What do common freight and trucking terms mean?

Accessorial An additional freight service or charge outside the basic linehaul move, such as detention, liftgate, residential delivery or reconsignment.

Appointment delivery A delivery that must be scheduled with the receiver instead of arriving whenever the carrier reaches the location.

Appointment required A shipment or facility instruction meaning the carrier must obtain a delivery or pickup time before arriving.

Arrival notice A notice that freight has reached a location or terminal and may be available for delivery, pickup or further handling.

Backhaul A load that moves a truck back toward its home market or another desired market after the truck completed an earlier load.

Bill of lading The shipping document commonly used to describe the freight, origin, destination, pieces, weight and shipment instructions. See the BOL checklist.

Blind shipment A shipment arranged so one or more parties do not see the identity of another party in the transaction, usually through special paperwork instructions.

Blocking Material or structure used to stop freight from moving in a trailer.

Bobtail A tractor operating without a trailer.

Broker A licensed intermediary that arranges transportation between a shipper and a motor carrier.

Bracing Supports used to keep freight from tipping, leaning or shifting.

Breakbulk The process of separating or combining freight at a terminal or distribution point rather than moving it straight through as one untouched load.

Bulkhead A wall or partition inside a trailer or body used to separate cargo areas or help control temperature or freight movement.

Carrier The company that physically transports the freight.

Carrier packet The documentation a broker or shipper uses to onboard or qualify a motor carrier.

Chassis The wheeled frame used to carry an intermodal container.

Claim A formal request for review or compensation related to freight loss, damage, shortage or another shipment issue. Procedures depend on the carrier, contract and circumstances.

Class In LTL, a classification value used in rating freight. Do not assume density alone gives the final class.

Commodity The product or goods being shipped.

Consignee The party receiving the freight.

Consignor The party shipping or tendering the freight.

Consolidation Combining multiple smaller shipments into a larger move.

Cross-dock A facility where freight is transferred from inbound equipment to outbound equipment with little or no storage.

Cube The amount of three-dimensional space freight occupies.

Deadhead Tractor or truck movement without revenue freight, often while repositioning to a pickup.

Declared value A stated freight value used under certain carrier or contract terms. It is not automatically the same thing as cargo insurance.

Delivery appointment A scheduled time or window for the carrier to deliver.

Delivery receipt The document signed or acknowledged at delivery showing receipt and any visible exceptions noted by the receiver.

Detention Waiting time beyond the agreed free period at pickup or delivery. See detention.

Dispatch The operational step of assigning or sending a driver and truck to perform a shipment.

Dock A loading or receiving position where a trailer meets a warehouse or facility.

Dock-high A facility setup where the loading surface is approximately aligned with trailer floor height.

Double stack Loading compatible freight in two vertical levels when the product, packaging and equipment allow it.

Drayage Short-haul movement, commonly between a port, rail ramp, warehouse or nearby customer.

Drop and hook The driver drops one trailer and connects to another instead of waiting for a live load or unload.

Dunnage Material used to support, separate, cushion or fill space around freight.

EDI Electronic Data Interchange, a structured way businesses exchange shipment, status, invoice and other data electronically.

Empty miles Miles driven without paying freight. Also called deadhead miles.

ETA Estimated time of arrival. It is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee unless a specific service commitment says otherwise.

Exception A shipment event that may disrupt normal movement or delivery, such as weather, a missed connection, damaged freight or an appointment problem. Carrier wording varies.

Expedited freight Freight moved with a faster or more time-controlled plan than standard service. See the expedited-freight guide if available in the resource library.

FCFS First come, first served. A facility that receives trucks in arrival order instead of assigning each one a specific appointment time.

Flatbed An open-deck trailer used for freight that may load from the side, top or rear. See equipment.

Floor loaded Freight loaded directly on the trailer floor instead of on pallets.

FOB Destination A domestic U.S. sales term that generally makes the seller responsible for delivery and risk through the named destination, subject to the parties' actual agreement and applicable law. See FOB Origin vs FOB Destination.

FOB Origin A domestic U.S. sales term that generally shifts delivery responsibility and risk after the seller properly tenders the goods to the carrier at origin, subject to the parties' actual agreement and applicable law.

Freight class An LTL classification used as part of rating. Under the NMFC, class is tied to transportation characteristics such as density, handling, stowability and liability.

Freight forwarder A transportation intermediary that may consolidate shipments and arrange movement under its own operating authority and documents, depending on the service.

FTL Full truckload. A shipment typically using a dedicated truck or trailer rather than sharing linehaul space with unrelated LTL freight.

Gross vehicle weight The total weight of the vehicle and its load at a given time.

Gross vehicle weight rating The manufacturer's maximum rated operating weight for a vehicle.

Handling unit A unit of freight handled as one piece, such as a pallet, crate or skid.

Headhaul A strong outbound lane where freight demand is typically higher than on the return direction.

HOS Hours of Service. Federal rules that limit and structure how long commercial drivers may drive and work.

Hotshot Freight moved on a smaller truck-and-trailer combination, often for time-sensitive, lighter or specialized loads.

In transit A broad tracking status meaning the shipment has not reached final delivery. It does not necessarily mean the truck is currently moving or that delivery is on schedule.

Interline Freight transferred between carriers under an arrangement to complete the shipment.

Intermodal Freight moved using more than one transportation mode, commonly truck and rail, while staying in the same container or trailer for major portions of the trip.

Just-in-time A supply-chain approach where materials or products arrive close to when they are needed instead of being stored for long periods.

Layover A delay that holds the driver or equipment into a later operating period or day. See layover.

Less-than-truckload Freight that shares network capacity with other shipments and commonly moves through terminals. See LTL vs FTL.

Liftgate A powered platform on the rear of a truck used to raise or lower freight when a dock or forklift is not available.

Linehaul The main transportation movement between origin and destination markets, excluding many pickup, delivery and accessorial activities.

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

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

Load bar A bar used inside certain trailers to help restrain freight or separate cargo areas.

Load tender A request or offer sent to a carrier asking it to accept a shipment.

LTL Less-than-truckload freight.

Lumper Third-party labor used at some facilities to load, unload, sort or handle freight. See lumper fees.

Manifest A list or record of shipments, pieces or cargo moving on equipment or through a network.

Milk run A route with multiple planned pickups or deliveries rather than one origin and one destination.

Multi-stop A shipment with more than one pickup, delivery or both.

NMFC National Motor Freight Classification, the U.S. LTL classification standard maintained by NMFTA. In July 2025, major changes expanded the standard full-density scale from 11 to 13 subprovisions and moved more commodities toward density-based classification, while handling, stowability and liability remain relevant for items with those concerns. Confirm the correct NMFC item and class rather than guessing from density alone. NMFTA 2025 changes and NMFTA classification FAQ.

NMFC item number The commodity item identifier used within the NMFC. The correct item matters because some items are density-based while others retain special handling, stowability or liability treatment.

Non-stackable Freight that should not have other freight placed on top of it.

OS&D Over, short and damaged. A receiving term for quantity or condition exceptions. See the OS&D checklist.

Out for delivery A carrier status indicating the shipment has entered the local delivery process. Exact meaning varies by carrier; it is stronger than "in transit" but still does not guarantee a specific arrival minute.

Overage More freight received than the documents or expected count show.

Packing list A document listing the contents of a shipment. See the packing-list checklist.

Pallet A platform used to unitize freight for forklift or pallet-jack handling.

Partial truckload Freight larger than typical LTL but smaller than a full dedicated trailer, often sold based on occupied trailer space and shipment characteristics.

POD Proof of delivery. Documentation showing delivery was completed, often including signature, date, time or delivery receipt.

PO number Purchase order number assigned by the buyer to identify a commercial order.

PRO number A carrier-assigned freight tracking number commonly used in LTL.

Proof of pickup Evidence that the carrier took possession of the shipment.

Rate confirmation The document between broker and carrier that states the agreed shipment details, rate and operating terms.

Reconsignment Changing a shipment destination or delivery instruction after movement has begun.

Reefer Refrigerated or temperature-controlled trailer. See equipment and reefer airflow and loading.

Relay A shipment movement in which different drivers or tractors handle different legs.

Residential delivery Freight delivery to a residence or location treated by the carrier as residential rather than a standard commercial dock.

Return to shipper A status or instruction meaning freight is being sent back to the origin party instead of completing normal delivery.

Seal A numbered device placed on trailer or container doors to show whether the doors have been opened after sealing.

Shortage Freight missing from the expected piece or pallet count.

Shipper The party tendering the freight for transportation.

Shipment The freight movement covered by one transportation arrangement or shipment record.

Skid A platform similar to a pallet but not always built with the same lower-deck construction.

Spot quote A rate quoted for a specific shipment or lane rather than under a long-term contract.

Spot market Freight bought and sold for near-term shipment rather than under a contracted rate program.

Stackable Freight that can safely support compatible freight above it under the planned handling conditions.

Stop-off An additional pickup or delivery stop on the same truckload movement.

Straight truck A truck with cargo body and cab on the same chassis, commonly used for smaller shipments and local or regional delivery.

Tender To offer freight to a carrier for acceptance, or to physically present freight to the carrier depending on context.

Terminal A carrier facility where freight may be sorted, transferred, staged or dispatched for pickup and delivery.

Third-party billing Freight charges billed to a party other than the shipper or consignee.

TONU Truck ordered not used. A charge that may apply after a truck is committed but the shipment is canceled or cannot load. See TONU.

Tracking event A timestamped shipment update such as pickup, terminal arrival, departure, appointment or delivery.

Trailer cube The interior volume of a trailer. Usable cube can be lower than nominal interior volume because of freight shape, equipment and loading restrictions.

Transit time The planned or estimated time between pickup and delivery. It is not automatically a guaranteed commitment.

TMS Transportation Management System, software used to plan, tender, track, document and manage freight.

Unloading allowance Time or terms associated with unloading before additional delay charges may apply.

Utilization How effectively trailer space, weight capacity or equipment time is being used.

Waybill A transportation document or shipment record used by a carrier to identify and move freight.

Weight distribution How freight weight is positioned through the trailer or vehicle rather than only the total shipment weight.

Zone skipping Moving consolidated freight past intermediate network points before injecting smaller shipments closer to the final delivery market.