Freight invoicing is a paperwork game. The haul is the easy part — getting paid depends on whether your invoice arrives with the right documents attached, referencing the right load number, inside the broker’s processing window.
Miss any of those and your 30-day terms quietly become 60.
Invoice the load
Load numbers, mileage, detention and accessorials on a clean PDF. Free, works from the cab.
Key takeaways
| Field | Example | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Load / pro number | Load #4417832 | How the broker matches your invoice |
| Carrier details | Name, MC number, DOT number | Required for carrier verification |
| Broker / shipper | Legal entity and AP address | Wrong entity = rejected invoice |
| Route | Kansas City, MO → Denver, CO | Ties the charge to the rate confirmation |
| Dates | Picked up 14 Sep · Delivered 15 Sep | Starts the detention and payment clocks |
| Line haul | Flat rate or rate/mile × miles | The base charge |
| Fuel surcharge | Per rate confirmation | Separate line, always |
| Accessorials | Detention, layover, lumper, tarp, etc. | Each with supporting documentation |
| Attachments | Signed BOL/POD, lumper receipt, scale ticket | No POD, no payment |
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line haul — Kansas City, MO to Denver, CO (load #4417832) | 603 mi | $2.45 | $1,477.35 |
| Fuel surcharge per rate confirmation | 603 mi | $0.38 | $229.14 |
| Detention at origin — 3.2 hrs beyond 2 free (signed) | 3.2 | $60 | $192 |
| Lumper fee — receipt attached | 1 | $135 | $135 |
| Tarping | 1 | $75 | $75 |
Invoice from the road
Open it in your phone browser, enter the load details, download and email the PDF. Free.
Detention, layover, TONU and lumper charges are legitimate and substantial, and they are the charges most often written off — not because brokers refuse them, but because carriers cannot prove them after the fact.
The rule is: get it signed while you are still there.
An accessorial with a signature and a timestamp gets paid. The same charge without one becomes a negotiation you usually lose.
Payment terms in freight start when the broker receives a complete invoice packet — not when you delivered. A day’s delay in sending is a day added to your terms, and an incomplete packet can reset the clock entirely. Invoice within 24 to 48 hours of delivery, with all documents attached.
Most brokers offer quick pay — payment in 1–3 days for a fee, typically 2–4%. Factoring companies advance a larger share for a similar cut. Both are expensive credit, and both are sometimes the right call when you need to cover fuel before the next load. Compare the fee against what the delay actually costs you rather than treating either as automatically bad.
Net 30 is the freight standard; Net 15 is achievable with established brokers. Whatever the terms, they only run from a clean invoice packet — which is why the documentation discipline above matters more than the terms themselves.
At minimum the signed bill of lading or proof of delivery. Add the rate confirmation, lumper receipts, scale tickets and signed detention records where they apply. Most non-payment in freight traces back to a missing document.
Per the rate confirmation — usually after two hours of free time, at an hourly rate. Record arrival and departure times and get them signed at the facility. Unsigned detention is very hard to collect.
It depends on your cash position. Factoring fees are meaningful, but so is being unable to take a load because you cannot cover fuel. Compare the fee against the cost of the delay rather than treating it as automatically bad.
Within 24–48 hours, with the complete document packet. Freight payment terms typically run from receipt of a complete invoice, so every day of delay is a day added to your terms.
Create your freight invoice
Free invoicing for owner-operators and small fleets — from any device.