What is linehaul?
Linehaul is the base charge for moving freight from origin to destination, excluding fuel surcharge and every accessorial. It is the core of the rate.
A load's total revenue is the linehaul plus the fuel surcharge plus whatever accessorials are earned. Quoted rates sometimes mean linehaul alone and sometimes mean everything, which is a frequent source of confusion.
Linehaul is what negotiation is usually about, since accessorials are governed by schedule and fuel surcharge by formula.
What it means on a dispatch desk
When comparing two offers, establish what each number includes before comparing them at all. A linehaul-only quote against an all-in quote is not a comparison, and confusing the two is how a desk talks itself into the worse load while believing it negotiated well.
Related terms
- Rate confirmationA rate confirmation is the document that sets the agreed price and terms for one specific load, issued by the broker and signed by the carrier before the truck moves. It governs that load only.
- AccessorialAn accessorial is any charge for work beyond moving the freight from origin to destination. Detention, layover, driver-assisted unloading, extra stops and tarping are all accessorials.
- Cost per mileCost per mile is a carrier's total operating cost divided by total miles driven, including empty ones. It is the number that decides whether a given rate is profitable.
- LaneA lane is a regular origin-to-destination pairing that a carrier runs repeatedly, such as Dallas to Atlanta. Rates, volumes and seasonality are all discussed per lane.
- Less than truckloadLess than truckload freight is a shipment too small to fill a trailer, combined with other shipments and moved through a network of terminals where it is sorted between trucks.
Knowing the term is the easy half
Knowing which carriers are worth calling this morning is the hard half.
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