Freight Resource Center
Practical guides, checklists and tools for planning and moving freight.
Not sure where to start?
Choose the question closest to yours.
How do I ship this?
Start with the freight itself. See how different commodities are measured, protected, loaded and matched to equipment.
- How to Ship Freight — A Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide
- How to ship machinery
- How to ship steel
- How to ship lumber
- How to ship construction materials
- How to ship fresh produce
- How to ship frozen food
- How to ship fragile freight
- How to ship high-value freight
- How to ship trade-show freight
- How do I get freight to a job site?
- Oversize & overweight permits: what shippers need to know
- How an import container moves from vessel to final delivery
- How intermodal rail shipping works
- Load Planner freight-type pages
- Mexico freight hub
- Canada freight hub
What equipment do I need?
Start with dimensions, weight, loading method and protection requirements—not a trailer name.
What do I need before it ships?
Measurements, weight, paperwork, packaging, access and pickup details that prevent surprises later.
- How to Fill Out a Bill of Lading — Field by Field
- What Documents Do I Need to Ship Freight?
- What information do you need for a freight quote?
- Preparing freight for pickup
- Build a pallet that survives
- Crate or pallet?
- How to measure freight correctly
- How to weigh freight correctly
- Before the truck arrives
- Bill of lading checklist
- Packing list checklist
- Will the driver unload my freight?
- What is liftgate service?
- Notify before delivery, or appointment required?
Where do I find it?
Find the number, document, status or official source you need without hunting through freight terminology.
- How Do I Track a Freight Shipment?
- How Do I Get Proof of Delivery?
- Where Do I Find My NMFC Number or Freight Class?
- How Do I Check a Trucking Company’s MC and DOT Number?
- PRO vs BOL vs PO numbers
- Shipping abbreviations
- Freight reference library
- Tracking statuses
- State Permit Guide
- Freight & Logistics Definitions
Why did this happen?
Understand why a price, invoice, classification, carrier, appointment or requirement changed.
- Why did my freight quote change?
- Why does my freight cost more?
- Why last-minute freight costs more
- Why my quote differs from the load-board rate
- What is a fuel surcharge?
- What is deadhead?
- Headhaul vs backhaul
- Why is my LTL invoice different?
- What is a freight reclass?
- What is a freight inspection?
- Why did my shipment change carriers?
- Why LTL freight gets damaged more
- Detention
- Layover
- TONU
- Lumper fees
- What can make an oversize permit invalid?
Something went wrong
Start with the problem in front of you and work the next step before it becomes a bigger one.
- When a shipment goes wrong
- The truck never showed up for pickup
- The carrier has gone quiet
- My freight is late
- The delivery appointment was missed
- Pieces are missing
- Damage found after the driver left
- Freight was refused at delivery
- What happens to rejected freight
- How to file a freight claim
- Salvage in a freight claim
- Cargo damage photos
- OS&D: over, short and damaged
- Delivery checklist
Popular questions
- How much will it cost?
- Do I need it?
- Can I ship it?
- How long will it take?
- Will it fit?
- Who pays for it?
- What’s the difference?
Shipping across a border?
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Common searches
Quoting
What information do you need for a freight quote?
The eight details that let a broker quote confidently.
QuotingWhy did my freight quote change?
What you control, what nobody does, and what happens when a number has to move.
QuotingHow early should I book freight?
No universal lead time: work back from the delivery date and start earlier for hard-to-replace or hard-to-recover loads.
QuotingBehind Your Freight
What a freight broker does
What a broker does between you and the motor carrier, from quote and carrier search to tracking, problems and POD.
Behind Your FreightAfter you request a freight quote
How a quote request becomes a shipment: missing details sorted, equipment checked, the lane and market reviewed.
Behind Your FreightAfter you accept a freight quote
Approval starts coverage: the load goes to the carrier market, a carrier is sourced and checked, and the driver gets the plan.
Behind Your FreightHow a broker finds a truck
Load boards, carrier relationships, direct outreach and inbound calls, and why the lowest rate is not automatically the pick.
Behind Your FreightHow a broker checks a carrier
Carrier vetting in layers: identity, authority, insurance, safety records, contact checks and a person's final judgment.
Behind Your FreightBetween booking and pickup
After the carrier is booked: confirming the driver, sending the load details and BOL, and making sure the site is ready.
Behind Your FreightWhy freight details get lost
Where shipment details drift between emails, quotes, load boards, carriers and drivers, and how fewer handoffs cut errors.
Behind Your FreightPricing
How truckload rates are calculated
The real inputs behind a truckload number, and which direction each one moves it.
PricingWhat is a fuel surcharge?
Where the diesel number comes from, and why two quotes cannot be compared until fuel is in both.
PricingSpot rates vs contract rates
What each one is, who uses which, and when a shipper is better off with one over the other.
PricingWhat is deadhead?
Why empty miles you never see end up inside the price of your load.
PricingHeadhaul vs backhaul
Why the same lane costs more in one direction than the other.
PricingWhy last-minute freight costs more
The capacity mechanics behind short lead time, and what still helps when the freight really is urgent.
PricingWhy my quote differs from the load-board rate
What published rate averages are, what they are not, and why they never describe one shipment.
PricingWhy does my freight cost more?
A walk through what about your own shipment is driving the number up.
PricingHow much does freight shipping cost?
Why there is no single freight price, what moves an LTL, partial or truckload rate, and what to send for a real quote.
PricingService types
Freight service guide
LTL, partial, truckload, expedited and multi-stop, and which one fits.
Service typesPartial truckload
The middle option most shippers do not know exists.
Service typesExpedited freight
What it really means, and why driver hours decide the date.
Service typesMulti-stop loads
Why stop order is a loading decision, not a routing one.
Service typesWhat trailer do I need for my freight?
Dry van, reefer, flatbed, step deck or RGN: narrow the equipment from the freight's size, weight, loading and protection.
Service typesHow long does freight shipping take?
Why transit is not miles divided by speed: mode, driver hours, terminals, appointments, weather and permits.
Service typesPreparing freight
Flatbed loading, securement and protection
What to measure, who lifts, how it is tied down, and when tarps and permits enter the conversation.
Preparing freightPreparing freight for pickup
Build it right, protect it, and have it ready when the truck arrives.
Preparing freightBuild a pallet that survives
Stacking, stretch wrap, corner boards and the overhang nobody warns you about.
Preparing freightSecuring freight in a trailer
Dunnage, blocking, bracing, load bars and straps, and when each applies.
Preparing freightCrate or pallet?
When packaging has to escalate, and what a crate costs you in weight and cube.
Preparing freightReefer airflow and loading
The air path, the return chute, and why loading to the roof fails.
Preparing freightBefore the truck arrives
The prep check that stops a pickup turning into detention.
Preparing freightHow to ship freight: a step-by-step guide
The whole sequence for a first or occasional shipment, from describing the freight to keeping the signed POD.
Preparing freightHow to fill out a bill of lading
Field by field: parties, references, count, commodity, weight, class and instructions, matched to the freight leaving.
Preparing freightWhat documents do I need to ship freight?
The paperwork a shipment may need, stage by stage: quote record, BOL, packing list, appointment, permits, seal and POD.
Preparing freightOversize planning
Oversize & overweight permits: what shippers need to know
The useful starting point is the actual loaded vehicle: its dimensions, gross weight, axle layout and proposed route. A permit review turns those facts into conditions for a particular movement.
Oversize planningHow to plan a multi-state oversize load
Build one shipment record, then review each jurisdiction the proposed route crosses. The goal is a connected movement plan with clear responsibilities at every border.
Oversize planningWhat makes a load oversize or overweight?
Size and weight are separate questions. A vehicle can be within a general gross-weight figure and still need axle or bridge review; a light shipment can still exceed a dimensional limit.
Oversize planningPilot cars and escorts: when are they required?
Escort planning depends on the load, roadway and permit conditions. The number and position of vehicles can change along the same trip.
Oversize planningHow oversize permit costs are calculated
The base permit price may be only one part of the state charge. The correct fee depends on permit class and the inputs its published formula requires.
Oversize planningHow to measure an oversize load before requesting permits
Measure the configuration that will actually move. Manufacturer dimensions can help identify the item, but attachments, transport position and the trailer affect the loaded measurements.
Oversize planningOversize load travel hours, weekends and holidays
A permit can authorize a movement while limiting when it may take place. Plan the trip around each state's conditions and the dates on the issued permits.
Oversize planningRoute surveys, bridge clearances and permitted routes
A map helps organize the corridor. Clearance, structural and access reviews answer different questions and may change the route before a permit is issued.
Oversize planningState permits vs city and local permits
Review the first and last miles as carefully as the state highway corridor. A state permit may leave other road owners and access authorities to be contacted separately.
Oversize planningWhat can make an oversize permit invalid?
Treat a permit as approval for the movement it describes. A changed truck, trailer, load, route or date needs review before the original authorization is relied on.
Oversize planningDrayage & Ports
Drayage shipping: what shippers need to know
A short truck move with a long list of dependencies: release, holds, appointments, chassis, weight and the empty return all have to line up before a driver can go.
Drayage & PortsHow an import container moves from vessel to final delivery
Vessel to warehouse, step by step, and why a container sitting at the port is not the same thing as a container you can collect.
Drayage & PortsHow export drayage works: from shipper to port terminal
Booking to terminal gate, with the two dates that decide everything: the earliest the terminal will take it and the last hour it will.
Drayage & PortsWhat information do you need for a drayage quote?
The facts we need before a drayage rate means anything — container, terminal, weight, delivery point, receiving hours and the empty return.
Drayage & PortsDrayage costs explained: what can appear on the bill?
What can appear on a drayage bill besides the line haul, and which charges are the terminal’s, the carrier’s, the chassis provider’s or the government’s.
Drayage & PortsDemurrage vs detention vs per diem: what is the difference?
Three charges that all involve time and are not the same thing. Start with where the box is and whose equipment it is.
Drayage & PortsPort appointments, last free day and cutoffs
Free time, last free day, appointment windows and cutoffs — the clocks a drayage move actually runs on.
Drayage & PortsChassis, pre-pulls and yard storage
Why the container and the thing carrying it are separate problems, and when a pre-pull or a few days in a yard is the cheaper answer.
Drayage & PortsCustoms holds, exams and container release
What can stop an import pickup after the vessel has discharged, and who can and cannot clear each kind of hold.
Drayage & PortsLive unload vs drop vs transload
Three ways to get the freight out of the box, and how receiving hours and equipment decide which one fits.
Drayage & PortsOverweight container drayage
What changes when the box is heavy: axle weight, chassis type and route, not just the number on the gross weight line.
Drayage & PortsHow to avoid drayage delays
The pre-pickup checklist. Most drayage delays are decided before the truck is dispatched, not on the road.
Drayage & PortsRail Freight & Intermodal
Rail freight shipping: what shippers need to know
Rail is not truck freight on tracks. Two movements run at once — the local switching at each end and the linehaul between them — and both have to work before anything moves.
Rail Freight & IntermodalHow a carload rail shipment works from start to finish
Fourteen steps from confirming rail service to releasing the empty, and why the car sitting at your plant is not the same thing as a car the railroad has been told to move.
Rail Freight & IntermodalHow intermodal rail shipping works
The freight stays in the same box the whole way; the truck and the rail each take the part of the trip they do best. Ramps, not sidings, are what decide whether the lane exists.
Rail Freight & IntermodalCarload vs intermodal vs unit train vs transload
Four operating models that all get called "shipping by rail" and behave nothing alike. Which one you are in decides the equipment, the facility and the cost.
Rail Freight & IntermodalRailcar types guide
Railcars are purpose-built, and the commodity is only half the question — how it is loaded, how it comes out and how it is secured decide as much as what it is.
Rail Freight & IntermodalWhat information do you need for a rail freight quote?
Origin, destination and weight are not enough. Rail access, commodity, equipment and volume are what turn a rate request into a rate.
Rail Freight & IntermodalRail freight costs, demurrage and accessorials
The linehaul rate is one line on the bill. Car time, switching, equipment and operating exceptions are the ones that vary by what happened at your plant.
Rail Freight & IntermodalRailcar order, spot, load, release and pull explained
Order, spot, load, release, pull — the cycle at your own track, and the difference between a car placed at your dock and a car held because your track is full.
Rail Freight & IntermodalWaybills, interchange and rail tracking
Rail tracking is a series of reported events, not a moving dot. The document telling the car where to go is what those events are reported against.
Rail Freight & IntermodalRail transload shipping
No track at your building does not rule rail out. It moves the question to where the freight changes equipment, and what that facility can actually handle.
Rail Freight & IntermodalPrivate railcars, OT-5 and Umler explained
Owning or leasing a car is not the same as being allowed to load it. Registration, mechanical acceptance and the origin railroad's authority are three separate gates.
Rail Freight & IntermodalOversized and heavy freight by rail
Transformers, turbines and machinery that are hard to move by road, and the clearance study, car selection and securement that all come before a date.
Rail Freight & IntermodalHazmat and tank-car rail shipping
A starting map of classification, packaging, inspection, papers and acceptance — and a clear statement of where the regulations, not an article, take over.
Rail Freight & IntermodalHow to avoid rail freight delays
A checklist by stage, from before you book to after the release, because most rail delays are decided at the plant and in the paperwork rather than on the linehaul.
Rail Freight & IntermodalMexico Cross-Border
U.S.–Mexico Freight Shipping Guide
How U.S.–Mexico truckload freight works, and a reading order for every step: documents, brokers, crossing, equipment and quotes.
Mexico Cross-BorderHow to Ship Freight From the U.S. to Mexico
The southbound move in seven steps: define the freight, set up the Mexican importer and broker, align documents and plan the crossing.
Mexico Cross-BorderHow to Ship Freight From Mexico to the U.S.
Northbound freight from Mexico: Mexican export and Carta Porte, U.S. customs entry, carrier authority and border handoffs.
Mexico Cross-BorderMexico Freight Documents
The packet for U.S.–Mexico freight: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, pedimento, USMCA origin data and Carta Porte.
Mexico Cross-BorderCustoms Brokers for U.S.–Mexico Freight
What customs brokers do on U.S.–Mexico loads, why there is often one on each side, and what to record in the load file.
Mexico Cross-BorderUSMCA and U.S.–Mexico Freight
What USMCA changes for U.S.–Mexico freight and what it does not: origin rules, certification data and the 2026 review status.
Mexico Cross-BorderMexico Border Drayage, Handoffs and Transloading
How loads cross the U.S.–Mexico border: transfer carriers, sealed-trailer handoffs, transloading near the border and what to ask.
Mexico Cross-BorderThrough-Trailer vs. Transload for Mexico Freight
Keep the freight in one trailer or transfer it at the border? Compare handling, equipment, carriers, security and cost.
Mexico Cross-BorderMexico Freight Equipment and Trailer Planning
Dry van, reefer, flatbed, step deck or RGN for U.S.–Mexico freight, and what changes when the trailer or carrier changes.
Mexico Cross-BorderOversize and Heavy-Haul Freight Between the U.S. and Mexico
Oversize loads to or from Mexico: U.S. state permits to the border, SICT special permits in Mexico, escorts and the transfer.
Mexico Cross-BorderCargo Security for U.S.–Mexico Freight
Custody maps, seal control at handoffs and inspections, tracking and transload security for U.S.–Mexico loads.
Mexico Cross-BorderU.S.–Mexico Freight Border Delays
Why U.S.–Mexico loads wait: documents, customs review, queues, handoffs, transload docks, equipment and permits, and how to plan.
Mexico Cross-BorderU.S.–Mexico Freight Quote Checklist
What to send for a useful U.S.–Mexico freight quote: lane, dates, freight facts, equipment, handling and a one-line customs status.
Mexico Cross-BorderCommon U.S.–Mexico Freight Shipping Mistakes
Twelve mistakes that cost time at the U.S.–Mexico border, from late customs documents to unplanned transloads, each with its fix.
Mexico Cross-BorderCanada Cross-Border
U.S.–Canada freight shipping guide
How a U.S.–Canada truckload works: importer, CARM, customs broker, carrier eManifest, CUSMA, duties, and where to start.
Canada Cross-BorderHow to ship freight from the U.S. to Canada
The northbound sequence: define the freight, confirm the Canadian importer, build the customs file, carrier reports, cross, deliver.
Canada Cross-BorderHow to ship freight from Canada to the U.S.
Southbound, the roles reverse: the U.S. importer and broker file with CBP, and the carrier's e-manifest and PAPS number link to the entry.
Canada Cross-BorderCanada freight documents
The commercial invoice or CI1, bill of lading, packing list, CUSMA origin data and permits, and why they must tell one story.
Canada Cross-BorderCustoms brokers for Canada freight
What a licensed Canadian customs broker does, what the importer stays liable for, and why a freight broker is a different role.
Canada Cross-BorderCARM explained for Canada freight
CARM for importers into Canada: portal account, business number and RM account, broker delegation and release before payment.
Canada Cross-BorderCUSMA / USMCA and Canada freight
CUSMA preference depends on the product's origin, not the pickup address, and it does not remove GST or surtaxes.
Canada Cross-BorderCanada carrier codes and eManifest
The CBSA carrier code, cargo control number and eManifest report, the one-hour rule, and how they link to the broker's release.
Canada Cross-BorderCanada border crossings for truckload freight
Choosing the crossing before dispatch: first port of arrival, broker and carrier alignment, wait times, winter and oversize limits.
Canada Cross-BorderCanada freight equipment
Choose the trailer from the freight, then check the cross-border layer: carrier setup, lane availability and provincial limits.
Canada Cross-BorderOversize freight to Canada
An oversize load into Canada needs state permits, a crossing that fits and a permit from each province. The border is one part.
Canada Cross-BorderCanada freight duties and taxes
Customs duty, GST, excise and surtaxes on freight into Canada, the dated U.S. surtax note, and why the importer stays liable.
Canada Cross-BorderCanada freight border delays
Why trucks get held at the Canadian border, from invoices and CARM setup to failed PARS, and the checks that prevent it.
Canada Cross-BorderCanada freight quote checklist
What to send for a useful U.S.–Canada quote: lane, freight facts, equipment and border status, with a template to copy.
Canada Cross-Border12 common U.S.–Canada freight mistakes
Twelve common U.S.–Canada freight mistakes, from treating CUSMA as duty-free to choosing the crossing after dispatch.
Canada Cross-BorderWarehouse operations
How many pallets fit in a 53-foot trailer?
26 straight, 30 turned, and everything that changes those numbers.
Warehouse operationsTruck & pallet loading guide
Pallet loading patterns, weight distribution and what to check before the doors close.
Warehouse operationsDock vs ground-level loading
What changes when there is no dock at one end, and what has to be said before booking.
Warehouse operationsHow to measure freight correctly
Measure what actually ships, not the pallet it started on.
Warehouse operationsHow to weigh freight correctly
Product weight is not shipping weight, and the difference shows up on the invoice.
Warehouse operationsStackable vs non-stackable freight
Stackable is about what the freight can carry, not whether there is room above it.
Warehouse operationsFloor-loaded freight
When loading loose beats palletizing, and what it costs in time and handling.
Warehouse operationsLoading a multi-stop trailer
Load it in the order it comes off, and what to do when pickup order fights delivery order.
Warehouse operationsDock safety around freight trucks
What the warehouse verifies before a forklift enters a trailer.
Warehouse operationsInspect the empty trailer before loading
Once the doors close it is far harder to prove the trailer caused the problem.
Warehouse operationsDelivery services
Will the driver unload my freight?
The default answer, and every service that changes it.
Delivery servicesWhat is liftgate service?
When there is no dock and the freight still has to get to the ground.
Delivery servicesWhat counts as a residential delivery?
Why a business at a house is still rated as one.
Delivery servicesWhat is a limited-access delivery?
Schools, sites, storage and more, and why every carrier defines it differently.
Delivery servicesWhat does inside delivery include?
How far past the door it actually goes, and what it never covers.
Delivery servicesWhat happens if a delivery fails?
The second trip, and where the freight sits in between.
Delivery servicesNotify before delivery, or appointment required?
Two different commitments that people ask for interchangeably.
Delivery servicesHow do I get freight to a job site?
Everything a dock provides that a construction site does not.
Delivery servicesLTL
LTL vs FTL
Shared trailer and terminals, or your own truck loaded once.
LTLHow LTL pricing works
What actually moves the number: weight, density, class, distance and handling.
LTLWhat is a freight reclass?
The carrier changed the class after pickup. What it measured, and what to compare it against.
LTLWhat is a freight inspection?
What the carrier verifies on the dock, and what documentation helps you.
LTLWhy is my LTL invoice different?
Reweigh, reclass and rebill, and what to ask for before you pay or dispute.
LTLLTL linear foot rules
When a shipment takes up too much trailer length to be rated as ordinary LTL.
LTLLTL cubic capacity rules
Light, bulky freight, and why space can cost more than weight.
LTLHow LTL freight actually moves
Pickup, origin terminal, linehaul, destination terminal, delivery, and the handling at each.
LTLWhy did my shipment change carriers?
Direct service, interlining, and what a second carrier costs you in time and visibility.
LTLHow long does LTL take?
How days are counted, and why a transit estimate is not a delivery date.
LTLWhy LTL freight gets damaged more
It is handled at every terminal, next to other people’s freight.
LTLFinding your NMFC number and freight class
The difference between an NMFC item and a freight class, where to verify the current one, and why density is not always enough.
LTLCommodities
How to ship machinery
No pallet, concentrated weight and specific lifting points.
CommoditiesHow to ship steel
It weighs out long before it fills the trailer.
CommoditiesHow to ship lumber
Length and weather decide the equipment.
CommoditiesHow to ship construction materials
Where it is going matters more than what it is.
CommoditiesHow to ship beverages
Heavy pallets fill the weight before they fill the floor.
CommoditiesHow to ship fresh produce
Temperature and time working against each other.
CommoditiesHow to ship frozen food
There is no recovering from a break in the cold chain.
CommoditiesHow to ship fragile freight
Packaging is the whole answer.
CommoditiesHow to ship high-value freight
Liability, declared value and coverage, settled before pickup.
CommoditiesHow to ship trade-show freight
The show opens whether the freight arrived or not.
CommoditiesCharges explained
Accessorial charges explained
What triggers extra charges, and what to send so they do not surprise you.
Charges explainedDetention
When the driver is held past free time, and who pays.
Charges explainedLayover
When a delay pushes the load into another day.
Charges explainedTONU (truck ordered not used)
What happens when a booked truck gets cancelled.
Charges explainedLumper fees
Third-party unloading, and why it lands on your invoice.
Charges explainedShipping problems
When a shipment goes wrong
Start here. Which problem is this, and what to do in the next ten minutes.
Shipping problemsThe truck never showed up for pickup
Rule out a wrong pickup first, then work the closing time.
Shipping problemsThe carrier has gone quiet
Escalating, and re-covering the load before the options thin out.
Shipping problemsMy freight is late
What moves an ETA, what tracking hides, and what the receiver can still do.
Shipping problemsThe delivery appointment was missed
Why a missed slot costs days, and what holds the next one.
Shipping problemsPieces are missing
Establish exactly what is missing, and prove what was loaded.
Shipping problemsDamage found after the driver left
The harder position, and what actually strengthens it.
Shipping problemsFreight was refused at delivery
Four paths, and someone has to pick one while the truck is still there.
Shipping problemsWhat happens to rejected freight
Where it goes, what it costs while it sits, and what not to do with it.
Shipping problemsHow to file a freight claim
What makes a filing a claim, where it goes, and what happens next.
Shipping problemsSalvage in a freight claim
Before damaged goods are sold, destroyed or thrown away.
Shipping problemsChecklists
Freight checklists
Print them, keep them on a clipboard, pull them up when something does not match.
ChecklistsCargo damage photos
What to photograph, in what order, before anything moves.
ChecklistsOS&D: over, short and damaged
What to do at the dock, and what to note before you sign.
ChecklistsBill of lading checklist
What the BOL must show, and what a wrong entry costs.
ChecklistsPacking list checklist
What belongs on it, and how it should match the BOL.
ChecklistsDelivery checklist
Count, condition and notation before the driver leaves.
ChecklistsReference
Freight reference library
Terms, abbreviations, statuses and the numbers people mix up.
ReferenceFreight & Logistics Definitions
Search plain-English definitions for freight, logistics, shipping roles, equipment and common charges.
ReferenceShipping abbreviations
BOL, POD, PRO, TONU, OS&D and the rest, expanded.
ReferencePRO vs BOL vs PO numbers
Three numbers people mix up, and which one to quote.
ReferenceTracking statuses
What each status means, and what it does not mean.
ReferenceAppointment terminology
FCFS, windows, drop and hook, live load and live unload.
ReferenceFOB origin vs FOB destination
Who carries the risk in transit, and who deals with a claim.
ReferenceHow do I track a freight shipment?
Which number to search with, how LTL and truckload tracking differ, and what to do when the updates stop.
ReferenceHow do I get proof of delivery?
What a POD shows, where to request the signed copy, which number finds it, and what to do when it notes damage.
ReferenceChecking a carrier's MC and USDOT number
Look a trucking company up in FMCSA's free SAFER snapshot and read what its status, authority and safety fields mean.
ReferenceFreight insurance vs carrier liability
Why carrier liability and cargo insurance differ, why a loss may not pay full value, and what to verify before pickup.
ReferenceBroker vs carrier vs freight forwarder
Who moves the freight, who arranges it, who consolidates it and who handles customs, and which one to call.
ReferenceCalculators & planning tools
Linear Feet Calculator
Estimate how much trailer floor length your shipment occupies.
Calculators & planning toolsTrailer Capacity Calculator
Estimate floor positions for a pallet size and equipment type.
Calculators & planning toolsFreight Density Calculator
Work out pounds per cubic foot for an LTL shipment.
Calculators & planning toolsDimensional Weight Calculator
Compare how much space freight takes with what it actually weighs.
Calculators & planning toolsEquipment Selector
Answer five questions about the freight and get the equipment that fits.
Calculators & planning toolsReefer Temperature Converter
Fahrenheit and Celsius, converted as you type.
Calculators & planning toolsFreight Route Planner
Miles, each leg, drive time and weather for a pickup, its stops and the delivery.
Calculators & planning toolsFreight Load Planner
Which equipment suits your pallets, crates or boxes, and what a carrier still has to confirm.
Calculators & planning tools