What is rate confirmation?
Also called rate con, load confirmation
A 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.
It states the linehaul rate, the pickup and delivery appointments, the commodity, any accessorial rates that apply, and the conditions for payment.
It sits underneath the broker-carrier agreement, which sets the standing relationship. The agreement is signed once; a rate confirmation is signed for every load.
What it means on a dispatch desk
This is the single document a dispatch desk should read in full every time, and the one most often skimmed because it looks the same as the last one. The clauses that change between otherwise identical confirmations are exactly the ones that cost money: detention terms, whether the free time is two hours or one, who pays lumpers, and what happens on a late delivery.
Related terms
- Broker-carrier agreementA broker-carrier agreement is the standing contract between a freight broker and a carrier that governs every load they move together. It is signed once during onboarding, not per load.
- 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.
- DetentionDetention is money owed to a carrier when a shipper or receiver holds the truck beyond the free time agreed for loading or unloading, usually two hours. It is billed by the hour after that window closes.
- LinehaulLinehaul is the base charge for moving freight from origin to destination, excluding fuel surcharge and every accessorial. It is the core of the rate.
- Proof of deliveryProof of delivery is the signed document confirming the receiver took the freight, usually the delivery copy of the bill of lading. It is what an invoice must be supported by before anyone pays it.
Knowing the term is the easy half
Knowing which carriers are worth calling this morning is the hard half.
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