Shipping Terms
The Fox Learning Center
When it comes to freight solutions, there is specific technology involved. When shipping, it’s always best to be prepared! Logistics Fox Freight Solutions has defined frequently-used terms. We offer every mode of transportation, from dry vans to trucks. Because of this, it is important to us that our customers know what’s what when it comes to their shipping needs and services. If there’s a term you feel is missing, or you have any questions about the terms and definitions listed below, please contact your Logistics Fox Freight Solutions account representative. They are more than happy to help.
Our Terminology
- Accessorial Fees – an additional fee for service beyond standard transportation pricing.
- BOL (Bill of Lading) – a document which acknowledges receipt of the goods and establishes the terms of a contract between a shipper, transportation company, or logistics provider.
- Bonded Warehouses – a facility authorized for the storage and processing of goods.
- Carrier – any person who, in a contract of carriage, undertakes to perform or to procure the performance of carriage by rail, road, sea, air, inland waterway, or by a combination of them.
- Claim – a demand for payment made upon a transportation line due to loss sustained through alleged negligence.
- Clean Bill of Lading – a receipt for goods issued by a carrier with an indication that the goods were received without damage or other irregularities.
- Commodity – a shipped article. For dangerous and hazardous cargo, the correct commodity identification is crucial.
- Consignee – The person or company (named in the bill of lading) to whom commodities are shipped. The owner of the cargo.
- Consignment – goods in transit under a bill of lading.
- Consignor/Shipper – the person or company shown as the shipper on the bill of lading.
- Container – a truck trailer body that can be detached from the chassis for loading into a vessel or a rail car or stacked in a container depot.
- Customs – the authorities designated to collect on imports and exports levied by a country.
- Customs Invoice – a form requiring all data in a commercial invoice along with a certificate of value and a certificate of origin.
- Dim Weight (Dimensional Weight) – this measurement, along with the weight of the pieces shipped, is typically used by air freight carriers to determine their freight charges.
- Dock Receipt – a receipt issued to acknowledge receipt of a shipment at the carrier’s dock or warehouse facilities.
- General Tariff – a tariff that applies to countries that do not enjoy either preferential or most-favored-nation tariff treatment.
- Gross Weight – the full weight of a shipment, including goods and packaging.
- Liftgate – shippers, consignees, and residences without forklifts generally require this.
- LTL (Less Than Truckload) – shipments of 150 – 10,000 pounds, not requiring more than six standard pallet spaces.
- Net Weight – the weight of goods alone, without any immediate wrappings.
- N.M.F.C. (National Motor Freight Classification) – a listing of items used to determine the “class” of a shipped item.
- Non-Commercial (Limited Access) – can be considered, but are not limited, to church sites, construction sites, mine sites, utility sites, government sites, carnivals, etc.
- Packing List – an itemized list of commodities with marks and numbers, but no cost values.
- Pallet – a flat metal or wood bottom for cargo.
- Port of Entry – where foreign goods are admitted into the receiving country.
- Power of Attorney – a method used to assign authority to another company or person.
- Residential Fee – a pickup or delivery performed at a personal residence, apartment, dormitory, rectory or parsonages.
- Standard Pallet – describes a pallet that does not exceed 48 inches by 48 inches.
- Truckload – a shipment moved by itself directly from point of origin to point of destination.
- Volume – shipments consisting of more than six pallets, but less than a full truckload.