A rate confirmation, often shortened to "rate con", is the document a freight broker sends a carrier to confirm the details and the price of one load. Once the carrier signs it, it is the written agreement for that shipment: what is being moved, where, when and for how much.
The broker-carrier agreement sets the general terms between the two companies. The rate confirmation applies those terms to a single load.
Why it matters
It is the carrier's proof of what it will be paid. Carriers and factoring companies use it to invoice.
It is the broker's proof of what was agreed. Pickup time, equipment and special instructions are in writing.
It settles disputes. Arguments over detention, a missed appointment or an extra stop are decided by what the rate confirmation says.
It is a record you are expected to keep. Brokers must keep a record of each transaction.
What a rate confirmation should include
Section | Details |
|---|---|
Parties | Broker name, MC number and contact; carrier legal name, MC and USDOT numbers, dispatcher and driver contact |
Load reference | Your load number, plus the shipper's pickup or PO number |
Pickup | Facility name, full address, date, appointment time or window, contact |
Delivery | Facility name, full address, date, appointment time or window, contact |
Freight | Commodity, weight, piece or pallet count, dimensions if relevant, value if high |
Equipment | Trailer type and length; temperature for reefer; tarps, straps or other gear |
Rate | Line haul amount and what it covers; fuel surcharge if separate |
Accessorials | Detention terms and rate, layover, lumper handling, extra stops, truck ordered not used |
Payment | Terms, quick-pay option, where to send the invoice, documents required |
Instructions | Tracking requirements, check calls, seal and photo requirements |
Conditions | No re-brokering, reference to the broker-carrier agreement |
Signature | Carrier's name, signature and date |
Rate confirmation template
A plain version you can adapt:
Load number: ________ Date issued: ________
Broker: name, MC number, contact, phone, email
Carrier: legal name, MC number, USDOT number, dispatcher, driver name and phone, truck and trailer numbers
Pickup: facility, address, date, time or window, reference number, contact
Delivery: facility, address, date, time or window, reference number, contact
Commodity: ________ Weight: ________ Pieces/pallets: ________
Equipment: ________ Temperature: ________
Line haul rate: $________ Fuel surcharge: $________ Total: $________
Detention: free time of ____ hours, then $____ per hour, with in and out times on the bill of lading
Other accessorials: ________
Payment terms: ____ days from receipt of invoice and signed proof of delivery
Send invoices to: ________
Special instructions: ________
Carrier agrees not to re-broker or assign this load.
Carrier signature, name and date: ________
Mistakes that cause disputes
Vague appointment times. "Monday" is not an appointment. Write the time or the window.
No detention terms. If free time and the hourly rate are not written down, expect an argument.
Changes agreed by phone. A new stop or a new rate needs a revised rate confirmation, signed again.
Wrong carrier name. The legal name and MC number must match the carrier you vetted. A mismatch is also a fraud signal: see what double brokering is.
Sending it to an unverified email. Send it to the contact from the carrier packet, not to a new address supplied mid-conversation.
For carriers: check before you sign
The rate and what it includes.
Pickup and delivery times you can meet.
Detention and layover terms.
Payment terms and where to send paperwork.
That the broker's name and MC number match the company you spoke to.
Creating them faster
Typing each rate confirmation by hand is slow and is where errors enter. In a TMS, the load already holds the stops, the freight, the carrier and the rate, so the rate confirmation is generated from it, sent for electronic signature and stored with the load. Margin is visible at the same moment: our free freight margin calculator shows the same sum for a single load. Our guide to freight broker software covers the rest.
See what an AI-native TMS looks like.
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