Glossary
Definitions for terms and metrics used throughout CarryNet
Freight that fills a return trip or weak leg of a circuit. Finding "carry" means securing loads that would otherwise require deadheading. Good carry turns an unprofitable repositioning move into a revenue-generating haul.
Example
If you deliver in Dallas and need to get back to Chicago, finding a load from Dallas to Chicago is your "carry" for the return trip.
A regular freight route between two specific cities. Lanes represent recurring shipping patterns where a carrier moves freight from an origin to a destination on a consistent basis.
Example
Chicago, IL to Dallas, TX is a lane if you regularly haul freight between these cities.
A pair of lanes that form a complete loop between two cities (A→B and B→A). Round trips are highly efficient because they minimize empty miles by ensuring freight in both directions.
Example
If you haul freight from Chicago to Dallas and also haul freight from Dallas back to Chicago, that's a round trip.
A three-city route that forms a complete loop (A→B→C→A). Triangle circuits are more complex than round trips but still provide efficient coverage by minimizing deadhead miles across three locations.
Example
Chicago → Dallas → Phoenix → Chicago forms a triangle circuit.
A complete loop of lanes that returns to the starting point. Can be a round trip (2 cities) or a triangle (3 cities). Circuits are the building blocks of an efficient freight network.
Example
Any closed loop where your trucks can continuously move freight without repositioning.
A geographic grouping of cities used for analyzing freight flow patterns. Common regions include Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and West Coast.
The percentage of your lanes that are part of a circuit (round trip or triangle). Higher circuit coverage means more efficient operations with less deadhead.
Example
If 60 of your 100 lanes are part of circuits, your circuit coverage is 60%.
The percentage of your lanes that have a matching return lane. This is a subset of circuit coverage focusing specifically on direct back-hauls.
Miles driven with an empty trailer (no paying freight). Deadhead miles are pure cost with no revenue, making them a key metric to minimize in freight operations.
Example
If you deliver in Dallas and drive 200 miles empty to Houston to pick up your next load, those 200 miles are deadhead.
The money saved by having return freight instead of driving empty. Calculated based on the cost per mile (fuel, maintenance, driver time) that would be spent on empty repositioning.
How often freight moves on a particular lane, typically measured in loads per month. Higher frequency lanes are more valuable for network planning.
Example
A lane with 15 loads/month has higher frequency than one with 3 loads/month.
A single shipment of freight from origin to destination. Also called a "haul" or "shipment". This is the basic unit of freight movement.
The total profit across your entire book of business after all costs, including network-wide deadhead. This is the key portfolio-level metric that CarryNet optimizes for - not individual lane profit, but the aggregate carry generated by your customer portfolio.
Example
A customer that loses $100 per load might still add $500 to your monthly Net Carry if their lanes eliminate deadhead for other customers.
Net Carry divided by total miles driven. This measures how much profit you generate per mile of truck movement - the portfolio-wide return on operational capacity. Higher is better.
Example
If you generate $50,000 Net Carry on 100,000 miles, your Carry Efficiency is $0.50/mile.
The total money received for hauling freight. In this context, it's the gross payment from customers before subtracting costs.
Revenue minus costs for a specific lane or shipment. Note: At the portfolio level, we use "Net Carry" instead of "Profit" to emphasize the network-wide optimization perspective.
Profit expressed as a percentage of revenue. A 15% margin means you keep $0.15 of every dollar earned after costs. Higher margins indicate more profitable freight.
Example
If a lane generates $10,000 revenue with $8,500 in costs, the profit is $1,500 and the margin is 15%.
The price charged per mile or per load for hauling freight. Rates vary by lane, customer, and market conditions.
A composite score (0-100%) measuring how well your network is optimized. Factors in circuit coverage, regional balance, and round-trip availability. Higher is better.
How evenly freight flows in both directions on a circuit. A ratio of 100% means equal loads in each direction. Imbalanced circuits have one "strong leg" and one "weak leg".
Example
If Chicago→Dallas has 20 loads/month and Dallas→Chicago has 10 loads/month, the balance ratio is 50%.
How evenly freight flows into and out of each region. Imbalanced regions create inefficiencies because trucks pile up in "inbound surplus" areas and are scarce in "outbound surplus" areas.
The lower-volume direction in a circuit. This is the leg that needs more freight to improve balance and efficiency.
Example
In a round trip where outbound has 20 loads but return has only 8 loads, the return direction is the weak leg.
The higher-volume direction in a circuit. This is the leg with plenty of freight; the challenge is finding matching freight for the return.
A suggested new lane to pursue based on how it would improve your network. Recommendations are scored by potential impact on circuits, regional balance, and deadhead reduction.
A numeric score ranking how valuable a recommended lane would be to your network. Higher scores indicate lanes that would create more circuits or improve balance significantly.
A major customer that provides a significant, stable volume of freight. Anchor tenants are typically large shippers with consistent shipping needs.
A rating of how dependable a customer is for consistent freight volumes and on-time payments. Higher scores indicate more reliable shipping partners.
A measure of how much a customer contributes to or detracts from overall portfolio performance. Similar to stock beta in finance, it captures the marginal impact of adding or removing a customer from your book of business. High beta customers have outsized impact (positive or negative) on your total Net Carry.
Example
A customer with beta of +15 significantly improves your portfolio, while beta of -10 indicates they may be dragging down overall performance.
A measure of revenue stability and predictability for a customer. Low volatility customers provide consistent, reliable freight volumes, while high volatility customers have unpredictable shipping patterns. Lower volatility is generally preferred for network planning.
Example
A customer who ships 50 loads every month has low volatility. One who ships 10 loads one month and 100 the next has high volatility.
The value a customer adds to your network beyond their direct revenue. Customers whose lanes complete circuits or balance regional flow have high network value. A "negative margin" customer might still have high network value if they enable efficient circuits.
Example
A customer shipping from Dallas to Chicago might have high network value if you have many customers needing freight moved Chicago to Dallas.
The percentage of your total revenue that comes from a single customer. High concentration creates risk - losing that customer would significantly impact your business. Portfolio theory suggests diversifying to reduce concentration risk.
Example
If one customer represents 25% of your revenue, you have high concentration risk with that customer.
An overall score (0-100) measuring how well-balanced and resilient your customer portfolio is. Factors include revenue concentration, customer volatility, margin distribution, and network coverage. Higher scores indicate a more robust, diversified portfolio.