Trucking terms, in plain English

Accessorial

Any charge on top of the line-haul rate for extra work, like detention, a lumper fee, tarping, or an extra stop.

Bill of lading (BOL)

The shipping document that travels with the freight, listing what is on the trailer and acting as the receipt when it is delivered.

Deadhead

The empty miles you drive to get to a pickup, with no freight on the trailer and no one paying for them.

Detention

The fee you charge when a shipper or receiver holds your truck past the free time to load or unload.

ELD

The electronic logging device that records your driving hours automatically to keep you compliant with hours-of-service rules.

Factoring

Selling an unpaid load invoice to a factoring company for cash today instead of waiting weeks for the broker to pay.

Form 2290 (HVUT)

The federal Heavy Vehicle Use Tax return, filed once a year for any truck rated at 55,000 pounds or more.

Freight broker

The middleman who matches a shipper's freight with a carrier to haul it, and who usually pays you for the load.

Fuel surcharge

An extra per-mile amount added to a load's rate to help cover diesel when fuel prices climb.

IFTA

The International Fuel Tax Agreement, which settles fuel tax across every state you drove through on one quarterly return.

IRP

The International Registration Plan, which apportions your plate fees across the states you run so one set of plates covers them all.

Layover

A fee for a full day lost when a load holds you overnight, usually because a pickup or delivery slipped a day.

Lumper fee

What you pay a third-party crew to unload the trailer, common at grocery and food warehouses.

Operating authority (MC number)

The FMCSA authority, tied to an MC number, that lets you haul regulated freight for hire under your own company.

Owner-operator

A driver who owns their truck and runs it as a business, either under their own authority or leased to a carrier.

Per diem

A daily allowance for meals and expenses on the road that drivers can deduct at tax time.

Proof of delivery (POD)

The signed document that proves a load was delivered, usually the bill of lading signed by the receiver.

Rate confirmation

The one-page agreement a broker sends before a load, listing the pay, the stops, and the terms you are agreeing to haul under.

Rate per mile

What a load pays divided by the miles you drive for it, the number that tells you if a load is worth taking.

Settlement

The pay statement that shows what a load or a driver earned after the deductions come out.

USDOT number

The federal ID number that identifies your trucking company to the FMCSA and follows your safety record.