P1-01: Who's Who in Freight

Full transcript

Welcome to P1-01, Who’s Who in Freight. Every shipment has a cast of characters, and before you can run freight correctly, you need to know who each player is and what they are responsible for. The shipper, sometimes called the consignor, is the company or facility tendering the freight. This is usually where the freight begins. The consignee is the party receiving the freight. Sometimes the consignee is our customer’s customer, so the receiving facility may be where our service is judged most directly. The motor carrier is the company that physically transports the freight. The carrier provides the truck and driver and holds the operating authority to perform the transportation. A property broker does something different. The broker arranges transportation by connecting a customer’s freight with qualified transportation capacity. Remember the key distinction: the broker arranges transportation, and the carrier performs transportation. These are different legal roles with different authority, insurance, documentation, and liability responsibilities. At ATS, you must know which authority is moving the load before you speak about it. Never describe brokered freight as if it moved on company equipment.