A Journey Through Trucking: Midland's Ultimate Guide to Shipping

At Midland, we take pride in being your premier, full-service transportation partner, providing tailored solutions for all your shipping requirements, from handling small packages or entire truckloads. Whether you're a hands-on business owner engaged in
moving goods, or a newcomer to the shipping industry understanding industry terminology is essential. Today, we are exploring important trucking and shipping terms to assist you in selecting the optimal service and reinforcing our role as your top transportation partner.

Freight: The Foundation of Transportation.
To begin, let’s explore freight - the goods or cargo being transported. It’s the heartbeat of our industry, and at Midland, we handle all types, from heavy auto parts to delicate perishables. Knowing your freight’s specifics helps us choose the right equipment and routes to deliver it safely and on time.

Now, let’s take a look at how your freight moves…

LTL vs. TL: Less Than Truckload or Truckload?
When it comes to transportation, you will hear LTL (Less Than Truckload) and TL (Truckload). LTL is ideal for smaller shipments that share trailer space with other shipments - think of it as a cost-effective ride-share for goods. TL, meanwhile, reserves an entire truck for your load, perfect for large or urgent deliveries. With our extensive coverage and 98% on-time delivery, Midland excels in both, customizing solutions to fit your needs.  

Learn more about: Truckload and logistics or Less than Truckload

Courier Shipping: Where Speed Meets Precision.
For smaller, time-sensitive packages, Midland’s courier service delivers with speed and accuracy. Unlike traditional freight, our courier service, which handles over 3 million packages per year, focuses on fast, direct delivery - think smaller packages like medical and beauty supplies or e-commerce orders. At Midland, we offer door-to-door courier options alongside our trucking services, ensuring even your smallest shipments arrive quickly and with care. With next-day air service available and ground delivery in as little as two days, we help you meet tight deadlines without compromise. Our best in class shipping tool, MyMidland, also offers you end-to-end visibility to give you the latest information on your package’s journey. 

Learn more about: Courier

Temperature-Controlled Shipping: Keeping It Cool (or Warm)
Some goods demand extra care, and that’s where temperature-controlled shipping comes in. Whether it’s fresh produce or sensitive electronics, our refrigerated trailers - often called “reefers”- maintain precise conditions. Midland’s fleet ensures your temperature-sensitive freight stays perfect from pickup to drop-off. Today, we operate as one of Canada’s largest HACCP-certified fleets and have a strategic network of temperature-controlled facilities to safely handle your temperature-sensitive goods. 

Learn more about: Temperature-controlled services

Intermodal: Seamless Connections 
Shipping isn’t just about trucks. Intermodal transportation uses multiple modes - trucks, trains, ships - to move goods. A container might sail across an ocean, ride a railcar, then finish its trip on a Midland truck. We coordinate these complex moves to save you time, money, and emissions. When expedited transit isn’t the most important factor, Midland’s intermodal service is an eco-friendly and economical option for you. 

Learn more about: Intermodal

Seafood Shipping: Freshness on Wheels
A subset of temperature-controlled shipping, seafood shipping is a specialty we take seriously. From salmon to shrimp, seafood requires strict temperature and timing to preserve freshness and safety. With 40+ years in the seafood shipping business, we have developed a robust distribution network to securely move fresh, frozen and live seafood products throughout North America. Midland’s expertise in this niche (we handle more than 90 million lbs. of seafood per year!) ensures your catch reaches its destination fresh.

Learn more about: Seafood Services

Brokerage and Logistics: Orchestrating Every Move 
Midland’s Brokerage and Logistics teams work together to deliver seamless, door-to-door freight solutions across North America and beyond. As a broker, we connect shippers with trusted carriers—moving over 125,000 loads annually—while securing the best routes, equipment, and pricing. Our Logistics team takes it further, managing every detail from scheduling and tracking to problem-solving and fulfillment. For freight that moves outside our core service regions, we offer full-service logistics solutions, leveraging a global network of partners to coordinate transportation, warehousing, and distribution. Whether you need a single shipment or a fully integrated supply chain strategy, Midland provides the expertise and infrastructure to keep your freight moving efficiently.

 Learn more about: TL & Logistics services

Having covered how your freight moves, let's explore some of the frequently encountered
terms in the trucking industry…

Bill of Lading: The Documentation Powering Every Shipment 
Every shipment needs its paperwork, and the Bill of Lading (BOL) is it. This document is a contract between shipper and carrier (us!), a receipt, and a detailed guide to the freight’s journey - origin, destination, weight, and more. It’s like a passport for your freight, and Midland handles every BOL with expertise.

Shipment Tracking: Visibility at Your Fingertips
Midland’s shipment tracking gives you instant access to real-time freight insights, eliminating the guesswork around your shipments. For a hands-on experience, MyMidland offers a powerful, user-friendly platform that simplifies your entire shipping process - from tracking to document access - in just a few clicks. For businesses seeking automation, our API and EDI integrations provide seamless system-to-system connectivity, enhancing end-to-end visibility, reducing manual work, and accelerating your shipping operations. 

Learn more about: MyMidland

Deadhead: The Empty Miles
Deadhead refers to the distance a truck travels without a load, either en route to a pickup or returning from a delivery. While these empty miles are sometimes unavoidable, Midland prioritizes efficiency and sustainability by using smart planning and routing strategies to keep them to a minimum. 

Drayage: The Short-Haul Heroes
How do goods move from ports or rail yards to their next stop? That’s drayage - short-distance transport that bridges the supply chain. It’s vital for intermodal shipping, and Midland’s drayage services ensure seamless transitions for your freight.

Cold Chain: The Art of Temperature-Controlled Transport for Product Integrity
Midland is a proud leader when it comes to the cold chain - Ensuring product integrity through a temperature-controlled supply chain, encompassing transportation, storage, handling, and monitoring for perishable goods.

Last Mile Delivery: The Final Stage
This refers to the final step in the delivery process - getting the package from a hub, like one of our many terminals, to the end customer. The last mile is often the most complex part of the journey due to navigating through urban areas with congested traffic, making multiple individual stops, and handling specific customer preferences and requirements, but Midland’s Courier services are ideal to make the last mile a smooth one.

Backhaul: The Return Trip
After a delivery, we don’t stop. A backhaul is the return journey with a new load, keeping our trucks productive in both directions. Midland’s logistics pros excel at finding backhaul opportunities, boosting efficiency for everyone.

Hazmat: Handle with Care
Hazardous materials—such as chemicals and flammable liquids - require specialized handling, strict safety protocols, and regulatory compliance. Transporting hazmat involves certified training, permits, and precision at every step. At Midland, our trained drivers and freight handlers ensure these shipments are managed safely and in full accordance with industry standards. 

Cross-Docking: The efficiency game-changer
The cross-docking process skips the traditional warehousing by moving freight directly from an incoming truck to an outgoing one, often within hours. It’s perfect for fast-moving inventory like perishables or retail goods. Midland’s cross-docking capabilities streamline your supply chain, cutting costs and reducing delays.

Value-Added Services: Enhancing Service, With Transparency 
In the transportation industry, these are often referred to as accessorial charges - fees for specialized services beyond standard freight movement, such as liftgate delivery, inside pickup, or extended wait times. At Midland, we call them Value-Added Services because they reflect the tailored solutions we provide to meet your unique shipping needs. These added services support flexibility, efficiency, and service customization, helping you get the most out of your logistics experience.

 Learn more about our Value-Added Services

POD (Proof of Delivery): Confirming Delivery Success.
A Proof Of Delivery is a document or electronic record confirming that your freight has arrived at its destination, in good condition, and on time.

Why Midland Transport?
Shipping doesn’t have to be complicated. With Midland as your transportation partner, you gain more than just trucks - you gain a team of experts, a suite of services, and a commitment to Superior Quality Service. Whether you’re shipping a single parcel or
managing a complex supply chain, understanding these terms helps you make informed decisions and ensures your freight is always in good hands.

From courier parcels to live seafood, temperature-controlled hauls to brokerage and logistics, we bring 55 years of experience and a passion for transportation. Our goal? To be your trusted leader in transportation. Contact us to see here, and learn how Midland can drive your business forward.