Home › FAQ › Fuel hauling and dispatch
Fuel Hauling and Dispatch FAQ
What does a per-mile fuel hauling rate work out to per gallon?
Multiply the rate by the billed miles, add any fuel surcharge in dollars, divide by the gallons hauled, and multiply by 100 for cents. Bigger loads spread the same trip cost over more gallons, so the per-gallon cost falls as the load grows. Check whether the rate is billed one way or round trip: at the same rate, round-trip billing doubles the miles and the linehaul cost per gallon.
What is a split load?
A split load is collected in a single pickup and delivered to more than one destination, with the loaded volume allocated across the drops. Because each stop gets a share of one loaded quantity, discrepancies tend to surface at the last stop, which is why each drop needs its own delivery ticket tied back to the bill of lading.
Sources: Glossary: Split load, Why your fuel invoice doesn't match what you ordered
What is a carded terminal?
A carded terminal is a terminal where a carrier holds the credentials required to load, which grants its drivers access to that rack. A carrier can only lift at terminals where it is carded, so the list of carded terminals shapes which loads a carrier can take and is a basic part of matching carriers to loads.
Source: Glossary: Carded terminal
What is a loading number?
A loading number is a supplier-issued identifier authorising a carrier to lift product at a terminal, usually tied to a specific carrier, product, terminal and destination. Without it, the terminal will typically not release the product to the driver, so getting loading numbers is one of the steps between a booked load and a truck actually loading.
Source: Glossary: Loading number
What is a blind bid?
A blind bid is a bidding arrangement in which each carrier submits pricing without seeing competing bids, and only the load owner sees the full set. Carriers price on their own costs rather than reacting to each other, and the load owner compares every offer side by side before choosing one.
Source: Glossary: Blind bid
What is the difference between a load board and a TMS?
A load board is a marketplace for finding and posting available freight. A transportation management system (TMS) is operational software for planning, executing and settling it. One finds the load; the other runs it. Many bulk liquid operations still bridge the two with spreadsheets and email, and the manual work sits in the seams between systems.
Sources: Glossary: Load board vs TMS, Load board, TMS, or spreadsheets, FMCSA, Definitions of Broker and Bona Fide Agents (2023)