Truckload rates are the costs to hire a freight carrier, broker, or third-party logistics (3PL) company to haul a shipper’s load. DAT is a freight data and analytics tool that provides market data for truckload rates, yet it doesn’t account for live updates due to incidents like weather. This guide explains what’s included in truckload rates, what changes them, and how to compare quotes accurately.
Key Takeaways:
Learn how to work with a freight professional for reliable truckload rates.
Truckload rates are the total quoted transportation cost of freight services between a shipper and a transportation provider. Carriers, brokers, and 3PLs provide truckload rates via a freight bill or Bill of Lading (BoL) for the following services:
Truckload rates vary depending on the shipping mode required. There are five truckload shipping modes:
Freight experts like brokers assess the size, weight, and transit distance of your load to calculate freight costs, and use freight data tools like DAT to review market prices.
However, DAT doesn’t always account for emergencies that disrupt transportation and affect truckload rates, like severe weather or incidents like bridge collapses. Shippers can rely on freight brokers in contact with trucks on the road to report these incidents and predict accurate rate changes in real-time.
“We drive real relationships with our carriers to learn their needs and capabilities and match them with our shoppers. We do our best to analyze a carrier’s performance, compliance, and rates to match them to the shipper's needs. The better we are at building a solid relationship with our carriers and shippers, the easier we can match,” said Tom Aumann, Certified Procurement Expert at USA Truckload Shipping
In the next section, we’ll discuss how shippers can assess linehaul fees per shipping mode.
A linehaul is a freight shipping route for carriers to deliver freight through a logistics network. From port to warehouse to road, linehauls help goods move in the right direction through various pickup and delivery locations.
Truckload rates per linehaul are determined on factors like distance, equipment, and location. We’ll review each in the following sections.
A lane is a route between two specific locations, such as city-to-city, regional, or national destinations.
Local lanes are shorter than national lanes due to the number of stops and total distance of the shipment.
A broker helps shippers determine the best lane for their load based on the following factors:
Shippers using the following shipping modes will receive different truckload rates based on the size of the load:
Shippers using the following shipping modes will receive different truckload rates based on the size of the load:
In the next section, we’ll review how the equipment needed for these shipping modes can affect your freight rate.
Equipment requirements can change the final rate when a shipment needs specialized trailers, cargo securement, or loading and unloading support.
Additional services like liftgates and white glove delivery are used to accommodate shippers or receivers at an extra fee. A liftgate is an electric platform attached on the rear of a truck to load and unload heavy freight. White glove is a specialized delivery process used to deliver freight inside a location and/or lightly assemble the delivered product.
Pickup and delivery conditions can increase both transit risk and total cost. Limited dock access, restricted receiving location hours, congested urban routes, and construction detours can lead to delays. This can add fees to the cost of your shipment.
Freight brokers can assist shippers with each of these linehaul issues by coordinating with carriers to use the appropriate loading equipment and correct lanes to reduce costly freight damage and route delays.
In the next section, we’ll review common truckload accessorial charges shippers face.
An accessorial charge is a fee added to a shipment when it requires additional services. We’ll go over the most common types you may encounter in the following sections.
Detention is a penalty charged by carriers when shippers hold transportation equipment past the “free time” agreed upon by the shipper and carrier. Transportation equipment can include containers, trailers, and trucks.
Shippers or receivers are allotted time to unload their freight from containers after delivery before returning the container to the driver. If they go over that time and stall the driver from getting back on the road, shippers may pay up to $100 an hour each hour the equipment is held.
Layover is a longer delay that prevents a driver from completing a planned pickup or delivery within the same operating period. Layovers can happen if the shipper’s freight isn’t ready to be loaded and the driver is then paid up to $500 per day by the carrier, a fee added to the shipper’s invoice.
When freight handling and location issues arises, accessorial charges like the following may be applied:
In the next session, we’ll discuss fuel surcharges, another accessorial charge that is commonly applied to a shipper’s invoice based on freight data.
A fuel surcharge is a charge carriers add to a shipper’s truckload rate to offset fuel costs. Depending on the pricing agreement, the fuel surcharge may be calculated as a percentage, a flat add-on, or a per-mile mount.
Shippers and freight providers can use DAT’s load boards to view national fuel prices gathered from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). While DAT updates data in real-time, shippers may lose time and money eyeing fuel costs to book at a preferred rate.
Freight brokers are able to review this information in real-time and book lanes for shippers with reliable rates for their linehaul.
Shippers can request quotes from multiple freight providers to ensure their transportation needs are met with the right expert.
Use our checklist to compare quotes apples to apples and follow up with a freight broker to find the right freight transporter for you.
This checklist helps shippers compare freight quotes with the desired truckload rates to move freight.
At USA Truckload, we’re a team of freight brokers and carriers with experience navigating rates that change overnight. When you work with our brokers, we help you stay current with freight rates to secure lanes without the guesswork.
“We focus on people, process, and technology. We have the best brokers and carriers with a solid process and give them the technology to execute efficiently on behalf of our customers. We give you a price [and] we hold the price. We’re going to do everything we can to move the load. We do what we say and say what we do,” said Tom Aumann, Certified Procurement Expert at USA Truckload Shipping.
What we do:
Typical timeline: We’ll compile our data to provide a truckload rate estimate within 10 minutes of a phone call or quote request.
What you’ll need: Freight dimensions (weight, width, height), commodity type, freight origin and destination, and time and cost sensitivity to match shipping mode, like LTL or FTL. We deliver expedited upon request.
Why choose us: We are a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) certified and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) compliant 3PL team of licensed brokers and carriers with 60+ years experience consulting and shipping freight of various commodities anywhere in the United States.
Outcome: You receive real-time, accurate truckload rates to ship goods anytime with our network of over 22,000+ carriers certified and FMCSA-compliant to move your load.
Get a quote or consultation from our freight experts or give us a call at (866)-353-7178 today to get started.
What are truckload rates?
Truckload rates are prices shippers agree to pay freight providers (brokers, carriers, or 3PLs) to move freight from one location to another. Truckload rates include costs like shipping modes (LTL or FTL), accessorial charges, and additional services like white glove delivery.
What increases truckload rates?
Truckload rates are subject to changes due to national rates for fuel and trailer types, weather, and seasonal disruptions that can tighten or loosen freight capacity.
How can shippers avoid accessorial charges?
Accessorial charges can be avoided by shippers providing accurate freight details (weight, commodity, freight classification, etc.) and confirming appointments to pickup and deliver.
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