Appointment window

Truckload freight moves on appointments. A rate confirmation lists a pickup window at the shipper and a delivery window at the receiver, either a fixed time (a 14:00 appointment) or a range (08:00–14:00, often written “FCFS” when the dock takes trucks first come, first served).

The window matters because it is the reference point for everything that goes wrong. A driver who arrives inside the window and waits is owed detention after the free time runs out. A driver who arrives after the window is usually owed nothing and may pay a fee. A broker who knows at 6 a.m. that the truck cannot make a 2 p.m. window can call the receiver and move the appointment; a broker who finds out at 2:15 p.m. cannot.

That is why the practical question on every load in transit is not “where is the truck” but “will it make the window”: the ETA compared with the end of the appointment window. A load whose ETA falls after the window closes is late, whether or not anyone has said so yet; one whose ETA lands inside the last hour of the window is at risk.

The window is also the anchor for check calls. Asking the driver for location an hour before the window opens catches a problem while it can still be fixed; asking at the end of the day only confirms it.