In the world of freight shipping and logistics, there are a number of terms that get thrown around. And by a number, we mean A LOT. If you’re not a seasoned logistics professional, you may not know what all of these terms mean.
To help you out, here is a curated list of important terms and their definitions.
• Accessorial Fees – Fees for services beyond normal pickup and delivery. i.e.: shipment storage
• Adjustments – Discrepancies between the shipment and what is on the bill of lading. These could result in additional charges.
• Axle Load – The weight limit permitted for each axle driving over a highway.
• Back Haul – The second half of a carrier’s round trip. This half is usually cheaper than the first half.
• Bill of Lading (BOL) – The Bill of Lading, aka BOL, is the contract between the shipper and carrier. It binds the parties together and defines all aspects of the shipping arrangement.
• Broker – A person who makes freight shipping arrangements on behalf of another person or company.
• Bulk Freight – Freight that is not contained within a package or container.
• Carmack – Loss or damage of goods.
• Cartage – Shipping freight within the same city or area.
• Commodity – Any goods shipped.
• Consignee – The receiver of a shipment.
• Consolidation – When multiple shipments are combined to save money on shipping.
• Embargo – An event that prevents freight from being accepted or handled. i.e.: floods, tornadoes, etc.
• Freight Forwarder – An organization that combines less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments into truckload shipments.
• Full-Truck-Load (FTL) – Shipments that take up an entire truck.
• Gross Vehicle Weight – The total weight of the transport vehicle and its cargo.
• Intermodal Transportation – When freight is shipped using two or more modes of transportation.
• Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) – Shipments weighing between 100 and 20,000 lbs. and don’t take up an entire truck.
• National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) – A classification used to rate goods for shipping. Contains rules, descriptions, and ratings of all commodities moving in shipping.
• Nested – When materials are stacked so that one item goes inside another to reduce the amount of space taken up, which makes LTL shipping more efficient.
• Not Otherwise Indicated (NOI) – Classification assigned to any freight that has no rate listed in the NMFC.
• Waybill – Non-negotiable document prepared by the carrier. Shows origin point, destination, route, consignor, consignee, shipment description, and price for the service.
Even though this list is quite long, it only contains a fraction of all the terms you may come across during shipping. If you have any questions regarding anything, including terms, during your shipment, Freight Rate Central is happy to help.
Though Freight Rate Central is centrally located in Idaho, we service all across the United States. We aim to provide the most efficient and economical shipping for all of our clients, and work with a number of servicers to ensure you get only the best rates no matter your shipping needs. We take care of the details both big and small, so you can rest easy with your shipments in our hands. Contact us today at 1-800-870-6294 to learn more about our services, or visit us online to request a free quote.
