| Abandonment |
The decision of
a carrier to give up or to discontinue service over a route. Railroads
must seek ICC permission to abandon routes. |
| Actual Gross Weight |
The sum of the container
weight plus the payload contained in it. |
| Actual Payload |
Maximum allowable
weight of payload (actual gross weight minus tare weight). |
| Air Cargo |
Freight that is
moved by air transportation. |
| Ambient Temperature |
The temperature
of a substance's surrounding body. The ambient temperature of a container
would be the atmospheric temperature to which it is exposed externally. |
| American Trucking
Associations, Inc. |
A motor carrier
industry association that is made up of thirteen subconferences representing
various sectors of the motor carrier industry. |
| American Waterway
Operators |
A domestic water
carrier industry association representing barge operators on the inland
waterways. |
| Amtrak |
The National Railroad
Passenger Corporation, a federally created corporation that operates most
of the nation's intercity passenger rail services. |
| Anti-Nose Dive Leg |
A support installed
at the front end of a container chassis used to support that end during
loading operations when the initial weight of the cargo is concentrated
at the front and beyond the fulcrum point of balance. |
| Army Corps of Engineers |
A federal agency
responsible for the construction and maintenance of waterways. |
| Artificial Intelligence |
Understanding and
computerizing the human thought process. |
| Association of American
Railroads |
A railroad industry
association that represents the larger U.S. railroads. |
| Athwartships |
A direction across
the beam of a vessel. |
| Auditing |
Determining the
correct transportation charges due to the carrier; auditing involves checking
the accuracy of the freight bill for errors, correct rate, and weight. |
| Back-Haul |
The return movement
of a vehicle from original destination to original origin. |
| Back Order |
The process used
when a customer orders an item that is not in inventory; the order is
filled when the item becomes available. |
| Barge |
The cargo-carrying
vehicle used primarily by inland water carriers. The basic barges have
open tops, but there are covered barges for both dry and liquid cargos. |
| Basing Point Pricing |
A pricing system
that includes a transportation cost from a particular city or town in
a zone or region even though the shipment does not originate at the basing
point. |
| Benefit-cost Ratio |
An analytical tool
used in public planning; a ratio of total measurable benefits divided
by the initial capital cost. |
| Bill of Lading |
A transportation
document that is the contract of carriage between the shipper and carrier;
it provides a receipt for the goods tendered to the carrier and, in some
cases, shows certificate of title. |
| Billing |
A carrier terminal
activity involving the determination of the proper rate and total charges
for a shipment and the issuance of a freight bill. |
| Blanket Rate |
A rate that does
not increase according to the distance the commodity is shipped. |
| Bogie |
A set of wheels
built specifically to be used as rear wheels under the container. |
| Bolster |
A device so fitted
on a chassis or railcar so as to hold and secure the container. |
| Bonded Warehousing |
Goods are placed
in storage without payment of taxes or tariffs. The warehouse manager
bonds himself or herself to the tax or tariff collecting agency to ensure
payment of the taxes before the goods are released. |
| Bottom Side Rails |
Structural members
located on the longitudinal sides of the base of the container. |
| Box |
Common terminology
describing an ocean-freight container. |
| Boxcar |
An enclosed railcar
typically 40 to 50 feet long; used for packaged freight and some bulk
commodities. |
| Bracing |
Securing a shipment
inside a carrier's vehicle to prevent damage. |
| Breakbulk |
The separation of
a consolidated, bulk load into individual, smaller increments for delivery
to ultimate consignee. The freight may be moved intact inside the trailer
or it may be interchanged and rehandled to the connecting carriers. |
| Broker |
An intermediary
between the shipper and the carrier. The broker arranges transportation
for shippers and represents carriers. |
| Broken Stowage |
The waste and loss
of space caused by irregularity in the size and shape of packages. Any
void or empty space in a container not occupied by cargo. |
| Bulk-Freight Container |
Applies to any container
which by virtue of its own particular design will permit bulk commodities
to be handled by means of roll loading hatches and door or front-wall
discharge hatch. |
| Bulkhead (Front
& Rear) |
Wood or other material
to secure cargo from movement within a container. |
| Bull Rings |
Cargo for securing
devices mounted in the floor of containers which provide for the lashing
and securing of cargo. |
| Business Logistics |
The physical movement
of goods from supply points to final sale to customers, and the associated
transfer and holding of such goods at various intermediate storage points,
accomplished in such a manner as to contribute to the explicit goals of
the organization. |
| Cabotage |
A federal law that
requires coastal and intercoastal traffic to be carried in U.S. built
and registered ships. |
| Capacity/Weight |
Total internal container
volume (LxWxD) or weight limitation. |
| Carrier Liabliliy |
A common carrier
is liable for all loss, damage, and delay with the exception of act of
God, act of a public enemy, act of a public authority, act of the shipper,
and the inherent nature of the goods. |
| Cells |
Construction system
employed in container vessels which permits containers to be stowed in
a vertical line with each container supporting the one above it. |
| Cellular Vessel |
A vessel specifically
designed and arranged for the carriage of containers. The holds or cells
are so arranged that the containers are lowered and stowed in a vertical
line and restrained at all four corners by vertical posts. |
| Center of Gravity |
The fixed physical
center of the combined weight of the container and its cargo. |
| Certificate of Origin |
An international
business document that certifies the country of origin of the shipment. |
| Chassis |
A trailer constructed
to accommodate containers which are moved over-the-road. |
| Chock |
A piece of wood
or other material placed at the side of cargo to prevent it from rolling
about or moving sideways. |
| Claim |
A charge made against
a carrier for loss, damage, or overcharge. |
| Classification |
An alphabetical
listing of commodities, the class or rating into which the commodity is
placed and the minimum weight necessary for the rate discount; used in
the class rate structure. |
| Classification Yard |
A railroad terminal
area where railcars are grouped together to form train units. |
| Class Rate |
A rate constructed
from a classification and a uniform distance system. A class rate is available
for any product between any two points. |
| Cleat |
A piece of wood
or metal secured in the floor of a container to provide additional support
or strength to a cargo restraining device. |
| Coastal Carriers |
Water carriers that
provide service along coasts serving ports on the Atlantic or Pacific
Oceans or on the Gulf of Mexico. |
| COFC |
Container-on-flatcar.
This is accomplished with containers resting on railway flatcars. |
| Collapsible Container |
So fitted that the
main parts are hinged or removable for the purpose of reducing its effective
volume for transporting in an empty condition. |
| Commercial Zone |
The area surrounding
a city or town to which rates quoted for the city or town also apply;
the area is defined by the ICC. |
| Commodities Clause |
A clause that prohibits
railroads from hauling commodities which they produced, mined, owned,
or had an interest in. |
| Commodity Rate |
A rate for a specific
commodity and its origin-destination. |
| Common Carrier |
A for-hire carrier
that holds itself out to serve the general public at reasonable rates
and without discrimination. The carrier must secure a certificate of public
convenience and necessity to operate. |
| Common Carrier Duties |
Common carriers
are required to serve, deliver, charge reasonable rates, and not discriminate. |
| Common Cost |
A cost that cannot
be directly assignable to particular segments of the business but that
is incurred for the business as a whole. |
| Commuter |
An exempt for-hire
air carrier that publishes a time schedule on specific routes; a special
type of air taxi. |
| Comparative Advantage |
A principle based
on the assumption that an area will specialize in the production of goods
for which it has the greatest advantage or least comparative disadvantage. |
| Concealed Damage |
Any damage that
is not evident when inspecting an unopened container, package, etc. |
| Conference |
An association of
ship owners operating in the same specific trade route who, by agreement,
operate under collective conditions of carriage and tariff rates. |
| Consignee |
The receiver of
a freight shipment, usually the buyer. |
| Consignor |
The sender of a
freight shipment, usually the seller. |
| Consolidation |
The combination
of more than one shipment loaded in a container destined to more than
one consignee. |
| Container |
A big box (10 feet
long) into which freight is loaded. |
| Container Booking |
Arrangements consummated
with a steamship line to transport containerized cargo. |
| Container Freight
Station/CFS |
Associated with
consolidation depots where parcels of cargo are grouped and loaded into
containers. |
| Container Load |
A sufficient load
in size to fill a container either by cubic measurement or by weight. |
| Container Part Load |
A loading which
does not utilize the full volumetric capacity of a container nor the maximum
payload by weight and will permit additional part loads. |
| Container Freight
Pool |
An agreement between
transport carriers and/or container leasing companies which will permit
the exchange of containers. |
| Container Terminal |
An area designated
to be used for the stowage of cargos in containers which may be accessible
by truck, railroad and marine transportation. |
| Containerizable
Cargo |
Cargo that will
physically fit into a container and result in an economical shipment consistent
with delivery requirements. |
| Containerization |
Stowage of general
or special cargos in a container for transport in the various modes. |
| Continuous Flow,
Fixed Path Equipment |
Material handling
devices that include conveyers and drag lines. |
| Contract Carrier |
A for-hire carrier
that does not serve the general public, but that serves shippers with
whom the carrier has a continuing contract. The contract carrier must
secure a permit to operate. |
| Conveyer |
A material handling
device that moves freight from one area to another in a warehouse. Roller
conveyers make use of gravity, whereas belt conveyors use motors. |
| Corner Castings |
Fittings situated
on top and bottom of container corner posts designed for handling and
securing a container. |
| Corner Posts/Door
Posts |
Vertical frame components
fitted at the corners of the container, integral with the corner fittings
and connecting the roof and floor structures. |
| Cost Trade-Off |
The interrelationship
among system variables indicates that a change in one variable has cost
impact upon other variables. A cost reduction in one variable may be at
the expense of increased cost for other variables, and vice versa. |
| Council of Logistics
Management (CLM) |
A professional organization
in the field of logistics. |
| Courier Service |
A fast door-to-door
service high-valued goods and documents; firms usually limit service to
shipments of 50 pounds or less. |
| Crane |
A material handling
device used for lifting heavy items. There are two types: bridge and stacker. |
| Cross Member |
Transverse members
fitted to the bottom side rails of a container serving as a support for
the floor. |
| Cryogenic |
The use of a freezing
mixture to provide refrigeration. |
| Cubic Capacity |
Carrying capacity
of a container according to measurement in cubic feet. |
| Cube Out |
When a container
has reached its volumetric capacity before reaching the permitted weight
limit. |
| Customer Service |
Activities between
the buyer and the seller that enhance or facilitate the sale or use of
the seller's products or services. |
| Dangerous Goods |
The term used by
IMCO for hazardous materials. |
| Data Plate |
A metal identification
plate affixed to a container which displays the gross and tare weights
and external dimensions. |
| Dead-Head |
One leg of a move
with either a bobtail tractor alone, or a tractor pulling an empty container. |
| Deadweight Cargo |
Cargo of such a
nature that a long-ton is stowed in less than a 70 cubic feet. |
| Delivery |
Transfer of custody
and care of goods in transit from carrier to consignee or his/her legal
representative. |
| Delivery Instructions |
Also known as "Shipping/Delivery
Order." Its use is limited to a few major U.S. ports. It is issued
by an exporter with instructions to his trucker to pick up the goods at
an intransit (temporary) terminal position and deliver them to a pier.
The same instructions may be issued to a railroad for completion of delivery
by land. |
| Demurrage |
A charge by the
carrier for the detention of equipment and cargo beyond the free period
which is allowed for loading, unloading, or other purposes. |
| Density |
A physical characteristic
of a commodity measuring its mass per unit volume; or pounds per foot
cubed; an important factor in rate-making since density affects the utilization
of a carrier's vehicle. |
| Density Rate |
A rate based upon
the density and shipment weight. |
| Depot (Container) |
Container Freight
Station or a designated area where empty containers can be picked up or
dropped off. |
| Deregulation |
Revisions or complete
elimination of economic regulations controlling transportation. The Motor
Carrier's Act of 1980 and the Staggers Act of 1980 revised the economic
controls over motor carriers and railroads, while the Airline Deregulation
Act of 1978 will eventually eliminate economic controls over air carriers. |
| Derived Demand |
The demand for transportation
of a product is derived from the demand for the product at some location. |
| Detention |
Compensation due
a container owner when his equipment is detained beyond an agreed period
of time. |
| Devanning |
The discharging
of cargo from a container. |
| Differential |
A discount offered
by a carrier that faces a service time disadvantage over a route. |
| Dispatching |
The carrier activities
involved with controlling equipment; involves arranging for fuel, drivers,
crews, equipment, and terminal space. |
| Distribution Warehouse |
A warehouse that
stores finished goods and from which customer orders are assembled. |
| Diversion |
A carrier service
that permits changing the consignee and /or destination while the shipment
is en route and paying the through rate from origin to final destination. |
| Dock Receipt |
A steamship company
form, evidencing receipt of the goods at a pier. Copies of this form are
made available to shippers as a means of expediting handling at piers.
The dock receipt controls the ownership of the goods until the ocean bill
of lading is issued. |
| Document Holder |
A receptacle fitted
on the container door or front wall, sealed and containing the Customs
certificate of container approval. |
| Dolly |
A support under
the front of a container consisting of a set of wheels, used when the
automotive unit is disconnected. |
| Door-to-Door |
Through transportation
of a container and its contents from consignor to consignee. |
| Double Bottoms |
A motor carrier
operation involving two trailers being pulled by one tractor. |
| Double-Deck Load |
A second tier of
cargo placed on top of the first tier. |
| Down Time |
The period during
which equipment is not operating or productive. |
| Drayage |
A motor carrier
that operates locally, providing pickup and delivery service. |
| Drayage Charge |
The fee charged
for local cartage by a trucker. |
| Dry-Bulk Container |
A container constructed
to carry grain, powder, and other free-flowing solids in bulk. |
| Dry Freight |
Dry cargos not requiring
controlled temperature protection. |
| Dual Operation |
A motor carrier
that has both common and contract carrier operating authority. |
| Dual Rate System |
An international
water carrier pricing system where a shipper signing an exclusive use
agreement with the conference pays a lower rate (10 to 15 percent) than
nonsigning shippers for an identical shipment. |
| Dunnage |
Material used in
stowing cargo within a container to prevent movement. |
| Dunnage Bag |
See "Inflatable
Dunnage" |
