Freight glossary.
41 freight and warehousing terms in one line each, from the people who use them on the dock. Each entry links to the guide or service where it matters.
- 3PL (third-party logistics)
- A company that runs warehousing, fulfillment and freight for other businesses under contract. Some 3PLs own and staff their facilities; others manage a network of partner warehouses under one contract. 3PL solutions →
- Accessorial
- Any carrier charge for a service beyond a standard dock-to-dock pickup and delivery: liftgate, residential, limited access, inside delivery, redelivery and so on. LTL pricing guide →
- ASN (advance shipping notice)
- A document sent ahead of an inbound shipment listing what is coming, in what quantity, on which carrier and when. Lets the receiving dock plan labour and count against a record.
- Backhaul
- Freight carried on the return leg of a trip that would otherwise run empty. Often priced below the headhaul rate.
- Blind shipment
- A shipment where the shipper or consignee (or both) are hidden from the other party, typically because a distributor does not want the end customer to see the supplier.
- BOL (bill of lading)
- The contract of carriage and receipt for a shipment: shipper, consignee, carrier, description, weight, class, piece count and special instructions. The driver signs it at pickup; it is the document a claim is settled against.
- Chassis
- The wheeled frame an ocean container rides on for road transport. Rented per day; late return incurs chassis detention.
- Consignee
- The party receiving the shipment. The consignor (shipper) sends it.
- Cross-dock
- Moving freight from an inbound trailer straight to an outbound one with little or no storage in between. Fast, but only works when the outbound is already known.
- Cubic capacity rule
- A carrier rule that re-rates shipments occupying a large share of the trailer (commonly 750 cubic feet or more at low density) at a higher effective class. Another reason to measure before rating.
- Cycle count
- Counting a subset of inventory on a rolling schedule rather than shutting down for a full physical count. How a warehouse knows its accuracy figure.
- Demurrage
- A fee charged by the terminal or ocean carrier when a loaded container stays at the port beyond its free time. Escalates daily. Container guide →
- Density
- Weight divided by volume, in pounds per cubic foot. The main input to freight class for most commodities.
- Detention
- In LTL and truckload: a charge when the driver waits beyond free time to load or unload. In ocean freight (also "per diem"): a charge for keeping the container beyond its free days after it leaves the terminal.
- Devanning
- Unloading an ocean container into a warehouse, counting the cargo and palletising it if it arrived loose. Also called stripping or unstuffing. Pallet consolidation →
- Dimensioner
- A scanner at a carrier terminal that measures a pallet’s dimensions automatically. Used to check declared class and trigger reclass charges.
- Drayage
- Short-haul trucking of a container between a port or rail ramp and a nearby warehouse or yard.
- Dunnage
- Material used to brace and protect freight in a trailer or container: airbags, foam, lumber, cardboard.
- FAK (freight all kinds)
- A negotiated arrangement that rates a range of classes as a single class. Simplifies rating for shippers with mixed commodities.
- Floor-loaded
- Cargo stacked directly on the container or trailer floor with no pallets. Fits more product; costs far more labour to unload.
- Freight class
- The NMFC category (50 to 500) that determines an LTL rate, set by density, stowability, handling and liability. Higher class, higher rate. How class is set →
- FTZ (foreign-trade zone)
- A designated area, usually near a port, where imported goods can be stored or processed without paying duty until they enter US commerce.
- Fuel surcharge
- A percentage added to the base rate, tied to a published diesel index and updated weekly. Not an accessorial, but usually the largest line after the base rate.
- Kitting
- Assembling several SKUs into one sellable or build-ready unit at the warehouse before it ships.
- Liftgate
- A hydraulic platform on the back of a truck that lowers freight to the ground where there is no dock. Billed as an accessorial.
- Limited access
- A delivery site that slows the driver — schools, military bases, construction sites, farms, some storage facilities. Billed as an accessorial.
- Linehaul
- The terminal-to-terminal leg of an LTL move, as opposed to the local pickup and delivery legs.
- LTL (less-than-truckload)
- Freight that shares trailer space with other shippers’ loads and moves through carrier terminals. Priced by class, weight, distance and accessorials. Typically one to six pallets. LTL & truckload freight →
- NMFC
- The National Motor Freight Classification, the industry standard that assigns freight classes and item numbers to commodities. Maintained by the NMFTA.
- Pallet position
- The unit of warehouse storage: one standard pallet footprint (usually 48 × 40 inches) up to a stated height. Billed per position per week or month. Warehousing & storage →
- POD (proof of delivery)
- The signed delivery receipt showing who received the freight, when, and any exceptions noted. The document that closes a shipment and answers a chargeback.
- PRO number
- The carrier’s tracking number for an LTL shipment (from "progressive rotating order"). What you enter to track a shipment. A BOL number is the shipper’s reference; a PRO is the carrier’s.
- Reclass
- A carrier re-rating a shipment at a different freight class than declared on the BOL after inspection or dimensioning, plus an inspection fee.
- Reweigh
- A carrier re-rating a shipment at a different weight than declared after weighing it at the terminal.
- Routing guide
- A retailer’s rulebook for inbound shipments: pallet pattern, labels, carrier selection, appointment procedure and the chargebacks for getting any of it wrong.
- Same-day delivery
- Freight picked up and delivered on the same business day. At CFL, any address within 100 miles of a facility. Same-day delivery →
- SKU (stock-keeping unit)
- A unique identifier for one product variant. Inventory is counted and picked by SKU.
- Sources-sought notice
- A government market-research notice asking which vendors could perform a requirement, issued before any solicitation. Responses shape whether the buy is set aside for small business. Government guide →
- Transloading
- Moving cargo from an ocean container straight into a domestic trailer, usually near the port, with little or no storage. Compare devanning.
- Truckload (TL / FTL)
- A shipment that takes the whole trailer, dock to dock, with no terminal handling. Priced flat or per mile regardless of class. Typically twelve pallets or more.
- Volume LTL / partial truckload
- A space-based rate for shipments in the grey zone between LTL and truckload — roughly six to fourteen pallets — quoted instead of a class-based LTL rate.