Use sound pallets
Broken boards and missing stringers cause loads to shift. Standard 48 x 40 inch pallets fit a trailer most efficiently.
Paperwork
Getting a bill of lading right
- Full shipper and consignee names, addresses and contact numbers
- Pickup and delivery reference or purchase order numbers
- Accurate piece count, package type and total weight
- A clear description of the commodity
- Special instructions, such as appointment times or handling notes
- Seal number, recorded before the driver leaves
A complete bill of lading is the single best way to prevent delivery delays and billing disputes.
Load prep
Packing freight for a dry van
Stretch-wrap tightly
Wrap from the pallet up, so the freight and pallet move as one unit.
Stack square
Keep cartons within the edges of the pallet. Overhang gets crushed.
Heaviest at the bottom
Put heavy cartons low and light ones on top to keep the load stable.
Label every pallet
Label at least two sides with consignee and piece information.
Tell us about fragile goods
Note do-not-stack or fragile freight on the bill of lading so it is loaded accordingly.
Glossary
Trucking terms, defined
- Bill of lading (BOL)
- The shipping document that lists the freight, shipper, consignee and terms. It serves as a receipt and a contract of carriage.
- Proof of delivery (POD)
- The bill of lading or delivery receipt signed by the receiver, confirming the freight arrived.
- Full truckload (FTL)
- A shipment that uses the whole trailer, or enough of it that no other freight shares the truck.
- Less than truckload (LTL)
- Smaller shipments combined with other customers' freight on the same trailer.
- Dry van
- An enclosed, non-temperature-controlled trailer, usually 53 feet long, for general freight.
- Reefer
- A refrigerated trailer used for temperature-controlled freight.
- Consignee
- The person or company receiving the shipment.
- Shipper
- The person or company sending the shipment.
- Drop and hook
- The carrier drops an empty trailer and hooks a loaded one instead of waiting for loading.
- Live load
- The driver waits at the dock while the trailer is loaded or unloaded.
- Detention
- Payment for time a truck is held at a facility beyond the agreed free time.
- Lumper
- A third-party worker or service that unloads freight at some receivers, for a fee.
- TONU
- Truck ordered, not used: a fee when a dispatched truck's load is cancelled.
- Deadhead
- Miles a truck drives empty, such as to reach a pickup.
- Accessorial
- Any charge beyond the line-haul rate, such as detention or a stop-off.
- Line haul
- The core transportation charge for moving freight from origin to destination.
- Hours of service (HOS)
- Federal rules that limit how long a commercial driver may drive and be on duty.
- ELD
- Electronic logging device: records a driver's hours of service automatically.
- DVIR
- Driver vehicle inspection report, completed to record the condition of the equipment.
- USDOT number
- The unique identifier the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration assigns to a carrier.
- MC number
- The motor carrier number that identifies a carrier's authority to haul regulated freight for hire across state lines.
- FMCSA
- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which regulates interstate trucking.
- SAFER
- FMCSA's public system for looking up a carrier's registration and safety information.
- Weigh out
- A load that reaches the legal weight limit before the trailer is full.
- Cube out
- A load that fills the trailer's space before reaching the weight limit.
- OS&D
- Overage, shortage and damage: discrepancies found at delivery and noted on the paperwork.
- Appointment
- A scheduled time window for pickup or delivery at a facility.
- Seal
- A numbered tamper-evident device on the trailer doors, recorded on the bill of lading.
Still have a question?
Ask us. We would rather answer it before pickup than sort it out after.