Glossary
Glossary of invoice and contract terms
Short, plain definitions of the words on waste-hauling, freight and packaging invoices and the contracts behind them. Link to any term with its anchor, for example /resources/glossary#evergreen-clause.
Waste
- Service charge (waste)
- The agreed charge for a container size and pickup frequency, usually monthly for dumpsters.
- Haul (pull) charge
- The charge each time a roll-off or compactor is emptied, usually billed with disposal by the ton.
- Disposal (tipping) fee
- The charge per ton at the landfill or transfer station, passed through on roll-off and compactor invoices. Scale tickets are the evidence.
- Container rental
- A monthly charge for the container itself, when it is not included in the service charge.
- Environmental or recovery fee
- A fee line added to a hauling invoice, often a percentage of the service charge. Whether it is allowed depends on the agreement.
- Overage
- A charge for material above or beside a container, or beyond its weight limit.
- Contamination charge
- A charge when a recycling container holds material that isn’t accepted. Should come with a dated photo.
- Dry run
- A charge when a truck arrives and can’t service a container, for example because it is blocked.
- Compactor
- Equipment that compresses waste into a container so it is emptied less often. Usually leased or bought, then hauled per pull.
- Baler
- A machine that compresses cardboard (OCC) or other recyclables into bales that can be sold or collected separately from trash.
- OCC
- Old corrugated containers: used cardboard, the most common recyclable from docks.
Freight
- Accessorial
- Any freight charge beyond the basic linehaul: special equipment, services at pickup or delivery, inspections and waiting time.Freight accessorials explained.
- Linehaul
- The base charge for moving freight from origin to destination, before fuel and accessorials.
- Fuel surcharge
- A charge added to cover fuel cost changes, usually a percentage of linehaul that moves with a published diesel price.
- DOE (EIA) diesel index
- The weekly U.S. average retail price for on-highway diesel published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, part of the Department of Energy, from a Monday survey of retail outlets.
- Liftgate
- A hydraulic platform on a truck used to lower freight where there is no dock. Billed as an accessorial when used.
- Reweigh
- A carrier’s correction to the declared weight after weighing a shipment, often with an inspection fee.
- Re-class
- A carrier’s correction to the declared freight class after inspection. Changes the rate.
- NMFC freight class
- The classification system for LTL freight maintained by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association. Docket 2025-1, effective July 19, 2025, moved many items to density-based classes.
- Detention
- A charge for a driver’s waiting time beyond the free time allowed at pickup or delivery.
- Dimensional weight
- A parcel’s volume (length × width × height in inches) divided by the carrier’s divisor. Carriers bill the greater of dimensional and actual weight.Right-sizing boxes.
- Dimensional divisor
- The cubic inches per pound a carrier uses for dimensional weight. UPS and FedEx publish 139 for daily rates; agreements can change it.
- Delivery area surcharge
- A parcel charge for deliveries to ZIP codes a carrier lists as remote or extended areas.
Packaging and pallets
- ECT
- Edge crush test: a measure of corrugated board’s stacking strength, used to specify boxes.
- Burst (Mullen) test
- A measure of corrugated board’s resistance to rupture, an alternative way to specify boxes.
- RSC
- Regular slotted container: the standard box with four flaps top and bottom.
- Right-sizing
- Matching box sizes to what ships in them, to cut void fill, dimensional weight and damage.
- Gaylord box
- A large corrugated bulk bin, usually sized to a 48 × 40 inch pallet. An IBC tote is the liquid equivalent: a bottle in a cage on a pallet base.
- Recycled pallet
- A used pallet that has been sorted, repaired if needed and graded for resale. Grade names differ between sellers.
- Core (pallet)
- A used pallet that can be repaired and resold. Recyclers often buy cores in common sizes.
- ISPM 15
- The international standard for treating and marking wood packaging moved in international trade.
Contracts and fees
- Fuel surcharge basis
- The published index and the table a fuel surcharge must follow. For most U.S. freight it is the EIA weekly average on-highway diesel price and a carrier or contract table. If none is stated, ask for it in writing.Checking a fuel table.
- Evergreen clause
- An automatic-renewal clause: the contract renews for a new term unless notice is given inside a set window.Evergreen clauses in waste contracts.
- Notice window
- The period before a term ends in which non-renewal notice must arrive, for example no less than 90 and no more than 180 days before the end.
- Rate escalator
- A clause allowing price increases during a contract, sometimes tied to an index such as the CPI and capped.
- Liquidated damages
- A set amount owed for ending a contract early, often a number of months of charges.
- Right of first refusal
- A clause letting the current vendor match a competing offer before you switch.
- Contingency fee
- A fee paid only if savings are found, usually a share of those savings for a set period.How the fee math works.
- OpEx
- Operating expenses: the recurring costs of running a business, as opposed to capital spending.