Shipping Definitions
Zone Rate
A zone rate is a type of freight rate based on the number of geographic areas that a delivery has to pass through to reach its final destination.
X-Ray Exam
A type of Customs exam and is one of the least intensive.
Wharfage
A charge assessed by a shipping terminal or port when goods are moved through the location using a wharf.
VAT (Value Added Tax) Number
A VAT number is required to import into the EU.
Ultimate Consignee
The person or company who receives the goods for end use, or the person or company listed on the export license.
ULD (Unit Load Device)
A unit load device is a pallet or container used to load luggage, freight, and mail on wide-body aircraft and specific narrow-body aircraft. It allows a large quantity of cargo to be bundled into a single unit.
Trucking Wait Fee
A Trucking Wait Fee is charged by trucking companies for the time a driver spends waiting to pick up or drop off a shipment when it exceeds the normally allotted wait time.
Transloading
Transloading is the process of transferring a shipment from one mode of transportation to another.
Tail Gate Exam
A Tail Gate exam is a more intensive Customs exam than an X-ray exam. If U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) selects your container for a Tail Gate exam, a Customs officer will break the seal of the container at the ocean terminal, open the ...
TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit)
The twenty-foot equivalent unit is an inexact unit of cargo capacity often used to describe the capacity of container ships and container terminals.
Stuffing
Stuffing is another word for loading a container.
Storage Charges
Storage charges are the cost of holding a shipment at a location and will be on the final invoice if applicable.
Stop Off Fee
A Stop-Off Fee is charged by a trucking company if a single delivery load is split between two locations and the driver must make an additional stop.
Split Shipment
The breaking up into 2 or more shipments of a larger shipment, either sent together or separately.
Shipping Order (SO)
Shipping order is a copy of the shipper's instruction issued by the shipping company to a shipper regarding the disposition of goods to be transported.
Shipper's Letter of Instruction (SLI)
An exporter uses the Shipper's Letter of Instruction to convey transportation and documentation instructions to his or her agent, usually an international freight forwarder.
Ship From Address (Amazon)
Ship From Address (Amazon) refers to the Ship From address that Amazon Seller Central requires you to input when creating a shipment.
Rolled Cargo
Rolled cargo refers to cargo that has not been loaded onto the vessel it was meant to sail on.
Residential Delivery Fee
A “residential fee” denotes that the carrier has delivered to a residential area.
Related Parties
Related parties are relationships that may affect the declared import value to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Quality Control (QC)
Quality control (QC) is a procedure or set of procedures intended to ensure that a manufactured product or performed service adheres to a defined set of quality criteria or meets the requirements of the client or customer.
Pre-Pull
A pre-pull is when the trucker pulls an FCL container from the port and stores it at the trucker’s yard rather than instantly delivering it.
Pier Pass Fee
The PierPass Fee is an additional charge to your shipment if the cargo is moved out of the Los Angeles or Long Beach ports during peak daytime hours on weekdays (3 AM to 6 PM).
Per Diem Charge
A per diem charge is a fee the ocean carrier charges for each day past the number of days that the container was supposed to be away from port.
Pallet Exchange Fee
A pallet exchange fee is charged if the trucker doesn't bring pallets to exchange when they pick up the cargo.
Pallet
A pallet is the structural foundation of a unit load which allows handling and storage efficiencies.
Packing List (PL)
A packing list is a document that includes details about the contents of a package. The packing list is intended to let transport agencies, government authorities, and customers know the contents of the package.
PSS (Peak Season Surcharge)
Carriers charge a Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) when they are at near or full capacity.
Original Bill of Lading (OBL)
Original Bill of Lading is a document that indicates that the exporter will consign a shipment to an international carrier for transportation to a specified foreign market and defines the terms of the contract of carriage.
Origin Charge
Origin charge is the total price to move cargo from origin to destination, inclusive of all charges (limited to transportation costs).
Notify Party
The Notify Party is merely someone that needs to be notified about the arrival of the cargo covered in the bill of lading.
Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC)
An NVOCC is a common carrier that holds itself out to the public to provide ocean transportation, issues its own bills of lading or equivalent documents, but does not operate the vessels that transport cargo.
Negotiated Rate Arrangement (NRA)
A Negotiated Rate Arrangement (NRA) is a written arrangement between an NVOCC and an NRA Shipper to provide specific transportation service for a stated cargo quantity.
Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF)
The Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF) is a fee imposed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for most U.S. imports. The MPF is charged at 0.3456% of the value of the merchandise being imported. There is a minimum fee of $25 and a maximum of $485 ...
MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet)
A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is a document that contains information on the potential hazards (health, fire, reactivity and environmental) and how to work safely with the chemical product.
Live Unload
A live unload means that you have to unload your items in short period of time, often while the driver of the truck or trailer waits.
Liftgate Fee
A liftgate fee is required by a trucker if a liftgate has to be provided.
Liftgate
A liftgate is used for delivery destinations that do not have a loading dock.
Letter of Indemnity (LOI)
A letter of indemnity (LOI) is a document which the shipper indemnifies the shipping company against the implications of claims that may arise from the issue of a clean Bill of Lading when the goods were not loaded in accordance with the description ...
Last Free Day
The Last Free Day is the last day of free storage time in which the cargo can be picked up without paying demurrage.
Next page