What a rate con is
A rate confirmation is the contract for one load. It sits on top of the broker carrier agreement you signed during setup, which covers payment terms, insurance and claims for every load you ever haul for that broker. The rate con adds the details of this one load.
That split matters. When you get a rate con, the load details are on the page in front of you, but the rules about when and how you get paid often live in the agreement you signed weeks ago. Keep a copy of every agreement. Our own carrier agreement is published in full so you can read it before you sign it.
Treat the rate con as the only version of the deal that counts. Whatever was said on the phone, the signed paper is what a broker's accounting team will pay against. If the rate con says $1,800 and the call said $1,900, you agreed to $1,800 the moment you signed.
The load details to check
Start with the facts of the load, line by line, against your notes from the call.
| Line | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Rate | Line haul, fuel, and the total, as quoted |
| Stops | Every pickup and drop, with full addresses |
| Times | Appointment or FCFS window, and time zone |
| Equipment | Trailer type and length you actually have |
| Freight | Commodity, weight, piece or pallet count |
| References | Pickup, PO and load numbers for check in |
Time zones catch people. A delivery in Denver listed at 8:00 means Mountain time, and a pickup in Chicago at the same hour means Central. Run the lane through our lane finder to make sure the times are possible under your hours before you sign. Then check the weight. A load listed at 43,500 lb on a truck that cannot legally carry it is not a good rate at any price.
The fine print that costs money
The back half of a rate con is where the money leaks. Brokers add their own rules and fines, and signing means you agreed to all of them.
Common ones include fines for arriving late, for missing a daily check call, for not accepting a tracking link, for reporting damage or shortage after a deadline, and for sending paperwork late. Look for the time windows: a rule that says damage must be reported within two hours with photos is easy to break by accident at a busy dock.
Then find the accessorial terms. How long is free time before detention starts, and how do you have to report it to get paid? Some brokers only pay detention if you called at the one hour mark and got in and out times signed on the bill of lading. Know that before the clock starts, not after.
Last, look for a TONU amount, the truck ordered not used fee if the load cancels after you were dispatched.
When the load changes
Loads change after they are booked. A stop gets added, an appointment moves, the shipper is not ready and you wait six hours. Every change is a new deal, and it needs new paper.
Ask the broker to send a revised rate confirmation before you do the extra work. Name the change and the money: "Adding a second drop in Sumner, $150 stop charge, please send the updated rate con." If the broker will not put it in writing, assume it will not be paid.
Keep your own record as you go. Photos of the freight at loading, the bill of lading with in and out times, a text or email when you arrive and when you leave. When a dispute comes up a month later, the carrier with times and photos has the stronger case. A freight glossary helps when a rate con uses a term you do not know. Ask about anything you cannot explain before you sign.
Your right to the broker's record
Federal rules give you something many carriers never use. A broker must keep a record of every brokered transaction for three years, including the compensation the broker received and the freight charges it collected (49 CFR 371.3 (opens in a new tab)). The same section says each party to a brokered transaction has the right to review that record.
In plain words, as a party to the load, you are entitled to ask what the broker was paid. Some broker carrier agreements include a clause where the carrier waives that right, so check yours before you sign it. If the agreement is silent, the regulation stands.
You do not need to ask on every load. It is most useful when a rate looks far below what the lane should pay, or when you suspect a load was passed through more than one middleman. FMCSA's fraud guidance (opens in a new tab) describes that pattern as double brokering. More on getting paid for the load is in quick pay and factoring.