Austin Logistics

define by what each one is authorized to do: a carrier moves the freight on its own authority, a broker arranges transport without touching it, a forwarder consolidates and issues its own bill of lading on the international leg -- and note that FMCSA licenses them separately

explain operating authority as the license to arrange or perform for-hire interstate transport, distinct from the USDOT number which is a safety identifier; a private fleet hauling only its own goods needs the USDOT number, not the MC authority

describe re-brokering a load without the shipper's consent, and the concrete harm: the shipper can end up paying twice when the first broker pockets the money and the actual carrier files a Carmack claim against the cargo owner

explain it as the federal framework governing interstate cargo liability, that it preempts most state claims, and that carriers can lawfully limit liability by released value if properly disclosed -- point to the bill of lading terms, never quote a recovery amount

detention is compensation for the driver's time held beyond free time at a facility; explain that free time and hourly rates are contractual, so the number comes from the rate confirmation, not from an industry standard

detention is on the equipment away from the terminal, demurrage is on cargo or a container sitting at the terminal -- and on the ocean side the FMC regulates how those charges may be billed

explain the mechanism -- a peg price, a miles-per-gallon assumption and the DOE weekly diesel average -- but every carrier's table is its own; ask to see the FSC schedule rather than assuming a standard

explain NMFC classification by density, stowability, handling and liability, and that a reweigh-and-reclass inspection at the terminal is the usual trigger; density is the piece shippers most often get wrong

drayage is the short move between port or ramp and the warehouse, performed by a different carrier under a different contract, and it is where chassis fees, per diem and port congestion charges land

electronic logging devices replaced paper logs and made hours-of-service enforcement automatic, which tightened effective driver productivity and made schedule promises that assume flexible hours unrealistic

explain duty deferral, inversion and elimination on re-exports as the mechanism, then say the answer depends on the client's duty rates, volumes and whether they re-export -- it is a spreadsheet question, not a yes or no

distinguish carrier legal liability -- which is limited and requires proving fault -- from all-risk cargo insurance the shipper buys; whether a specific load is covered depends on the policy and the commodity exclusions

explain spot versus contract, capacity leaving the market, fuel surcharge and accessorial creep, and seasonality -- never state a rate; ask what the two quotes were actually for, because reclassification and accessorials explain most 'same lane' surprises

frame it as buying price certainty versus buying flexibility, and explain that in 2026 the spot-over-contract premium inverted, which changes the usual advice -- the right answer depends on their volume consistency and tolerance for tender rejection

point to FMCSA's public SAFER and Licensing and Insurance systems by name, and say to check authority status, the insurance filing on record and the date the authority was granted -- a very new authority on an old MC number is the classic 'sold MC' fraud signal

give the concrete controls: no-re-brokering language in the contract, verify authority and insurance at tender, confirm the truck and driver at pickup, pay only the carrier on the rate confirmation, and treat unexplained email domain or phone changes as a stop signal