DICTIONARY

Air ride trailer – a trailer equipped with a much higher shock absorbency ratio to provide the trailer
with a smoother ride. Usually 10-year-old trailers and newer are Air Ride equipped.

Appointment – Appt – an agreed upon day and time to load/unload the freight.

BOL – Bill Of Lading – a document provided to the driver by the shipper after loading the freight. It
contains origin and destination company addresses, carrier company name, number of
pallets/skids/pieces, weight, PO# and seal#. The driver must check if the origin and destination
addresses are correct to avoid rejected freight due to the wrong BOL provided.

Broker – an individual or company serving as a liaison between another individual or company that
needs shipping services and an authorized motor carrier. The broker “sells” the freight to the carrier.

Carrier – a firm that provides transportation services and typically owns and operates
transportation equipment. A carrier "is buying" (booking) the load from the broker/customer.

Check in time – the time when the driver arrived at the shipper/receiver facility.

Check out time – the time when the driver left the shipper/receiver facility.

Commodity – a type of a raw material or product that requires transport.

Company Driver – an employee of a particular trucking company who drives a truck provided by
the employer. He is usually payed per miles traveled (for example, a Dry Van driver gets
approximately $0.50-0.60/mile). A company driver is not responsible for any business expenses such
as fuel, tolls, insurance, etc. The employer must pay Workers Compensation Insurance if he has a
fleet of Company Drivers.

Crew is waiting – a specific freight for which a crew will be hired to unload the product. It’s critical
for the driver to be there on time to avoid penalties.

Customer – an individual or company that has goods/product (freight) to be transported from point
A to point B.

Damage – physical harm caused to the product during transportation that impair its value.

Deadhead – empty miles – a trip from a receiver company to the shipper company of the next load.

Detention – extra driver pay for time spent waiting at a shipper/receiver facility. The amount is
usually set in advance and listed in a Rate Confirmation. This rule takes effect if the pickup or
delivery was by appointment and driver was held for longer than 2 hours.

Dimension – size of the object (length, width, height). Usually information needed to calculate how
many feet are required to take the product for LTL (partial) shipments.

Dispatcher – an individual or company responsible for booking loads, communicating with

customers to record details about freights, discussing any special hauling issues, etc.

Driver – an individual with a CDL (Class A) who is interested in providing services for transporting
freight from point A to point B.

Driver assistance – a prerequisite for some loads where the driver has to assist with
loading/unloading the product. The broker has to disclose this information before assigning a carrier
to a load. If it was not discussed while booking, the load carrier has the right to request extra money
for the driver assist (usually $50-$100) and to receive a Revised Rate Confirmation with the updated
rate.

Drop and hook – a load where the driver is taking a loaded trailer to a shipper/receiver, dropping
the trailer at a customer’s facility, and then hooking up to and leaving with another loaded trailer.
Drop trailer – a load where the driver needs to drop and empty a trailer at a shipper’s/receiver’s
facility for 5-48+ hours for loading/unloading the product. If the trailer was held for longer than the
agreed upon Rate Confirmation, the broker has to pay a layover for the delay.

Dry Van – the most common type of trailer designed to haul a variety of products that should not
be refrigerated (food, large machinery parts, non-hazardous chemicals, etc.).

Equipment – equipment used by the driver to haul freight (Dry Van, Reefer, Flatbed, etc.).

FCFS – First Come, First Served – a type of trucking pickup/delivery where a facility has open
scheduling, and the driver can pick up/deliver the freight within an agreed upon range of hours.

Flatbed – a trailer type designed to carry different products that do not fit on Dry Van and Reefer
and do not need special protection from weather conditions.

Floor loaded freight – a freight that is loaded not on pallets, but on the floor.

Food Grade Trailer – a trailer designed to haul food products, as well as other dry goods.

Freight – a product hauled by trucks.

Full load – Full truckload (FTL) – freight that takes the full length of the trailer. Full truckload
shipping typically is contracted to one customer who is gaining full and exclusive use of the carrier’s
trailer.

Gross/week – the total amount of linehaul and accessorial revenue (detention, layover, etc.)
generated by a truck driver within a given week without deducting any business expenses.

Hazmat freight – a cargo of explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous

products that can only be transported by those carriers with a Hazmat certificate (permit), as well as
a driver who has been trained and licensed to haul such products.

Layover – compensation paid to the carrier/driver by the broker/customer in case the driver is
delayed by the shipper or receiver. For example, the shipper started loading the freight, but ran out
of product and asked the driver to wait until the next morning to finish loading. Or the delivery
appointment was moved by the broker/customer and the driver had to wait extra day(s) to get
empty. Usually the amount of a layover is $150/day-$250/day.

Less-than-truckload (LTL) – Partial – freight that takes only part of the trailer and can be
transported along with other cargo.

Live load/unload – a type of trucking pickup/delivery where the freight is loaded/unloaded (by
appointment or FCFS) while the driver waits on site.

Load bars/locks – telescoping bars with ratcheting mechanisms inside and are typically constructed
of steel or aluminum. Load bars/locks are used in the trucking industry to secure cargo while in
transit.
Lumper fee – an additional amount required by a lumper company for unloading the product. The
carrier is not required to pay this fee without being reimbursed by the broker or customer. It can be
paid by the broker/customer with an EFS code or T-check. The carrier must get the broker’s approval
before paying this fee.

Macropoint – a cellphone application that tracks the driver's movements. Some brokers won’t give
you a load without accepting a tracking request, while others will deduct money from the rate if the
driver isn’t showing on Macropoint.

Multiple stop load – a load that has several pickups and/or deliveries.

No touch freight – freight without driver assist upon pickup and/or delivery.

Owner-operator – Owner Op – O/O – a self-employed commercial truck driver who owns his
own truck and/or trailer. He is responsible for all business expenses (fuel, tolls, dispatch services,
truck maintenance, etc.).

Pallet – a raised platform made of wood upon which freight is stacked and secured for shipping. The
standard-sized pallet is 48” long by 40” wide and about 6” high.

Partial – Less-than-truckload – freight that takes only part of the trailer and can be transported
along with other cargo.

Pickup – PU – a loading process at a shipper that can be done by appointment or FCFS (First Come,
First Served).
Pickup/delivery day and appointment – a specific day and time to load/unload freight for a
specific carrier.

Rate – the price at which the carrier/driver has agreed to haul the freight.

Rate Confirmation (RC) – an official document that confirms the agreed upon amount for the cost
of service between the customer/broker and the carrier. The RC shows when and where pickup and
delivery is, facilities names, commodity, pallet count, weight, PU#, PO#, fines and charges (late fee,
failure to accept a Macropoint charge, etc.), and additional information (time frame when a carrier
has to provide POD or make a detention request, etc.).

Reefer – a trailer type used to transport perishables and other temperature-sensitive goods.

Revised Rate Confirmation – an updated Rate Confirmation that shows any changes related to the
carrier/broker agreement. It can be a different rate (detention/layover added, or late fee charged,
etc.), new pickup/delivery day/time, added extra stop, updated shipper’s/receiver’s address, etc.

Scale ticket – a receipt that indicates the weight of the truck (empty or loaded), as well as whether
it is legal by weight.
Strap – Ratchet strap – fastener used to secure cargo during transportation.

Target rate – the dollar per mile ($/mi) ration that the dispatcher focuses on when selecting
freights for drivers.

Tarp – a large water-repellent plastic-coated fabric piece used by the flatbed driver to protect the
cargo from adverse weather conditions.

Truck scale – weigh station – a designated location, typically directly off the highway, where the
Department of Transportation or State Highway Patrol inspects the weight of a vehicle to ensure
that the roads are not compromised by a potentially overweight vehicle.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance – Workers’ Comp – a form of insurance that provides wage
replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange
for mandatory relinquishment of the employee’s right to sue his or her employer for the tort of
negligence.