A

Airway Bill (AWB)

An air waybill or air consignment note is a receipt issued by an international airline for goods and an evidence of the contract of carriage, it is a document of title to the goods. Hence, the air waybill is non-negotiable.

B

Beneficial Cargo Owner (BCO)

Referring to the importer of record, who physically takes possession of cargo at destination and does not act as a third party in the movement of such goods.

B

Bill Of Lading (Bol)

A document that establishes the terms of a contract between a shipper and a transportation company that moves freight between specified ports for a specified charge. This is usually prepared by the shipper on forms issued by the carrier, serving as a document of title, a contract of carriage and a receipt for goods.

B

Bonded Goods

Dutiable landed imports stored under the supervision of customs authorities in bonded warehouses. Bonded-goods are released for re-export, or to the importer upon assessment and payment of import duties, taxes, and other charges.

B

Bonded Warehouse

A bonded warehouse, or bond, is a building or other secured area in which dutiable goods may be stored, manipulated, or undergo manufacturing operations without payment of duty. It may be managed by the state or by private enterprise. In the latter case a customs bond must be posted with the government.

B

Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF)

Bunker adjustment factor, bunker surcharge or BAF refers to floating part of sea freight charges which represents additions due to oil prices. Also referred to as Fuel Adjustment Factor (FAF) or Bunker Surcharge in some cases.

C

Cargo Carriers

A company that transports goods by ship, plane, or other large vehicle

C

Cargo Containers

A cargo container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling.

C

Consignee

In a contract of carriage, the consignee is the entity who is financially responsible for the receipt of a shipment. Generally, but not always, the consignee is the same as the receiver.

C

Currency Adjustment Factor

The currency adjustment factor (CAF) is a fee placed on top of freighting charges for carrier companies. The charge was developed to account for constantly changing exchange rates between the dollar and other currencies. Thus its goal is to offset any losses from constantly fluctuating exchange rates for carriers.

C

Cbm

Cubic Metres

C

Container Yard (CY)

Port facility at which containers are accepted for loading onboard ships, and off-loaded containers are delivered to the consignees. Also called Marshalling yard.

C

Container Freight

Shipments that fill containers that may be ventilated, insulated, refrigerated, open top, liquid-fill body, or equipped with other devices or racks.

C

Carrier Lanes

Also known as freight lanes, shipping lanes and trucking lanes. Lanes matter to carriers and shippers.

C

Consignor & Consignee

Two strange-sounding freight shipping terms explained.

D

Drop Deck

A type of specialized truckload equipment has a lower deck system that rolls on to an upper deck.

D

Drop Shipping

When the goods are shipped from the manufacturer, wholesaler or another retailer (like Amazon) which ships the goods to the end customer on behalf of the consignor.

D

Dry Van

An enclosed cargo trailer used to transport goods that do not require refrigeration or other devices.

D

Domestic Freight

Shipments transported within the continental United States.

E

Ebay Freight Shipping

Freight shipping options for eBay sellers.

E

Equipment Shipping

Transportation for heavy equipment and machinery, like pinball machines, arcades, CNC milling machines, MRI machines, etc.

E

Estate Shipping

Residential freight shipping for goods sold at auction or during an estate sale.

E

Expedited Freight

Time sensitive freight that utilizes guaranteed and time-critical services to meet short delivery windows.

F

Freight

Boxed, crated or palletized shipments weighing in excess of 150 lbs or more or with a dimension greater than 4 feet in most cases.

F

Freightways

A lane or route taked by a transportation company or carrier.

F

Firstmile

FirstMile service includes an inside pickup from the origin and packaging. After the freight is picked up and packaged, the carrier will take it to its destination.

F

Freight Agents

A broker authorized to transact business on behalf of another person or company.

F

Freight Bill Audit

An inspection of an invoice to a customer, and from a carrier to determine a remaining balance or difference in cost of services rendered.

F

Freight Agency

A brokerage that acts as a liaison between customers and freight carriers or forwarders.

F

Freight Shipping Calculator

A calculator you can place on any eCommerce site so customers can calculate shipping charges.

F

Freight Broker

A company that transports goods on behalf of customers and under contract with asset-based carriers and transportation companies.

F

Freight Class

A number between 50 and 500 that classifies or codes the goods inside a shipment.

F

Freight Consolidation

Freight Consolidation lowers costs by pairing several orders in one truck, ship or aircraft.

F

Freight Carrier

A Freight Carrier may also be known as a common carrier, freight company or trucking carrier.

F

Freight Forwarder

A company that acts on behalf of a customer to transport goods overseas.

F

Freight Cost

Freight Cost is determined by a number of variables, some of which shippers can control directly.

F

Freight Lines

Another name for a transportation company.

F

Freight Forwarding

When a third party that does not carry freight itself organizes freight shipments for businesses, that activity is sometimes called Freight Forwarding.

F

Freight Liability

Every booked freight shipment comes with included limited liability coverage. This amount is determined by the carrier and dependent on the commodity type.

F

Freight Load

Another term for cargo or shipment.

F

Freight Hauling

Transporting goods weighing in excess of 150 lbs or more or with a dimension greater than 4 feet in most cases.

F

Freight Matching

Automation that pairs the details of a shipment with the capabilities of a freight company.

F

Freight Quote

An estimated cost of shipping goods before pickup is made and the shipment is measured and weighed.

F

Freight Rates

The base tariff or contract rate charged by a carrier.

F

Freight Services

The product offered by brokers, forwarders and carriers to transport goods by various modes like LTL, TL, rail/intermodal, cargo container and air freight.

F

Freight Shipping

See Freight. A service that transports goods weighing in excess of 150 lbs or more or with a dimension greater than 4 feet in most cases.

F

Freight Shipping Quotes

See Freight Quote. An estimated cost of shipping goods before pickup is made and the shipment is measured and weighed.

F

Freight Companies

Another name for a transportation company or common carrier.

F

Freight Shipping Cost

The actual cost of shipping cargo.

F

Freight Transportation

See Freight Shipping. A service that transports goods weighing in excess of 150 lbs or more or with a dimension greater than 4 feet in most cases.

F

Freight Shipping Rates

The cost of shipping goods via freight service.

F

Freight Shipping Services

Services that transport goods and packages weighing in excess of 150 lbs or more or with a dimension greater than 4 feet in most cases.

F

Freeze Protection Services

Freeze protection is a service provided by many carriers to prevent freight from being exposed to frigid temperatures.

F

Freight Terminal

Where a carrier receives incoming freight that is then prepared for reloading into a truck, rail car, vessel or plan.

F

Final Mile

This service includes inside delivery and debris removal. If more services are needed, let us know and we will help you secure those requirements.

G

Ground Freight

Service that involves transporting goods by truck over surface roads.

H

Hazmat

Hazardous material that is considered to have the capability to cause an unreasonable risk to human health or safety or the environment when transported in commerce, used incorrectly, or if not properly stored or contained is considered a hazardous material. Hazardous materials include fuels, bio-chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

H

Handling Unit

Every distinct piece of packaged freight that will be moved with a forklift, pallet jack or by hand is a handling unit.

H

Heavy Freight

Freight weighing in excess of 8,000 lbs that occupies the space and weight maximums of an entire truck.

I

International Freight Shipping

Any movement of freight that occurs outside the United States (excluding Canada) is considered international.

I

Interstate Freight

Any freight shipment that moves from one state to another, whether a full truckload or less than a truckload, is Interstate Freight.

I

Interstate Truckers

A truck driver that transports freight along a domestic interstate highway.

I

Inside Delivery & Inside Pickup

Standard freight pickup and delivery is loading dock to loading dock or curb to curb. Inside pickup and delivery go beyond the curb.

L

Ltl

Abbreviation for “Less than Truckload”.

L

Ltl Transportation

The movement of loads belonging to multiple customers that are consolidated to occupy the space of a single dry van trailer.

L

Ltl Trucking

Defined as transporting freight that is larger than parcel and smaller than truckload, LTL shipments usually weigh more than 150 lbs, but less than 20,000 lbs.

L

Logistics Companies

Logistics companies help businesses transport freight while streamlining their supply chain.

L

Limited Access

At a limited access location, such as a school or an airport, trucks do not have clear and unfettered access to the exact pickup or delivery spot.

L

Lift Gate At Pickup Or Delivery

If the pickup or delivery site does not have a loading dock and the cargo weighs too much for an individual to handle, a lift gate will be required.

M

Motor Freight

Transporting goods by motor carrier over public highways.

M

Motorcycle Shipping

Motorcycle Shipping transports your bike where you need it next.

M

Moving Companies

A company that relocates household property over short or long distances.

M

Moving Freight

See Freight Shipping. A service that transports goods weighing in excess of 150 lbs or more or with a dimension greater than 4 feet in most cases.

N

Not Otherwise Indicated (Noi)

Abbreviation for “Not Otherwise Indicated”. Use the linked calculator to determine the freight class for goods and commodities not classified by the NMFCA.

O

Oversize Freight

The transporting of goods that are longer, wider or taller that the footprint of a trailer.

O

Overweight Freight

See Heavy Freight. Shipments weighing in excess of 8,000 lbs that occupies the space and weight maximums of an entire truck.

P

Parcel Shipping

A standard package transported by a parcel company like the United States Parcel Service.

P

Pounds Per Cubic Feet (Pcf)

Density (the number of pounds occupying a cubic foot of space) is an essential measurement for calculating freight class.

P

Proof Of Delivery

Also known as the Delivery Receipt, the Proof of Delivery serves three important functions.

R

Refrigerated Freight

Transporting goods that require refrigeration or freezing. Trucks used to transport these goods are known as “Reefers”.

S

Sea Cargo Container

See Container Freight. Shipments that fill containers that may be ventilated, insulated, refrigerated, open top, liquid-fill body, or equipped with other devices or racks.

S

Shippers

A shipper is a person who ships goods. Also referred to as a customer or consignor.

S

Shipping

A service that transports freight weighing in excess of 150 lbs or more or with a dimension greater than 4 feet in most cases.

S

Shipping Companies

Another name for a company that transports goods on behalf of a customer.

S

Shipping Cost

See Freight Shipping Cost. The actual cost of shipping cargo.

S

Shipping Labels

Shipping labels help make sure your cargo is delivered to the correct location.

S

Shipping Rates

Prices charged by freight carriers based on a variety of factors.

S

Shipping Service

See Freight Shipping Service. The transportation of goods and packages weighing in excess of 150 lbs or more or with a dimension greater than 4 feet in most cases.

T

Transportation Brokers

See Freight Broker. A company that transports goods on behalf of customers and under contract with asset-based carriers and transportation companies.

T

Transportation Companies

In the freight industry, a term referring to a common carrier or trucking company.

T

Trucking Broker