Rate confirmation
Also called Rate con, RC
A rate confirmation is the written agreement a broker sends before a load moves, stating the agreed rate, the pickup and delivery details, and the terms the carrier is accepting.
Last reviewed · by the fleetchart dispatch desk
The rate confirmation — almost always called a rate con — is the document that turns a phone conversation into a binding arrangement. It names the broker and the carrier, the load number, pickup and delivery locations with appointment times, the commodity and weight, and the money: line haul, fuel surcharge, and any agreed accessorials such as detention or extra stops.
It matters financially because it is the only record of what you were promised. When an invoice is short-paid, the rate con is what you point at. When a broker disputes detention, the rate con's terms decide it.
It is also the single richest document in a trucking business. Nearly every number needed to judge a load — rate, miles, origin, destination, broker, surcharges — is on that one page, which is why it is the first thing fleetchart reads.