Tools
Freight Glossary
The terms you will see on a freight quote, a bill of lading, and a carrier invoice, in plain English.
Freight has a language of its own. Here are the terms that come up most often when you ship with RS Group. Ready to put them to use? Request a quote.
50 terms
A
- Accessorial charge
- A fee for a service beyond standard dock-to-dock pickup and delivery, such as a liftgate, inside delivery, a residential address, or a delivery appointment.
B
- Backhaul
- A truck’s return trip after it delivers a load. Carriers look for freight to fill backhauls so the truck does not run empty.
- Bill of lading (BOL)
- The document between the shipper and the carrier that describes the freight, its origin and destination, and the terms of carriage. It also serves as the receipt for the goods.
- Block pallet
- A pallet with solid blocks between its top and bottom deck boards, usually open to forklifts on all four sides.
C
- Carrier
- A company responsible for transporting freight from one location to another. See our carrier partners.
- Chassis
- The wheeled frame a shipping container sits on when it moves by road, for example in drayage between a port and a warehouse.
- Consignee
- The person or business that receives a shipment.
- Consolidation
- Combining several smaller shipments into one larger shipment to increase efficiency and reduce shipping costs.
- Container
- A standardized, large metal box used to transport goods by ship, rail, or truck.
- Cross-docking
- Unloading goods from an inbound truck or railcar and loading them straight onto an outbound one, with little or no storage in between. See cross-docking.
- Customs broker
- A licensed professional who helps importers and exporters through the customs process, including document preparation and tariff classification.
D
- Deck boards
- The planks that form the flat top and bottom surfaces of a pallet, where the cargo rests.
- Demurrage
- A fee charged when a container stays at the port or terminal beyond the free time allowed.
- Detention
- A fee charged when a truck or container is held longer than agreed, for example while it waits at a dock to be loaded or unloaded.
- Drayage
- The short-distance movement of shipping containers, typically between a port or rail yard and a warehouse. See drayage.
- Dry van
- An enclosed trailer without temperature control. It is the most common trailer for truckload freight.
- Dunnage
- Material such as airbags, wood, or padding used to fill space and keep cargo from shifting in transit.
E
- Edge Crush Test (ECT)
- A rating of how much stacking pressure a corrugated box can withstand. Choose a box rated for how high it will be stacked.
- Expedited shipping
- A faster-than-standard shipping service for time-sensitive freight. See expedited ground shipping.
F
- Flatbed
- An open trailer with no sides or roof, loaded from the side or the top. Used for machinery, building materials, and oversized freight.
- Four-way entry
- A pallet a forklift or pallet jack can enter from all four sides. The industry favorite for easy handling.
- Freight broker
- A company that arranges freight shipments between shippers and carriers without owning the trucks, matching each load to a vetted carrier.
- Freight class
- A standardized classification used to price LTL freight, based on density, handling, stowability, and liability. Density-rated items take their class from the NMFC’s density scale, in effect since July 19, 2025. Try our freight class lookup.
- Freight density
- A shipment’s weight per unit of volume, measured in pounds per cubic foot. For density-rated items, it sets the LTL freight class on the NMFC density scale. Use our density calculator.
- Fuel surcharge
- A charge added to a freight rate to reflect changing fuel prices, usually tied to a published diesel price index.
- Full truckload (FTL)
- A shipment that uses an entire trailer for one shipper’s freight, moving directly from origin to destination. See full truckload.
H
- Hazardous materials (hazmat)
- Substances that pose a risk to health, safety, or the environment in transport, regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation. See hazardous materials shipping.
I
- Indirect Air Carrier (IAC)
- A company that arranges air cargo transportation for shippers without operating the aircraft. RS Group is an Indirect Air Carrier.
- Intermodal transportation
- The use of two or more modes of transportation, such as truck, rail, or ship, to move goods from origin to destination.
L
- Less-than-truckload (LTL)
- A shipping method for shipments that do not need a full trailer, typically 150 to 15,000 pounds on up to 10 pallets. LTL carriers consolidate shipments from several shippers onto one truck. See LTL freight.
- Liftgate
- A powered platform at the back of a truck that lowers freight to the ground where there is no loading dock. Usually an accessorial charge.
- Limited access delivery
- A delivery to a location with restricted access, such as a school, a construction site, or a military base, which usually carries an extra charge.
- Linehaul
- The movement of freight between cities or terminals, as opposed to local pickup and delivery.
N
- NMFC
- The National Motor Freight Classification: the standard that assigns a freight class to commodities shipped by LTL.
P
- Pallet
- A flat, portable platform used to stack and secure goods for transportation. See our guide to shipping a pallet.
- Partial truckload (PTL)
- A shipment too large for LTL that does not need a whole trailer, typically 5,000 to 40,000 pounds or 5 to 14 pallets. See partial truckload.
- PRO number
- The tracking number an LTL carrier assigns to a shipment.
- Proof of delivery (POD)
- A document that confirms the consignee received the goods, often signed at delivery.
R
- Reefer
- A refrigerated, temperature-controlled trailer or container used to transport perishable goods. See refrigerated freight.
- Residential delivery
- A delivery to a home or a business run from a home, which usually carries an accessorial charge.
S
- Shipper
- The person or business sending a shipment, also called the consignor.
- Skid
- A platform similar to a pallet but without bottom deck boards, which makes it a space-efficient choice when stacking.
- Stringer pallet
- A pallet built on wooden “stringers”, usually three or more, that support its top and bottom deck boards.
T
- Terminal
- A carrier facility where LTL freight is sorted, consolidated, and transferred between trucks.
- Third-party logistics (3PL)
- A company that provides outsourced logistics and supply chain services, including warehousing, transportation, and inventory management.
- Tracking number
- A unique code assigned to a shipment that lets customers and carriers follow its status and location from pickup to delivery.
- Transloading
- Moving cargo from one container or mode of transport to another, such as from an ocean container into a domestic trailer. See container transloading.
- Two-way entry
- A pallet a forklift or pallet jack can enter from only two sides.
W
- Warehouse
- A large facility for storing goods before they ship to their final destination. See our Atlanta warehouse.
- White-glove service
- A premium delivery service that adds extra handling, such as inside delivery, unpacking, or placement.
Get Moving
Ready to move your freight?
Tell us the origin, destination, and what you are shipping. We will quote it and get it on a truck.