Rate confirmation template and checker for carriers

How the checker works

This rate confirmation checker reads the text you paste and runs 17 plain keyword rules on it. There's no scoring model and nothing hidden. Every rule is listed below with the words it looks for. The check runs in your browser; the text is never sent to us or saved, so you can paste a real rate con with names and numbers on it.

There are two kinds of rule. 13 rules look for terms a carrier-friendly rate con should state, and flag them when they're missing. 4 rules look for clauses that cost carriers money, and flag them when they're present.

Keyword rules are blunt. A rate con that says "no detention paid" still contains the word detention, so the checker counts it as found. Treat the result as a list of places to look, then read those lines yourself.

A worked example

Press "Try an EXAMPLE rate con" above. It loads a dry van load from Broker A to Carrier B: Joliet to Columbus, $1,650 all-in, net 30 from POD. The checker finds the load number, MC number, stops, freight, equipment, rate, payment terms and detention. It reports 4 missing terms: TONU, layover, lumper and a no re-brokering line. It also flags 3 clauses: a $100 fine per missed check call, a 4% quick pay fee, and a line saying the rate is subject to change.

Before signing, Carrier B would ask for a TONU amount, a layover rate, lumper reimbursement with receipt, and the no re-brokering line. The fine and the "subject to change" line are the ones to push back on. The detention line is there but weak: 3 hours free and capped at $200.

Reading the result

Missing terms

A missing term isn't always a problem on its own. A short local load may never need layover. But anything you agreed on the phone and don't see in writing is a term you'll have to argue for later, with the signed rate con against you. Ask for it before you sign, not after delivery.

Clauses to watch

Fines, deductions and "rate subject to change" language come straight off your settlement. A quick pay fee is optional, but compare it with your factoring rate before you choose it. A waiver clause deserves a slow read: brokers must keep a record of each transaction, and each party to it may review that record 308757. Some agreements ask the carrier to give that right up.

Using the rate confirmation template

In rate con trucking, the broker writes the document and you sign it. So the trucking rate confirmation template here works best as a reference: fill in what was agreed on the call, print it or save it as a PDF, and compare it line by line with what the broker sends. It also works when you book directly with a shipper and need the terms on paper. Not legal advice; keep your own company name on anything you sign.

Brokers usually issue rate cons from their own rate confirmation software or TMS, by email or an e-sign link. That's fine. What matters is what the document says, which is why the checker reads text rather than a particular format.

What to check next

The rate itself is the other half. The broker margin rate check shows how your rate compares with what the shipper likely paid, and the accessorial charges calculator prices detention, layover and TONU before you ask. For the full clause-by-clause method, read how a dispatcher reviews a rate confirmation, and for the agreement signed at setup, the broker-carrier agreement red flags checklist.

On our desk, these terms get negotiated before a load reaches you, and the broker then sends the rate con directly to you to sign. See how we work, browse more trucking tools, or send your application.