Freight broker terms, defined in plain words
Trucking runs on shorthand. A broker says “TONU,” a rate con says “net 30 from receipt of POD,” a setup packet asks about “MC age,” and everyone assumes you know what they mean. This glossary explains freight broker terms the way you'd explain them to a new driver: what the word means, where you'll see it, and why it matters to your money or your truck. Search below or jump to a letter. Every definition is written for carriers, from the carrier's side of the deal, and none of them assume you've worked in an office.
B
- Broker fee
- The share of the shipper's rate a broker keeps after paying the carrier, also called the broker margin.
C
- Carrier
- The company with motor carrier authority that hauls the freight, signs the rate con and gets paid for the load.
M
- Mc age requirement
- A broker's rule that a carrier's MC authority must be active for a minimum time before it will set the carrier up.
S
- Shipper
- The business that has freight to move and pays to have it moved, often through a broker.
Six terms you'll meet on almost every load
- Rate confirmation
- The broker's written agreement for one load: rate, stops, terms. The carrier reads it and signs it.
- POD
- Proof of delivery, the signed bill of lading. Brokers bill and pay from it, so send it the same day.
- Detention
- Pay for waiting at a shipper or receiver beyond the free time written on the rate con.
- TONU
- Truck ordered, not used: a payment when a load cancels after you were dispatched.
- Lumper
- A paid unloading crew at a receiver. The rate con should say who pays and how.
- Quick pay
- Payment within days instead of weeks, for a percentage of the invoice.
How to use this glossary
Each term has its own short page with a plain definition, an example of how it shows up on a real load, the questions to ask when you see it, and a link to the tool or guide that goes deeper. Where a term comes from a federal rule, the page cites the rule and the date we checked it. The list is growing; new terms are added as we write the guides that use them.
Some terms mean different things to different people. “Broker fee” can mean the broker's margin or a fee a broker charges the carrier. Where that happens, the term page explains both and tells you which one to ask about. For the bigger picture behind the words, start with our broker guides.
A tip for new carriers: when a broker or a document uses a term you don't know, ask before you agree to anything. Brokers explain their own wording all day, and asking costs nothing. Agreeing to a clause you didn't understand can cost a load's worth of pay, especially when the term decides when detention starts, what counts as late, or when the payment clock begins. Write the answer down, and if it affects your pay, ask for it in writing on the rate con.