Reference
Freight glossary
The terms that show up on rate confirmations, invoices, and claims — defined without jargon.
Terms
- Accessorial
- Any charge beyond line-haul: liftgate, detention, tarping, inside delivery, driver assist, or reconsignment.
- BOL (Bill of Lading)
- The contract of carriage and receipt for the freight. It defines the shipper, consignee, commodity, count, and any exceptions.
- Blind shipment
- A move where the shipper and consignee are not disclosed to each other, typically to protect a distributor's supplier.
- Consignee
- The party receiving the freight at destination.
- Deadhead
- Miles a truck runs empty to reach a pickup. Long deadhead raises the rate.
- Detention
- Charge that starts after the free loading or unloading window, usually two hours.
- Drayage
- Short-haul movement of a container between a port or rail ramp and a nearby warehouse.
- Dunnage
- Blocking, bracing, and padding used to keep freight from shifting in transit.
- FTL (Full Truckload)
- One shipper's freight occupying an entire trailer, moving direct with no terminal handling.
- Freight class
- NMFC-assigned class from 50 to 500 based on density, stowability, handling, and liability. Drives LTL pricing.
- Hours of Service
- FMCSA rules limiting driving to 11 hours within a 14-hour window, capping realistic transit near 500 miles per day for a solo driver.
- LTL (Less Than Truckload)
- Shared-trailer freight priced by class, weight, and distance, moving through terminals.
- Lumper
- Third-party labor that loads or unloads at a receiver, commonly at grocery DCs, billed back to the shipper.
- Partial truckload
- Six to eighteen pallets moving on a shared trailer without terminal handling. Often cheaper and safer than LTL at that size.
- POD (Proof of Delivery)
- The signed delivery receipt confirming the freight arrived and noting any exceptions.
- Reefer
- Refrigerated trailer with a temperature-controlled unit, used for food, pharma, and other temperature-sensitive freight.
- Reconsignment
- Changing the delivery location after the freight is in transit; billed as an accessorial.
- Step deck
- Flatbed with a lower rear deck, allowing taller loads without oversize permits.
- TONU (Truck Ordered Not Used)
- Fee paid to a carrier when a dispatched load is cancelled after the truck is en route.
- Tender
- The offer of a load to a carrier at a stated rate, accepted via rate confirmation.
- Transload
- Moving freight from one trailer or container to another mid-route, often at a port or rail ramp.
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