Glossary of Auto Shipping Terms

BOL/Bill of Lading/Inspection Report – the piece(s) of paper on which the inspection of the vehicle is done prior to pick up and after drop off to ensure no damage has appeared while in the care of the driver, also serves as a receipt from the carrier company

Load/Booking/Order ID/Number – an assigned alphanumeric sequence which identifies a particular vehicle and it’s shipping details

DOT – Department of Transportation, governing body of the highways and truckers

Door to Door/Terminal – denotes the location from which the vehicle is picked up and dropped off at, door to door being from a home or business, terminal being from a towing yard or storage facility

Enclosed/Open Carrier – denotes the type of trailer on which a car will be transported, open carriers having no protection from the outside, enclosed carriers fully protecting the vehicles from the elements

INOP – inoperable, a non-running vehicle

Broker/Carrier – brokers connect customers with carriers, carriers haul the vehicles

COD/COP – Cash on Delivery/Pickup, the most common form of payment, cash or certified funds are given directly to the driver transporting the vehicle

Driveaway – an auto transport service which drives vehicles to their destinations