Abbreviations

- Dispatcher is the person employed by trucking company to search for loads and assign
drivers or truck to the loads. He or she intermediate between broker, shipper, receiver, driver
and anybody else, making sure all aspects and terms are met as scheduled.
Looking for directions and setting up appointments, and constantly updating information about
the load movement.

- Broker is very mistaken term in the industry. Broker is company authorized, bonded and
register to engage in contact between shippers and carriers to satisfy transportation needs for
shipper. Broker hold and maintain his authority and minimum bond required to operate. Under
brokers authority may operate many broker-agents who we refer and call broker.

- Broker agent is person who we call broker. He or she intermediate between shippers and
carriers. Broker agent work alone or as a team. Broker agent contracts freight service with
shippers and then searches for reliable carriers to transport the freight Broker might have
transportation capacity such as trucks or trailers or terminals but in many cases doesn’t have
any of them. After any verbal agreement with dispatcher broker agent must have confirmation
sent and signed by dispatcher in order to be legally bound into the contract for such business.

-Freight Forwarder FF is company of one or more freight agents authorized bounded and
registered to arrange freight services to its customers. Mostly freight forwarder arranges many
small shipments into one bigger with trucking companies, mostly FF will operate small
warehouse with the docks

- Shipper is any party who has commodity for transportation from point A to point B ,but most
shippers have warehouses and terminals.

-Receiver is any party expecting the freight, most of the time there is a dock or terminal at
receiver but in some cases unloading may be on street level without any unloading
equipment. Consignee is same as receiver.

-Truck driver or Co driver is person possessing commercial driver licence authorized to

operate commercial vehicles.

-Company driver is driver who operate truck owned by the trucking company.

-Owner operator is driver who operates truck and trailer that is own leased by him. In some
cases owner operator might lease the trailers from trucking company.

-Safety is person who takes care of safety of trucking company, he or she is checking drivers
daily logs, maintains records of maintenance and is crucial person for representing trucking
company reputation in front of DOT audits.

-DOT audits is inspection of DOT officer who will check if safety requirements are met.

-Billing is department that handles all payments and invoices such as accounts paybles and
accounts receivables.
-Payroll is department that handles employees pays and schedules.

-Accounting is similar as billing.

-Factoring is department or separate independent company that handles accounts

receivables or invoices for services provided by carrier. In the case when carriers needs to
receive payment faster than broker is usually paying carrier will sell its invoices to factoring
company and receive immediate payment less then service fee (few percent).

-Customer is any party who is receiving some kind of service from somebody. For example
shipper is customer of broker, receiver is customer of shipper and so on…

Equipment

Truck semi truck, in most conversations it refer to truck and trailer

Tractor mostly refer to truck only
Bob tail truck only without the trailer
Reefer Refrigerated Van mostly refer to truck and trailer
Reefer box reefer container it is container with reefer with in it
Van ,Van box ,Dry van refer to regular trailer most common in use if not mentioned different, it
refer to 53ft air ride swing door.
Flat bad refer to truck pulling flat trailer
Tarp cower used to protect load from rain and snow on flat bad trailers.
Chains tire chains for snow and ice conditions.
Load locks, cargo bars adjustable bars used to secure load inside the trailer
Straps cargo straps adjustable stripes used to secure load inside the trailers.
Blankets refer to moving blankets used to protect sensitive loads from loads from screeches.
Air ride refer to trailer that has air ride suspension (softer ride, less shaking of goods being
transported)
Spring ride standard suspension where springs are used for absorbing shocks from uneven
road.
Swing door trailer doors open sidewise
Roll up door trailer door open upward
Lift gate equipment mounted on the back of the trailer serves as the loading or unloading
ramp at places without loading docks.
Pallet jack small fork lift using man power to lift and move pallets around warehouse or in and
out the trailers
Fork lift machine used in warehouse to move pallets around to load and unload trailers.
Pallets skids platforms used for stacking packaged products for easier handling and moving
when loading or unloading most of the pallets are standard size 40x48 made from wood,but
other sizes are used sometimes and other materials too.

Totes platforms for packing or storing unpackable products such as parts ,liquids ,fruits, grain
and so on
Facilities and locations

-Company usually refer to trucking company or the office of trucking company or the location
of pick up or delivery.
-Pick up,shipper location where load originated
-Delivery ,consignee, receiver location where load is delivered
-Warehouse place where goods are stored it might be attached to factory or the retail store, or
might be stand alone structure
-Terminal usually is stand alone for switching transferring and arranging loads from TRL to
TRL or container to TRL .Most of the time has drop yard and mostly operate as drop and hook
facility.
- Dock place where trailer is backed up for loading and unloading , serves as a bridge
between loading floor and trailer floor. Most of the docks have shock absorbing and height
adjustable ramps.
-Shop , service truck or trailer repair service
-Yard refer to space assign for truck and trailer parking.
-Drop Yard exclusively reserved space for trailers to be left close by pick up delivery or
terminal for later loading or unloading.
-Fuel stop fuel island gas station usually small truck fueling place.
-Truck stop big place along highways offering many parking spaces and services to truck
drivers such as scales, fuel,repair shops,truck wash,showers food and many more. Most
common are Flying J,TA, Pilot loweis, Petro and many more.
-Port usually refer to place where ships are loaded or unloaded and mostly involve container
transport but many ports are located inland and there many terminal operations around them.
In may cases especially after 9/11 to enter the port truck drivers must be registered in national
database.
-Port of entry some states such as CA, CO, WY, OR, NM ...have operation along their state
borders at transit roads. Most trucks passing thru must stop and check permits with DOT
officers.
-Weight stations most states at the state borders along transit routs have operations of weight
check for all commercial vehicles passing thru. When open all trucks must exit and pass over
the scale. Sometimes DOT officers set safety inspections along their parking lots.

Paperwork used in this industry

Rate confirmation ,Load confirmation, Rate confirmation, rate contract ,freight contract
Serves as a contract between broker and carrier for particular load and represents verbal
agreement between broker agent and truck dispatcher. Contains all information about the
load such as rate, terms, weight, pieces, commodity, name and addresses for pick up and
delivery sometimes directions, contact numbers, special information about the load and other
info

Set up package (Broker career agreement) set of 1-20 pages that serves as general contract
between broker and carrier ,must be sign and approved before any job can be done
betweeen two parties. It is usually exchanged

Bill of lading (manifest) usually gets created by shipper and serves as proof of pick up and
delivery. Includes addresses of shipper and receiver to serve as proof of delivery in order to
get paid.
Cargo- Part of set up package refer to cargo insurance that carrier is responsible to maintain
active in order to carry the freight. Covers the damage of the load caused while in
trailer ,usually up to $100 000 some times higher.

Liability – part of set up package refer to liability insurance that carrier must maintain active in
order to operate. Covers the damage to the others including public and private parties, usually
up to a million $

W-9 part of set up package is taxation waiver form issued by the party that is going to be paid,
so the party that’s paying can calm tax credit on the end of the fiscal year.

Do not do list list of brokers we do not do business with cause they do not pay on time or they
do not pay at all.

LTL- less than truckload .Shipment that would not by itself fill truck to capacity by weight or
volume.

Off peak period, non rush periods of the day when travel activity is generally lower and less
transit service is scheduled. Also called base period.

CDL Commercial drivers licences

RFID Radio frequency identification device

Piggyback trailers trailers which are designed for quick loading on railcars.

Team drivers a team of two drivers or more who ride together and drive the same truck is
shifts essentially allowing the truck to remain in motion almost constantly. Primarly used for
time sensitive freight.

Deadhead driving a tractor trailer without cargo or without paying load.

Hazmat hazardous materials

GVW Gross Vehicle weight the total weight of vehicle the vehicles weight and the weight of
the load.