What Is a Rate Confirmation? A Line-by-Line Guide

The rate confirmation is the most important piece of paper on any load. It's the contract between you and the broker for that one shipment, and it decides what you get paid, what you're responsible for and what you can claim when things go wrong. Most owner-operators sign them in a hurry. Here's what to read before you do.

What a rate confirmation is

A rate confirmation, or rate con, is the broker's written agreement with your company for a single load. You usually get it by email after you agree on the phone, and you sign and send it back before pickup.

It sits on top of the broker-carrier agreement you signed in the broker's setup packet. The packet sets the general rules for every load with that broker.

The rate con sets the details for this one: where, when, what and how much. If the two conflict, read both carefully, because the general agreement can contain terms like fines or payment deductions that apply to every load.

The rule that matters most: if it isn't on the rate con, it isn't agreed. A promise on the phone about detention, tarp pay or a quick turnaround is worth nothing if it's missing from the paper.

A rate con, line by line

The money section

This is where most disputes start, so read it twice.

• Linehaul rate. The base pay for moving the load. Some brokers list one all-in number that includes fuel. Others list linehaul and fuel surcharge separately. Know which one you're looking at before you compare it to your cost per mile.
• Fuel surcharge. If it's listed separately, check the amount. Many brokers tie it to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's weekly diesel price. If it's not, the rate is all-in. Here's how fuel surcharge is calculated.
• Accessorials. Detention (free time and hourly rate), layover, TONU, tarp pay, stop-off pay, lumper reimbursement and driver assist. Every one you expect to be paid for should be listed with a dollar amount. Lumper terms matter most at grocery and retail warehouses: here's how lumper fees get reimbursed.
• Total. Add the lines yourself. It should match what you agreed on the phone.

Our own fee is a flat percentage of your weekly gross, fuel and accessorials included, so every dollar on the rate con counts toward it. Here's how our flat fee works on a real load.

The fine print

Below the load details, most rate cons have terms that apply to this load. Look for:

• Payment terms. How many days after delivery the broker pays, and whether quick pay is offered and at what cost.
• Paperwork deadlines. How soon the signed BOL and invoice must be submitted. Some brokers cut or delay pay if paperwork is late.
• Tracking requirements. Whether you must use a tracking app or make check calls at set times, and whether there's a penalty if you don't.
• Fines and deductions. Late fees, missed-appointment fees or charges for missing updates. These are negotiable before you sign, not after.
• No re-brokering clause. Standard and fair: you're agreeing to haul it yourself.
• Claims terms. What happens if freight is damaged, and how claims are deducted.

Keep every signed rate con with the bill of lading, proof of delivery and any revisions in one load file. You'll need it to invoice, to factor the load, to file a detention claim and, if it ever comes to it, in a payment dispute. Our detention pay calculator works out what a claim is worth.

Red flags on a rate con

• A different carrier name or MC than yours, or a request to change it "for the system"
• A broker name or MC that doesn't match FMCSA's records or the company you called
• Missing addresses, or "address to follow"
• Accessorials you agreed to on the phone that aren't there
• A rate far above what the lane pays, sent from a free email account
• Deductions or fines that weren't mentioned when you agreed to the load

Any of these means stop and verify before you move the truck. Here's how to check a broker in a few minutes.

When something changes after booking

Appointments move. Shippers add a stop. A load turns out heavier than listed. When anything changes after you sign, ask for a revised rate confirmation before you act on it.

A text saying "we'll take care of the extra stop" won't get you paid. A revised rate con with the stop-off pay listed will.

If the broker won't send a revision, at least get the change and the agreed pay in an email that references the load number. Save it with the load file.

A 60-second check before you sign

1. Your company name, MC and USDOT are right.
2. The broker matches FMCSA's records and the person you spoke to.
3. Pickup and delivery addresses, dates and times are complete and workable.
4. Commodity, weight and equipment requirements fit your truck and insurance.
5. The rate matches what you agreed, and every accessorial is listed with an amount.
6. Payment terms, paperwork deadlines and any fines are acceptable.

When you work with us, your dispatcher reads every rate con before it reaches you and gets missing terms added before you accept. New to the terms on it? Our trucking glossary defines them, and our guide to collecting detention and TONU shows why the accessorial lines matter.