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A
ABI
Automated Broker Interface — US Customs electronic filing system
ACE
Automated Commercial Environment — US Customs and Border Protection system
AEO
Authorised Economic Operator — trusted trader status granted by customs authorities
AES
Automated Export System — US electronic export declaration system
AFR
Advance Filing Rules — Japan customs pre-arrival cargo declaration requirement
AGM
Annual General Meeting — annual conference held by freight forwarding networks
AMS
Automated Manifest System — US advance cargo declaration for sea shipments
AOG
Aircraft on Ground — time-critical spare parts shipment for grounded aircraft
APL
Advance Parts List — list of parts for a shipment
ARN
Advice of Ready Notice — notification that goods are ready for collection
ASL
Approved Shipper List — list of approved cargo originators
ATD
Actual Time of Departure — confirmed departure time
ATA
Actual Time of Arrival — confirmed arrival time / also ATA Carnet (temporary import document)
AWB
Air Waybill — air freight transport document and contract of carriage
B
B/L
Bill of Lading — sea freight transport document, title document and contract of carriage
BAF
Bunker Adjustment Factor — fuel surcharge applied by shipping lines
BAT
Best Available Technology — environmental standard reference
BL
Bill of Lading (alternative abbreviation) — see B/L
BOE
Bill of Entry — customs import declaration document
BOL
Bill of Lading (alternative abbreviation) — see B/L
BSS
Bunker Surcharge — fuel cost surcharge added by carriers
BTB
Back to Back — documentary credit or shipment arrangement
C
C&F
Cost and Freight — Incoterm (now CFR) — seller pays cost and freight to destination port
C/O
Certificate of Origin — document certifying country of manufacture
CAF
Currency Adjustment Factor — surcharge for currency fluctuation
CBM
Cubic Metre — standard unit of volume measurement for cargo
CBP
Customs and Border Protection — US customs authority
CCN
Cargo Control Number — tracking reference used by customs
CFS
Container Freight Station — facility where LCL cargo is stuffed/de-stuffed
CFR
Cost and Freight — Incoterms 2020 — seller delivers to destination port, buyer arranges insurance
CIF
Cost Insurance Freight — Incoterms 2020 — seller pays cost, insurance and freight to destination port
CIP
Carriage and Insurance Paid To — Incoterms 2020
CMR
Convention on the Contract for International Carriage of Goods by Road — road transport document
CO2
Carbon Dioxide — key emissions measure in logistics sustainability reporting
COD
Cash on Delivery — payment collected upon delivery
CPT
Carriage Paid To — Incoterms 2020 — seller pays freight to named destination
CY
Container Yard — area at port/terminal where full containers are stored
D
DAP
Delivered at Place — Incoterms 2020 — seller delivers to named destination, buyer clears customs
DAT
Delivered at Terminal — replaced by DPU in Incoterms 2020
DDP
Delivered Duty Paid — Incoterms 2020 — seller responsible for all costs including import duties
DDU
Delivered Duty Unpaid — buyer responsible for import duties (now DAP in Incoterms 2020)
DG
Dangerous Goods — hazardous materials regulated by IATA/IMDG codes
DPU
Delivered at Place Unloaded — Incoterms 2020 — seller delivers and unloads at destination
D/O
Delivery Order — document authorising release of cargo from terminal
DOT
Department of Transportation — US regulatory authority for transport
DPD
Days Prior to Departure — advance filing requirement reference
E
EAD
Export Accompanying Document — EU customs export clearance document
EAN
European Article Number — product barcode standard
ECS
Export Control System — EU advance export declaration system
EDI
Electronic Data Interchange — electronic exchange of business documents between systems
ENS
Entry Summary Declaration — EU advance import cargo declaration (replaced by ICS2)
ETA
Estimated Time of Arrival — expected arrival date/time
ETD
Estimated Time of Departure — expected departure date/time
EXW
Ex Works — Incoterms 2020 — buyer collects from seller's premises, all costs buyer's responsibility
F
FAK
Freight All Kinds — single freight rate regardless of cargo type
FAS
Free Alongside Ship — Incoterms 2020 — seller delivers alongside vessel at origin port
FCA
Free Carrier — Incoterms 2020 — seller delivers to named carrier at origin
FCL
Full Container Load — cargo filling an entire container (one shipper)
FDRS
Freight Debtors Risk Service — credit risk information service for freight industry
FEU
Forty-foot Equivalent Unit — one 40ft container = 2 TEUs
FIATA
International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations — global industry body
FMC
Federal Maritime Commission — US regulatory body for ocean shipping
FOB
Free on Board — Incoterms 2020 — seller delivers when cargo loaded on vessel at origin port
FOR
Free on Rail — seller delivers cargo onto rail wagon at origin
FR
Flat Rack — open-sided container for oversized cargo
FTL
Full Truck Load — road freight equivalent of FCL — cargo fills entire truck
FTZ
Free Trade Zone — designated area with reduced customs controls
G
GCR
General Cargo Rate — standard air freight rate for unclassified cargo
GDP
Good Distribution Practice — quality standard for pharmaceutical logistics
GRI
General Rate Increase — blanket freight rate increase applied by shipping lines
GVW
Gross Vehicle Weight — total weight of vehicle plus cargo
H
HAZ
Hazardous — dangerous goods classification
HBL
House Bill of Lading — B/L issued by freight forwarder (vs Master B/L from shipping line)
HAWB
House Air Waybill — AWB issued by freight forwarder (vs Master AWB from airline)
HC
High Cube — container with extra height (9'6" vs standard 8'6")
HS Code
Harmonized System Code — international customs classification code for goods
HTK
House to Keep — cargo stored at destination pending collection
I
IATA
International Air Transport Association — global airline and air cargo industry body
ICS2
Import Control System 2 — EU advance air cargo declaration system (replaced ENS)
IMDG
International Maritime Dangerous Goods — code regulating dangerous goods by sea
IMO
International Maritime Organization — UN agency for maritime safety and regulation
ISF
Importer Security Filing — US 10+2 advance import declaration requirement
ISO
International Organization for Standardization — sets container and logistics standards
J
JIT
Just in Time — supply chain methodology minimising inventory through precise delivery timing
K
KGS
Kilograms — standard unit of weight in international freight
KPI
Key Performance Indicator — performance measurement metric
L
L/C
Letter of Credit — bank payment guarantee commonly used in international trade
LCL
Less than Container Load — cargo sharing a container with other shippers' goods
LLP
Lead Logistics Provider — single provider managing entire supply chain
LOCODE
UN Location Code — 5-character code identifying ports, airports and trade points
LTL
Less than Truck Load — road freight equivalent of LCL — partial truck load
M
MAWB
Master Air Waybill — AWB issued by airline (vs House AWB from forwarder)
MBL
Master Bill of Lading — B/L issued by shipping line (vs House B/L from forwarder)
MCC
Main Carriage Charges — primary freight charges for main transport leg
MGW
Maximum Gross Weight — maximum permitted total weight of loaded container
MOT
Mode of Transport — air, sea, road, rail or multimodal
MSC
Mediterranean Shipping Company — world's largest container shipping line
N
NVOCC
Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier — carrier issuing B/Ls without owning vessels
NHB
Net House Bill — forwarder's charges excluding main carriage
O
OBL
Original Bill of Lading — original negotiable transport document
OCR
Optical Character Recognition — technology for automated document reading
OOG
Out of Gauge — cargo exceeding standard container dimensions
OT
Open Top — container with removable roof for top-loading
OTI
Ocean Transportation Intermediary — US regulatory category for NVOCCs and freight forwarders
P
P&I
Protection and Indemnity — shipping liability insurance
POD
Port of Discharge — destination port where cargo is unloaded / also Proof of Delivery
POL
Port of Loading — origin port where cargo is loaded onto vessel
PO
Purchase Order — buyer's order document to supplier
PSS
Peak Season Surcharge — additional charge during high demand periods
Q
QMS
Quality Management System — ISO 9001 based quality framework
R
RF
Reefer — refrigerated container for temperature-controlled cargo
RFQ
Request for Quotation — formal request for pricing from a supplier or carrier
RO-RO
Roll on Roll off — vessel where wheeled cargo drives on and off
S
S/I
Shipping Instructions — instructions from shipper to forwarder for booking and documentation
SCM
Supply Chain Management — end-to-end management of goods flow from origin to delivery
SOLAS
Safety of Life at Sea — IMO convention requiring VGM for containers
SOP
Standard Operating Procedure — documented process for handling specific cargo types
SLA
Service Level Agreement — agreed performance standards between parties
SWB
Sea Waybill — non-negotiable sea transport document (vs negotiable B/L)
T
T1
Transit Document — EU customs document for goods moving under transit procedure
TEU
Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit — standard unit of container capacity measurement
THC
Terminal Handling Charge — fee for handling containers at port terminal
TK
Tank Container — ISO tank for liquid, gas or powder bulk cargo
TMS
Transport Management System — software for managing shipments and carriers
T/T
Telegraphic Transfer — electronic bank payment / also Transit Time
U
ULD
Unit Load Device — air freight pallet or container used in aircraft
UN
United Nations — also UN Number for dangerous goods classification
V
VGM
Verified Gross Mass — mandatory declared weight of packed container under SOLAS rules
VIN
Vehicle Identification Number — unique number for automotive shipments
W
W/M
Weight or Measurement — freight charged on whichever is greater: actual weight or volumetric weight
WCA
World Cargo Alliance — world's largest freight forwarding network
WH
Warehouse — storage facility for goods
WMS
Warehouse Management System — software managing warehouse operations
X
X-RAY
X-Ray Screening — customs security scanning of cargo
Y
YAS
Yard Arrival Status — status confirming cargo has arrived at terminal yard
Z
ZCR
Zero Carbon Rate — emissions-neutral freight rate offered by some carriers