Website design By BotEap.comThe freight industry has a unique lexicon, much of it rooted in a long history of transportation. The vocabulary can be a bit overwhelming and confusing for a newcomer.

Website design By BotEap.comWe’ll explore some of the most commonly used terms here:

Website design By BotEap.comDecrease – A discount allowed for damage or surcharge

Website design By BotEap.comAccessory – Any service that is not considered ‘standard’ and will incur additional charges. This may include in-house delivery, insurance, liftgate service, and other services.

Website design By BotEap.combill of lading (BOL) – Essential shipping documents indicating relevant names and addresses, places of origin and destination, description of the goods shipped, payment instructions and other relevant information

Website design By BotEap.comBooking – Organize the transport of goods by a carrier

Website design By BotEap.comcar box – A closed freight wagon

Website design By BotEap.comConveyor – The transportation entity that undertakes to move cargo by rail, truck, sea, air or any combination of these modes

Website design By BotEap.comBearing – Transportation of local cargo (as opposed to interstate or international) in trucks

Website design By BotEap.comSay – A claim made to the carrier for payment due to damages or other losses as a result of the carrier’s negligence in transportation.

Website design By BotEap.comClassification – Rating assigned to a particular type of product, generally identifying the size, value, and difficulties inherent in transporting that product. The correct class is essential for an accurate freight quote

Website design By BotEap.comconsigned – The person or company to which the cargo is sent

Website design By BotEap.comConsignor – The person or company identified as the shipper of the cargo

Website design By BotEap.comcontainer – A large metal box resembling the body of a truck trailer that can be shipped by ship or rail and then attached to a trailer chassis for further transportation, containers come in many sizes and types.

Website design By BotEap.comstrained – When a truck delivers a load and then completes a leg of a trip without any load

Website design By BotEap.comdeclared value – Sometimes a shipper may receive a lower rate if they under-declare a shipment, which can be risky in the event of loss.

Website design By BotEap.comDensity – The weight of the cargo per cubic foot, this measurement is important for an accurate freight quote

Website design By BotEap.comdouble fall – An open bed trailer with a raised section at the front and rear and a lower section in the middle that can be used to haul unusually tall cargo

Website design By BotEap.comhaulage – Local hauling of cargo by truck Same as Bearing

Website design By BotEap.comContainer – Refers to a 53′ trailer that can be heated or ventilated but is not refrigerated

Website design By BotEap.comException -When a carrier receives a shipment (usually at its terminal), the carrier notes any actual or suspected damage to the cargo prior to transportation.

Website design By BotEap.comtransport – Used in a number of different ways, it can refer to the actual cargo or the fees charged to a shipper by a carrier for transporting that cargo.

Website design By BotEap.comGross weight – Accumulated weight of cargo, packaging and wagon or cargo container

Website design By BotEap.comMAKE MATTE – Hazardous Material

Website design By BotEap.comintermodal – Using multiple modes of transportation to move cargo containers – can include ocean, rail, road, and air cargo transportation

Website design By BotEap.comLTL or less truckload – Shipping where the load is not large enough to require a full truckload on its own, LTL shipments are typically in the 100lb to 20,000lb range

Website design By BotEap.comNMFC – National Classification of Freight Transportation (see Classification above)

Website design By BotEap.comPiggyback – An intermodal transportation arrangement in which loaded truck trailers are placed on a rail car and moved to a destination.

Website design By BotEap.comPRO number – The tracking number assigned by the carrier to a specific shipment

Website design By BotEap.comProof of delivery – Delivery receipt of a shipment

Website design By BotEap.compuppies – A short trailer used in conjunction with another short trailer to create a twin or tandem trailer

Website design By BotEap.comquote or quote – An offer to provide freight transportation at a specific price based on certain information and shipping terms

Website design By BotEap.comreefer – Refrigerated container or trailer

Website design By BotEap.comstack train – A special wagon that can transport containers stacked two heights

Website design By BotEap.comstep deck – An open trailer with a standard flat section at the front and a drop section at the rear, used to haul taller cargo

Website design By BotEap.comtare weight – The weight of the empty railcar or empty container in rail, sea or intermodal shipments

Website design By BotEap.comTariff – A publication that establishes the rates and requirements of a specific transport company

Website design By BotEap.comTerminal – An area where cargo is staged and prepared for loading and shipment to the final destination, the cargo will often go to a carrier’s terminal after being picked up and then placed in another container or trailer for transport to its destination, Intermodal cargo is often unloaded at a terminal before being arranged and placed for final delivery.

Website design By BotEap.comTL – Truck loading (when the amount of cargo is enough to fill an entire trailer or container)

Website design By BotEap.comTractor – The power unit used to pull a trailer

Website design By BotEap.comTrailer – The part of the truck in which the cargo is loaded and transported.

Website design By BotEap.comventilated trailer – A trailer with small openings in the walls to allow outside air to circulate when the doors are closed

Website design By BotEap.comstorage -Charge storage

Website design By BotEap.comWhile this list may seem long, there are hundreds of other key industry terms and phrases you may come across. Whether you are a novice or experienced sender, you may hear a new term from time to time. Feel free to contact us to find out what any word related to freight means at any time.