Shipping Terminology
Freight Shipping Terms Every Shipper Should Know
A plain-English glossary of truckload freight terms — from bill of lading and rate confirmation to detention, TONU and oversize permits.
By Customer First Brokerage · · 8 min read
Freight has its own vocabulary. These are the terms shippers hear most often when booking truckload shipments, defined in plain English.
- Accessorial charge
- A charge for a service beyond standard pickup and delivery, such as detention, a liftgate, tarping or a layover.
- Bill of lading (BOL)
- The document that serves as the receipt for freight, describes the shipment and acts as a contract of carriage between shipper and carrier.
- Broker
- A company licensed by FMCSA to arrange the transportation of freight by an authorized motor carrier. Brokers do not haul freight themselves.
- Consignee
- The party receiving the freight at the delivery location.
- Detention
- Time a truck is held at pickup or delivery beyond the agreed free time, which may result in a charge.
- Drop deck
- Another name for a step deck trailer.
- Dry van
- An enclosed, non-temperature-controlled trailer, most commonly 53 feet long.
- Flatbed
- An open-deck trailer without sides or a roof, loaded from the side or top.
- FTL / truckload
- A shipment that uses an entire trailer, as opposed to less-than-truckload (LTL) freight that shares a trailer.
- Lane
- The route between a pickup location and a delivery location, such as Chicago, IL to Dallas, TX.
- Layover
- When a driver must wait overnight or longer to load or unload, often resulting in a charge.
- Lumper
- A third-party worker who unloads freight at some receiving facilities, usually for a fee.
- MC number
- The operating-authority docket number FMCSA assigns to brokers and for-hire carriers.
- Motor carrier
- A trucking company authorized to transport freight for hire.
- Oversize load
- A load that exceeds legal width, height or length limits and requires permits.
- Overweight load
- A load that exceeds legal gross or axle weight limits and requires permits.
- Proof of delivery (POD)
- The signed document confirming freight was delivered, usually the bill of lading signed by the consignee.
- Rate confirmation
- The agreement between a broker and a carrier that confirms the rate and the terms for a specific load.
- Reefer
- A refrigerated trailer for temperature-controlled freight.
- RGN
- Removable gooseneck trailer — a low-deck trailer whose front detaches so equipment can be driven on.
- Shipper
- The party sending the freight.
- Step deck
- An open-deck trailer with a lower main deck that allows taller freight.
- Superload
- A load so large or heavy that a state classifies it separately from routine oversize permits.
- Tarping
- Covering open-deck freight with tarps to protect it from weather or road debris.
- TONU
- Truck ordered, not used — a charge that may apply when a truck is dispatched but the load is canceled or not ready.
- USDOT number
- The identifier FMCSA assigns to companies subject to its regulations, used to look up a company's registration and status.
