A truck dispatcher glossary is a list of the words dispatchers use every day, from shippers and brokers to rate cons, deadhead and TONU. Below are 60 common terms, grouped by theme, each explained in one plain sentence so you can follow a broker call from the start.
Trucking has its own language. Learn these terms and load posts, rate confirmations and broker emails start to make sense much faster.
Key takeaways
- The terms fall into five groups: people, documents, money, equipment and day-to-day operations.
- The documents you will see most are the rate confirmation, bill of lading and proof of delivery.
- Money terms like line haul, all-in, detention and TONU decide what the carrier actually gets paid.
- Some terms sound alike but mean different things, so check the “commonly confused” table below.
- Regulatory terms come from FMCSA, so check its website for the current rules behind them.
Who are the people and companies in trucking?
- Shipper
- The company that has freight to move and hands it over at pickup.
- Consignee (receiver)
- The company the freight is delivered to.
- Motor carrier
- A trucking company that owns or leases trucks and moves freight, often for hire.
- Owner-operator
- A driver who owns their own truck and runs it as a small business, either under their own authority or leased to another carrier.
- Company driver
- A driver employed by a carrier to drive the carrier’s trucks.
- Freight broker
- A company with FMCSA broker authority that connects shippers with carriers and arranges the load without hauling it.
- Truck dispatcher
- A person who works for the carrier to find loads, negotiate rates, handle paperwork and keep trucks moving.
- Freight agent
- A salesperson who finds shippers and books freight under a licensed broker’s authority.
- Freight forwarder
- A company that arranges shipments, often combining smaller ones, and takes responsibility for them, which requires its own FMCSA authority.
- Third-party logistics (3PL)
- A company that handles logistics services for shippers, such as arranging transport, warehousing or both.
- Lumper
- A worker or service at a warehouse paid to load or unload a truck.
- Factoring company
- A company that buys a carrier’s unpaid invoices and pays the carrier sooner, for a fee.
What do the main trucking documents and compliance terms mean?
- Rate confirmation (rate con)
- The broker’s written terms for one load, including route, dates, freight and pay, signed by the carrier before the load moves.
- Bill of lading (BOL)
- The shipping document that describes the freight and serves as the receipt when the driver picks it up.
- Proof of delivery (POD)
- The bill of lading signed by the receiver, showing the load was delivered.
- Broker-carrier agreement
- The general contract a carrier signs with a broker before hauling its first load for that broker.
- Dispatcher-carrier agreement
- The contract between a dispatcher and a carrier that covers services, authority, fees and how to end the arrangement.
- Carrier packet
- The set of documents a carrier sends a broker to get approved, such as its authority, W-9 and insurance certificate.
- Certificate of insurance (COI)
- A one-page summary from the insurance agent showing a carrier’s coverage, limits and policy dates.
- Notice of assignment (NOA)
- A letter telling a broker to pay a carrier’s factoring company instead of the carrier.
- FMCSA
- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the US agency that regulates trucking companies, brokers and commercial drivers in interstate commerce.
- USDOT number
- The number FMCSA assigns to identify a company and track its safety record.
- MC number
- The docket number tied to a company’s FMCSA operating authority as a for-hire carrier, broker or freight forwarder.
- Operating authority
- FMCSA permission to haul regulated freight for hire across state lines, or to broker it.
What do rate and payment terms mean?
- Rate per mile (RPM)
- The load’s pay divided by its miles, used to compare loads.
- All-in rate
- One total price for the load that already includes fuel and any agreed extras.
- Line haul
- The base pay for moving the freight from pickup to delivery, before extras.
- Fuel surcharge
- Extra pay that adjusts with fuel prices, sometimes listed separately from line haul.
- Accessorial charges
- Fees for extra services or time beyond the basic move, such as detention, layover or lumper costs.
- Detention
- Pay for time a driver waits at a shipper or receiver beyond the free time agreed on the rate con.
- Layover
- Pay for a driver held over a day or overnight because a load cannot be picked up or delivered as planned.
- TONU (truck ordered not used)
- A payment some brokers agree to when a load is cancelled after the truck has been dispatched.
- Spot rate
- A one-time price for a single load, set by the market on that day.
- Contract rate
- A price agreed in advance for regular freight on a lane over a set period.
- Payment terms
- How many days after receiving the paperwork the broker will pay the carrier.
- Quick pay
- A broker’s option to pay a carrier faster than its normal terms, usually for a fee.
What are the common equipment and freight terms?
- Dry van
- An enclosed trailer without temperature control, used for most general freight.
- Reefer
- A refrigerated trailer that keeps freight at a set temperature.
- Flatbed
- An open trailer with no sides or roof, loaded from the sides or top.
- Step deck
- A flatbed trailer with a lower rear deck, used for taller freight.
- Power only
- A job where the carrier supplies the truck and driver to pull a trailer owned by someone else.
- Box truck
- A single straight truck with the cargo box built onto the same frame as the cab.
- Hotshot
- Smaller, often time-sensitive loads hauled by a heavy-duty pickup pulling a flatbed trailer.
- Full truckload (FTL)
- A shipment that uses the whole trailer for one customer.
- Less than truckload (LTL)
- Smaller shipments from several customers that share space on one trailer.
- Partial load
- A shipment that uses part of a trailer, often shared with another load going the same way.
- Freight class
- A rating used mostly in LTL shipping that groups freight by density, handling and value.
- Hazmat
- Hazardous materials, which need extra paperwork, placards, endorsements and insurance under federal rules.
What do load and operations terms mean?
- Load board
- An online marketplace where brokers and shippers post available loads for carriers and dispatchers to find.
- Lane
- A route between two areas that a carrier runs, such as one city or region to another.
- Backhaul
- A load that brings the truck back toward its home base after a delivery.
- Deadhead
- Miles driven with an empty trailer, usually to reach the next pickup.
- Check call
- An update to the broker on where the truck is and whether it is on time.
- Appointment
- A set pickup or delivery time the driver must arrive for.
- FCFS (first come, first served)
- A pickup or delivery with an open time window instead of a set appointment.
- Drop and hook
- When the driver drops one trailer and picks up another that is already loaded, instead of waiting.
- Live load or live unload
- When the driver waits at the dock while the trailer is loaded or unloaded.
- Hours of service (HOS)
- FMCSA rules that limit how long commercial drivers may drive and work before they must rest.
- Electronic logging device (ELD)
- A device connected to the truck that records driving time to track hours of service.
- Double brokering
- When a load is passed on to another carrier without the shipper’s or broker’s permission, often as part of fraud.
Which trucking terms are easy to confuse?
| Terms | The difference |
|---|---|
| Dispatcher vs broker | A dispatcher works for the carrier. A broker works between the shipper and the carrier and needs FMCSA broker authority. |
| Rate con vs BOL | The rate con covers price and terms with the broker. The BOL describes the freight and goes with the load. |
| Detention vs layover | Detention is paid waiting time on the same day. Layover covers a delay that pushes the load to another day. |
| USDOT vs MC number | The USDOT number identifies the company. The MC number is tied to its operating authority. |
| Deadhead vs backhaul | Deadhead is empty miles. A backhaul is a paid load heading back toward home. |
Here is how the terms work together. This is an example load post only. “Dry van, FTL, pickup FCFS 8am to 2pm, delivery appointment next day, all-in rate, quick pay available.” In plain words: a full enclosed trailer, pick up any time in the window, deliver at a set time, one total price including fuel, and faster payment for a fee. The money words matter most, as our guide on what a rate confirmation is explains.
Want to see how this vocabulary fits into a working day? Read what a truck dispatcher does, then explore the truck dispatcher career page. To test yourself, try our Spot the Scam game.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to know all these terms before I start dispatching?
No, but you should know the core ones: rate con, BOL, POD, line haul, all-in, detention, TONU, deadhead and the main trailer types. The rest come quickly with practice.
Why do brokers use so many abbreviations?
Brokers post and discuss many loads a day, so short forms save time. If you are unsure what one means, ask before you agree to anything.
Are trucking terms the same across the US?
Most core terms are used nationwide. Some companies use their own names for fees or documents, so read each rate con carefully.
Where do the regulatory terms come from?
Terms like operating authority, hours of service and ELD come from FMCSA rules. Check FMCSA’s website for the current versions.
Learn the language and the work behind it
Dispatcher 101 walks beginners through the parties involved, equipment and freight, finding freight and booking a first load, using these terms in context. Students on both plans get 1-on-1 mentorship from Joe Piazza, so you can ask about any word you meet on a real load.
