invoices to a finance company for cash now, minus a fee. It speeds up cash. It does not find money you forgot to bill. See the comparison.

Free time

The hours at a stop before detention starts. It is set in the rate con and applies at each stop separately.

FSC (fuel surcharge)

A line on the rate con or invoice that adjusts for diesel price. Check that the invoiced amount equals the agreed amount.

H

Hours of service (HOS)

Federal limits on driving and on-duty time. Waiting at a dock uses up the on-duty window.

L

Layover

Pay for being held overnight or a full extra day, as the rate con defines it.

Linehaul

The base charge for moving the load, before fuel and accessorials.

Load board

A website or app where brokers and shippers post freight and carriers look for loads. It finds work. It does not check what you were paid.

Lumper

A fee paid to a third party who unloads a truck at some receivers. Reimbursement usually needs a receipt and, often, advance approval. See the lumper tool.

M

MC number

Motor carrier operating authority number. Together with the DOT number it shows you are authorized to haul for hire.

N

Net 30

Payment terms: the invoice is due 30 days after the date the terms count from. Check whether that is the invoice date, the delivery date or receipt of a complete packet.

P

Packet

The set of documents sent with an invoice: signed BOL, rate con, receipts and anything the broker requires.

POD (proof of delivery)

Evidence that the freight arrived as agreed, most often the signed BOL, sometimes with photos or receiver paperwork.

Pro number

A tracking number the carrier or shipper assigns to a shipment. Brokers sometimes match PODs by it.

Q

Quick pay

A broker program that pays sooner in exchange for a discount on the invoice. Terms vary by broker, so read the percentage before you accept.

R

Rate confirmation (rate con)

The signed agreement between broker and carrier for one load: rate, route, times, and accessorial terms. It beats anything said on the phone. See rate con versus invoice.

Receiver

The place that takes delivery. See consignee.

Reefer

A refrigerated trailer, or the refrigeration unit on it. See reefer documentation.

Remittance advice

The statement that comes with a payment and says which invoices it covers and what was deducted. Compare it to the invoice.

RPM (rate per mile)

Revenue divided by miles. It can be per loaded mile or per all mile. The two differ by your empty miles. See true RPM.

S

Seal

A numbered tamper-evident lock on the trailer door. The number belongs on the BOL.

Set point

The temperature a reefer unit is told to hold. The rate con should state it.

Setoff

See chargeback.

Shipper

The party that has the freight and hires a broker or carrier to move it.

Short pay

A payment smaller than the invoice, often with little or no explanation. Always compare with the remittance.

Stop-off charge

An extra fee for each additional pickup or delivery beyond the first and last, if the rate con provides for it.

T

TONU (truck order not used)

A fee paid to a carrier when a load is cancelled after the truck was dispatched. Check your terms for when it applies.

U

Unbilled revenue

Money you earned under the rate con that never made it onto an invoice. This is what the free audit looks for.

W

Write-off

Giving up on money you were owed. Sometimes right, but it should be a choice you made with the numbers in front of you.

Not legal advice. Where we say "usually", terms differ between brokers, shippers and carriers.