Load sheet and settlement glossary
PU, LL, SO, SD, detention, deadhead, order share — what each word on the paperwork means, and whether it pays the driver.
The words on a dispatch sheet, a trip envelope and a settlement, with the one thing an owner-operator paying a 1099 driver wants to know about each: does it add a line to the driver’s pay?
- 1099 driver · 1099-NEC, Contract driver, Independent contractor
A driver paid as an independent contractor: no withholding, and a 1099-NEC at year end when the total crosses the threshold.
Not a pay item
- Accessorial · Accessorial charge, Extras
Anything paid beyond the per-mile rate: live loads, stop-offs, detention.
Yes — it adds a line to the driver’s pay
- Bill of lading (BOL) · Bills, Proof of delivery, POD
The shipping paper that travels with the freight and, once the receiver signs it, proves the load was delivered.
Not a pay item
- Calculated miles · Paid miles, Practical miles, Dispatched miles
The mileage a load is paid on — the driving distance from pickup to drop — as opposed to what the odometer says.
Yes — it adds a line to the driver’s pay
- Cash advance · Advance, Draw
Money handed to a driver before payday, taken off their next pay.
Not a pay item
- Consignee · Receiver
The party the freight is delivered to; the one who signs the bill of lading.
Not a pay item
- Detention · Waiting time, Layover
Pay for waiting at a shipper or receiver longer than expected.
Yes — it adds a line to the driver’s pay
- Dispatch · Order, Delivery receipt, Load sheet, Rate confirmation
The carrier’s assignment of a load to a driver, and the sheet that says where to go, when, and what the stops are.
Not a pay item
- Drop and hook
The driver drops the trailer they arrived with and hooks a waiting one — no live loading or unloading.
No — miles only
- Empty miles · Deadhead, Return miles, Bobtail miles
Miles driven without freight: from the yard to the pickup, and back to the yard after the drop.
Yes — it adds a line to the driver’s pay
- Fuel card · Carrier fuel card, Card fuel
The carrier’s card the driver fuels on; each purchase comes off the owner’s settlement, and none of it touches driver pay.
Not a pay item
- Fuel surcharge · FSC, O/O fuel surcharge
An amount the carrier pays the owner-operator on each load, on top of the order share, to offset the price of diesel.
Not a pay item
- LL (Live load) · Live loading
A pickup where the driver waits at the dock while the trailer is loaded.
Yes — it adds a line to the driver’s pay
- Load number · Order number, Dispatch number, Trip number, Pro number
The carrier’s identifier for one load — the number that ties the dispatch, the paperwork, the settlement and the driver’s pay together.
Not a pay item
- Mileage rate · Per-mile rate, Cents per mile, CPM
What a driver is paid for each mile on a load, set per driver with a start date.
Yes — it adds a line to the driver’s pay
- Order share · Percentage of gross, Order pay, Percentage pay
The owner-operator’s cut of what the shipper paid for the load — often 75 to 85 percent of the order gross.
Not a pay item
- Pay sheet · Pay statement, Driver settlement, Pay stub
The page that shows a driver what they were paid for the week, load by load and line by line.
Not a pay item
- PU (Pickup) · Loaded pickup, Pre-loaded trailer
A stop where the driver arrives and hooks a trailer that was loaded before they got there.
No — miles only
- Reimbursement · Paid back, Expense repay
Paying a driver back for something they bought for the load out of their own pocket — a toll, a wash, cash fuel.
Yes — it adds a line to the driver’s pay
- SD (Split delivery) · Relay, Hand-off
One owner-operator hauls the first leg of a trip and a different one finishes it, each settled for their own leg.
Miles only for the leg driven
- Settlement · Settlement sheet, Owner-operator settlement summary, Driver settlement
The carrier’s statement of what it owes the owner-operator for a load, and the check that pays it.
Not a pay item
- Shipper · Origin, Pickup
The party the freight is picked up from at the start of the load.
Not a pay item
- SO (Stop-off) · Extra stop, Multi-stop
An extra delivery or pickup between the first pickup and the final drop on the same load.
Yes — it adds a line to the driver’s pay
- SP (Split pickup)
A pickup shared with another party — and, like any pickup, it does not pay an extra.
No — miles only
- Yard · Hub, Home base, Terminal
Where the trucks sit between loads, and where empty miles are counted from and back to.
Not a pay item
Made with the free load sheet and settlement glossary at loadtally.app/tools/glossary — LoadTally, loads, settlements and driver pay for owner-operators.
Questions
What do PU, LL, SO, SD and SP mean on a load sheet?
They are stop codes. PU is a pickup of a pre-loaded trailer; LL is a live load, where the driver waits while the trailer is loaded; SO is a stop-off, an extra stop on the same load; SD is a split delivery, where another owner-operator finishes the trip; SP is a split pickup. LL and SO add a flat amount to the driver’s pay; PU and SP do not; SD pays the miles of the leg driven.
What is the difference between a settlement and a pay sheet?
A settlement is the carrier’s statement of what it paid the owner-operator for a load. A pay sheet is what the owner-operator paid the driver for the week. Some carriers call their statement a driver settlement, which is the source of most of the confusion.