What do common freight appointment and dock terms mean?

Appointment required The carrier must schedule a pickup or delivery time with the facility. XPO, for example, tells shippers to indicate "Appointment Required" on the BOL when its delivery-appointment service is needed.

Appointment set The facility and carrier have a recorded appointment time or window.

Appointment pending An appointment is required, but the final time has not yet been confirmed.

Call for appointment The carrier must contact the consignee or facility to arrange the delivery before arriving.

FCFS First come, first served. Trucks are handled generally in arrival order rather than by individual scheduled appointments.

Delivery window A range of time during which the receiver will accept delivery, such as 08:00–12:00. It is not the same as a precise appointment unless the facility treats it that way.

Pickup window A range of time when freight can be picked up.

Dock scheduling The process a warehouse uses to assign doors, dates and appointment times to inbound or outbound trucks.

Live load The driver waits while the warehouse loads the trailer.

Live unload The driver waits while the receiver unloads the trailer.

Drop and hook The driver drops one trailer and picks up another instead of waiting for loading or unloading.

Drop trailer A trailer left at the customer's facility for later loading or unloading.

Preloaded trailer A trailer loaded before the assigned driver arrives to pull it.

Check-in time The time the driver records arrival under the facility's receiving process.

Gate time A timestamp associated with entering or leaving a facility gate.

Dock time The time a truck is assigned to or positioned at a dock door. It may differ from the driver's arrival time.

Free time The agreed period allowed for loading or unloading before detention charges may begin under the applicable terms.

Late arrival Arrival after the appointment or receiving window. Facility consequences vary.

Early arrival Arrival before the scheduled appointment or window. Some facilities may stage the driver; others may not accept the truck early.

Work-in An unscheduled or late truck that the facility agrees to handle when capacity becomes available.

Must-arrive-by date A customer or facility requirement stating the latest acceptable delivery date.

Required delivery date A required or committed delivery date in a carrier, customer or time-critical service context.

Receiving hours The hours during which a facility normally accepts inbound freight.

Shipping hours The hours during which a facility normally releases outbound freight.

Redelivery A second delivery attempt after the first could not be completed.

No-show A scheduled truck or appointment that did not arrive or was not fulfilled under the facility's rules.