A
- Air Waybill (AWB)
- The transport document and receipt issued for an air freight shipment, covering the contract between shipper and carrier.
- Arrival Notice
- A notification sent when a shipment reaches its destination port or terminal, confirming it's ready for pickup or delivery.
B
- Bill of Lading (BOL)
- A legal document issued by the carrier that serves as a receipt for the cargo and a contract for its transport.
- Bonded Cargo
- Goods held under customs bond, stored or moved without duties being paid until released.
- Bonded Warehouse
- A secure facility where imported goods can be stored without paying duties until they're withdrawn for sale or further transport.
- Break Bulk
- Cargo that's too large or awkwardly shaped to fit in a standard container, loaded and shipped individually instead.
C
- Cargo Manifest
- A document listing all the cargo aboard a vessel, aircraft or truck, used by carriers and customs authorities.
- Carrier
- The company that physically transports cargo, whether by ocean vessel, truck, rail or air.
- Chassis
- The wheeled frame used to transport a container by road once it's off the vessel or train.
- Clean Bill of Lading
- A bill of lading with no noted damage or exceptions on the cargo at the time of loading.
- Consignee
- The person or company designated to receive a shipment at its destination.
- Consolidation
- Combining multiple smaller shipments from different shippers into a single load to reduce cost.
- Container Freight Station (CFS)
- A facility where LCL cargo from multiple shippers is consolidated or deconsolidated.
- Container Yard (CY)
- The area at a port or terminal where containers are stored before or after transport.
- Cross-Docking
- Unloading cargo from an inbound truck or container and loading it directly onto an outbound one, with little to no storage in between.
- Customs Broker
- A licensed professional or company that handles customs clearance and documentation on behalf of importers and exporters.
- Customs Clearance
- The process of getting goods approved by customs authorities to enter or leave a country.
- Cut-off Time
- The deadline for documents or cargo to be submitted before a vessel or truck departure.
D
- Deconsolidation
- Separating a consolidated shipment back into its individual orders after arrival.
- Demurrage
- A fee charged when a container isn't picked up from the port within the allotted free time.
- Detention
- A fee charged when a container isn't returned to the carrier within the allotted free time after leaving the port.
- Dock Receipt
- A document confirming cargo has been received at the terminal or warehouse before loading.
- Door-to-Door
- Shipping service that covers the full journey, from the shipper's location to the consignee's, without arranging separate legs yourself.
- Dunnage
- Material used to brace, protect or fill space around cargo inside a container or truck.
- Duty
- A tax charged by a government on goods imported into or exported out of a country.
E
- ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival)
- The projected date and time a shipment will reach its destination.
- ETD (Estimated Time of Departure)
- The projected date and time a shipment will leave its origin.
- Export Declaration
- A document filed with customs authorities detailing goods leaving a country, required for most international shipments.
F
- FCL (Full Container Load)
- A shipment that fills an entire container and doesn't share space with other shippers' cargo.
- Fourth-Party Logistics (4PL)
- A provider that manages a customer's entire supply chain and logistics network, rather than just moving cargo.
- Free On Board (FOB)
- An Incoterm where the seller's responsibility ends once cargo is loaded onto the vessel at origin.
- Freight Forwarder
- A company that arranges the shipment of cargo on behalf of shippers, coordinating carriers, documentation and customs.
- FTL (Full Truckload)
- A shipment large enough to fill an entire truck, dedicated to a single shipper.
G
- Gross Weight
- The total weight of a shipment, including the cargo, packaging and pallet.
H
- Harmonized System (HS) Code
- A standardized numerical code used worldwide to classify traded products for customs purposes.
- Hazmat
- Cargo classified as hazardous material, subject to special handling, documentation and regulatory requirements.
I
- Import Declaration
- A document filed with customs authorities detailing goods entering a country.
- Incoterms
- A set of internationally recognized trade terms that define who's responsible for costs, risk and logistics at each stage of a shipment.
- Intermodal
- Transportation that uses more than one mode, like ocean and rail, without unloading the cargo itself between legs.
L
- Landed Cost
- The total cost of a shipment once it reaches its destination, including freight, duties, taxes, insurance and handling fees.
- Last-Mile Delivery
- The final leg of a shipment's journey, from a local hub to the end customer's doorstep.
- LCL (Less-than-Container Load)
- Cargo that doesn't fill a full container and shares space with other shippers' freight.
- LTL (Less-than-Truckload)
- Cargo that doesn't fill a full truck and shares space with other shippers' freight.
M
- Master Bill of Lading
- The bill of lading issued by the ocean carrier to the freight forwarder, covering the full shipment before it's split into house bills for individual customers.
N
- Net Weight
- The weight of the cargo alone, excluding packaging and pallet.
- No-Show Fee
- A charge applied when booked cargo doesn't arrive for loading within the required window before departure.
- Notify Party
- The party a carrier alerts when a shipment arrives, often the consignee's agent.
O
- Ocean Freight
- Cargo transported by sea, typically in containers aboard commercial vessels.
- Overage, Shortage & Damage (OS&D)
- A report filed when a shipment's count or condition doesn't match its documentation.
P
- Packing List
- A document itemizing everything inside a shipment, including quantities, weights and dimensions.
- Pallet
- A flat structure used as a base for stacking and moving cargo, typically by forklift.
- Pedimento
- The official customs document required for importing and exporting goods to and from Mexico.
- Port of Discharge
- The port where cargo is unloaded from the vessel.
- Port of Loading
- The port where cargo is loaded onto the vessel.
- Proof of Delivery (POD)
- A signed confirmation that a shipment was received by the consignee, used to close out delivery and resolve disputes.
R
- Reconsignment
- Changing a shipment's destination or consignee after it has already departed.
- Reefer Container
- A refrigerated shipping container used to transport temperature-sensitive cargo.
S
- Seal Number
- The unique identifier on a container's security seal, checked at each handover to confirm it hasn't been tampered with.
- Shipper
- The person or company sending a shipment, responsible for preparing the cargo and its documentation.
- Shipping Instructions
- Details provided by the shipper to the carrier or forwarder covering how a shipment should be handled, labeled and documented.
- Straight Bill of Lading
- A non-negotiable bill of lading naming a specific consignee, the only party that can claim the cargo.
T
- Tare Weight
- The weight of an empty container or pallet, used to calculate net weight from gross weight.
- Third-Party Logistics (3PL)
- An outsourced provider that handles specific logistics functions like warehousing, transportation or fulfillment.
- Transit Time
- The total time a shipment takes to travel from origin to destination.
- Transloading
- Transferring cargo from one mode of transport to another, such as from an ocean container onto multiple domestic trucks.
V
- Vessel
- The ship used to transport containerized or bulk cargo by sea.
- Volumetric Weight
- A calculated weight based on a shipment's dimensions rather than its actual weight, used when cargo is bulky but light.
W
- Warehousing
- Storing goods in a facility before, during or after transport.
- Weight Break
- The shipment weight at which the price per unit drops to a lower rate, making it cheaper to round up to the next bracket.
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