Why each item matters
A freight quote is only as good as the information behind it. When a detail is missing, whoever is quoting has two choices: stop and ask, or guess. Guessing is how quotes change after booking, or how the wrong truck shows up. Some details mostly move the price, some mostly move the schedule, and several move both.
Lane and facility type
ZIP codes set the lane and the mileage, but the facility type matters almost as much. A dock-to-dock move between two warehouses is very different from a delivery to a jobsite with a gravel road, or a retail DC with strict appointment rules. Facility type tells a carrier what equipment fits and what to ask next.
Dates and times
The ready date and the required delivery date together set the transit window. If the window is tight, the load may need a dedicated or expedited plan. If it's flexible, there may be more economical options. Be honest about the ready time: a truck that arrives before the freight is ready can lead to detention charges.
Commodity, count and dimensions
What the freight is and how it's packaged tells a carrier whether it belongs in a dry van, on a flatbed or on a hotshot. Count and dimensions show how much deck or floor space it uses, and whether anything is too tall, wide or long for standard equipment. Measure as it ships, on the pallet or in the crate. These details also end up on the paperwork: a motor carrier's bill of lading must show the shipper and receiver, the origin and destination, the number of packages, a description of the freight and, where it affects the rate, its weight, volume or measurement (49 CFR 373.101).
Weight and stackability
Legal weight limits often cap a trailer before space does, especially for dense freight like beverages, paper or metal. On the Interstate the whole rig, truck, trailer and freight together, is held to 80,000 lb gross (FHWA size and weight overview, May 2003). Stackability changes how many floor positions the load needs, which can turn a full truckload into a partial or the other way around. As a rule of thumb, a 53 ft dry van takes about 26 pallets of 48 × 48 that cannot stack, more if they can be stacked, weight permitting. The pallet calculator runs the numbers for your pallets.
Loading, unloading and appointments
Whether freight loads at a dock, by forklift from the side or by crane decides the trailer type. Appointment requirements, and especially who books them, decide scheduling and how much waiting time the truck is exposed to. FMCSA's February 16, 2024 notice on driver detention says industry, government and researchers have commonly defined detention as more than 2 hours of dwell time at a facility. These are the details most often left out, and the ones most likely to cause extra charges; the accessorial charges guide shows what published schedules list for waiting time.
Special handling and contacts
Tarps, upright-only freight, high-value goods and any hazmat information from the shipper all affect equipment and planning. For hazardous materials the duty sits with the shipper: under 49 CFR 172.200, each person who offers a hazardous material for transportation describes it on the shipping paper. Contact names and reference numbers keep pickup and delivery moving: the driver knows who to call and the receiver can match the load to the order.
The trailer extras
Dry van. The receiver usually sets the rules. Pallet footprint and whether pallets turn or stack decide floor positions; PO numbers by pallet let a distribution center check the load in; and a named appointment owner with a confirmation number keeps the slot from falling between shipper, receiver and carrier. The retail DC delivery guide covers what receivers check at the door.
Flatbed. The load rides in the open, so three things come up on every call. Tarps: whether the load must stay dry, which tarp, and how far it hangs down the sides. Size: a load over 102 inches wide needs an oversize permit (23 CFR 658.15), and while there is no federal height limit, FHWA lists state limits from 13.6 to 14.6 feet. Securement: 49 CFR 393.110 sets the minimum number of tie-downs by each piece's length and weight, so the driver needs to know where chains or straps can attach.
Hotshot. Margins are thin on a light truck, so the exact weight including crating and attachments, the feet of deck the load uses, and the loading equipment at both ends (a hotshot has no liftgate) decide whether one truck can do it at all.
Not sure. A photo with a tape measure in frame, or a spec sheet, plus how it shipped last time, answers most equipment questions in one step. The trailer selector in the sidebar narrows it down in five questions.
Worked example (illustrative)
A fabricator has six bundles of structural steel, each 30 ft long, going from its plant to a jobsite on a flatbed. They know the lane, the ready date, the commodity, the count, the dimensions, the weight, the loading method (forklift at the plant, crane at the jobsite), that the jobsite needs no appointment, the special handling (edge protection), the legal size and the securement points. They have not yet confirmed the delivery date, whether the bundles can stack, the jobsite contact, or the tarp.
| Core points ticked: 14 + 10 + 7 + 7 + 12 + 12 + 7 + 6 + 6 | 81 of 100 |
| Flatbed extras ticked: legal size 7 + securement 6 | 13 of 20 |
| Score: (81 + 13) ÷ 120 = 0.783, × 100, rounded | 78: Almost there |
| Still missing, most points first | Delivery date 10 · tarp 7 · stackability 5 · contacts 4 |
| After confirming the delivery date: 104 ÷ 120 = 0.867 | 87: Ready to send (nothing worth 10+ points left) |
| Securement check: a 30 ft bundle not blocked against forward movement needs 2 tie-downs for the first 10 ft plus 1 for each further 10 ft (49 CFR 393.110) | 2 + 2 = 4 per bundle at minimum |
The note the button adds to our form would read: "Checklist: 87/100; missing: Tarp need and drop, Stackability, Contacts and references".