Freight shipping guides & rate resources
Practical guides on FTL vs LTL shipping, freight rate calculation, carrier vetting, and reducing freight costs. From a licensed freight broker.
- Carrier Packet Checklist: What Brokers Need From You — Carriers · 2026-09-28 · 6 min read
A carrier packet is the set of documents a broker needs before it can book you on a load: authority, W-9, certificate of insurance and a signed agreement. Here's the full checklist and the mistakes that hold up setup. - Detention Pay and Accessorial Charges in Trucking — Carriers · 2026-09-28 · 6 min read
Detention pay is what a carrier is owed when a facility holds the truck past the free time in the rate confirmation. Here's how detention, layover, TONU and lumper charges work, and the records you need to collect them. - What Is Double Brokering? Warning Signs and Defenses — Shippers · 2026-09-28 · 7 min read
Double brokering is when the party you hired to move a load hands it to another carrier without your authorization. Here's how it works, why you can end up paying twice, and the checks that stop it. - Freight Class and NMFC Codes: How to Find Yours — How-To · 2026-09-28 · 7 min read
Freight class is a number from 50 to 500 that sets the price of an LTL shipment. Here's how density decides it, how to calculate yours, and what happens when the class on the bill of lading is wrong. - What Are Freight Lane Rates? How a Lane Gets Priced — Rates & Markets · 2026-09-28 · 7 min read
A freight lane rate is the going price to move a truckload between one origin market and one destination market. Here's what sets it, why the return trip costs a different amount, and how to read a lane before you quote. - Quick Pay vs. Factoring: How Carriers Get Paid Faster — Carriers · 2026-09-28 · 7 min read
Quick pay is a broker paying your invoice early, usually for a fee. Factoring is selling your invoices to a third party for cash now. Here's how each works, what each costs, and how to choose. - What Is a Rate Confirmation? How to Read a Rate Con — Carriers · 2026-09-28 · 6 min read
A rate confirmation is the document a broker sends a carrier for each load, stating the rate, the stops and the terms. Here's what each section means and what to check before you sign. - Reefer vs. Dry Van: Which Trailer Your Freight Needs — Shippers · 2026-09-28 · 7 min read
A dry van is an enclosed trailer with no temperature control. A reefer is an insulated trailer with its own refrigeration unit. Here's how they differ in capacity and cost, and how to decide which one your freight needs. - Spot vs. Contract Freight Rates: When Each Costs Less — Rates & Markets · 2026-09-28 · 6 min read
A spot rate is a one-time price for one load at today's market. A contract rate is a price agreed in advance for a lane over a set period. Here's how each works and how to split your freight between them. - What Is a Bill of Lading (BOL)? Fields and Types — How-To · 2026-09-28 · 7 min read
A bill of lading is the document a carrier issues when it takes your freight. It is a receipt, a contract of carriage and, in some forms, a document of title. Here's what goes in each field and how to sign one at delivery. - What Drives Freight Rates? Capacity, Season and Fuel — Rates & Markets · 2026-09-28 · 6 min read
Freight rates move on three things: the balance of trucks to loads, the time of year, and the price of diesel. Here's how each one works and what to watch. - What Is FSC in Trucking? Fuel Surcharge Meaning and Math — Rates & Markets · 2026-07-20 · 7 min read
FSC stands for fuel surcharge — the variable fuel line on a freight invoice, indexed to the EIA weekly diesel price. Here's how it's calculated and how to check yours. - How Are Freight Rates Calculated? The Per-Mile Math — Rates & Markets · 2026-07-20 · 7 min read
A freight rate is linehaul + fuel surcharge + accessorials. Here's the per-mile math behind each layer, what moves lane rates week to week, and how brokers actually price a load. - Freight Claims: What They Are and How to File One — Shippers · 2026-07-20 · 8 min read
A freight claim is a written legal demand for payment when cargo is lost or damaged in transit. Here's the step-by-step process, the deadlines under the Carmack Amendment, and why claims get denied. - Freight Cost Reduction Checklist for Truckload Shippers — Shippers · 2026-07-20 · 8 min read
A six-point checklist to lower freight costs without switching carriers or reopening a contract — plus the tools that catch contract and rate errors before they hit your invoice. - FTL vs. LTL: how to choose the right shipping mode — Shippers · 2026-06-19 · 4 min read
The wrong mode choice costs more than the rate difference. Here's how to pick before you quote. - How to Vet a Freight Carrier: FMCSA, CSA & Insurance — Shippers · 2026-06-19 · 4 min read
Insurance certificates, CSA scores, and safety ratings — what to check and what the numbers mean. - What carriers should look for in a freight broker — Carriers · 2026-06-19 · 4 min read
Not all brokers are equal. Here's how to evaluate a broker before you haul their freight. - What does a freight broker do? Role, fees and value — Shippers · 2026-06-19 · 4 min read
A broker isn't a middleman markup. Here's what the margin covers and when using one beats going direct.