Shipping references & useful links

Incoterms® is a registered trademark of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). This table is a simplified summary of the Incoterms® 2020 rules for general guidance only. The official rules are published by the ICC. ICC Incoterms® rules (opens in a new tab)

Air Waybill (AWB)

The transport document for air cargo. The airline issues a master air waybill (MAWB); a forwarder may issue a house air waybill (HAWB) to the shipper.

Arrival Notice

A notice sent before cargo arrives with the estimated arrival date, charges due, and pickup or release details.

Bill of Lading (B/L)

The ocean transport document. It serves as a receipt for the cargo and evidence of the contract of carriage, and when negotiable it is also a document of title.

Master B/L (MBL) & House B/L (HBL)

The ocean carrier issues the MBL to the forwarder or NVOCC. The forwarder or NVOCC issues an HBL to its own customer, the shipper.

CBM

Cubic meter, the standard unit for measuring cargo volume (1 CBM ≈ 35.3 cubic feet).

CFS (Container Freight Station)

A warehouse where LCL cargo from multiple shippers is loaded into, or unloaded from, shared containers.

Chargeable Weight

The weight used to price air freight: the greater of the actual weight and the volumetric weight.

Chassis

The wheeled frame a truck uses to carry an ocean container on the road.

Consolidation

Combining several smaller shipments into one container or air shipment. Deconsolidation is separating them at destination.

Customs Bond

A financial guarantee required for most commercial imports into the U.S. A single-entry bond covers one shipment; a continuous bond covers all entries for a year.

Cut-off

The deadline for delivering cargo or submitting documents to make a specific sailing or flight.

Demurrage

A charge for leaving a container at the terminal after the free time has ended.

Detention (Per Diem)

A charge for keeping a carrier's container outside the terminal beyond the free time, until it is returned empty.

Drayage

Short-distance trucking of containers between a port or rail ramp and a nearby warehouse or customer.

ETD / ETA

Estimated time of departure and estimated time of arrival.

FCL / LCL

Full Container Load (one shipper uses the whole container) and Less than Container Load (cargo shares a container with other shipments).

FTL / LTL

Full Truckload and Less-Than-Truckload trucking services.

Free Time

The number of days a container can stay at the terminal, or with the importer, before demurrage or detention charges begin.

HTS Code

The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States classification number for a product. It determines the duty rate and other import requirements.

In-bond (IT / IE / T&E)

Moving imported cargo under CBP bond before it is formally entered: Immediate Transportation (IT) to another U.S. port, Immediate Exportation (IE) from the arrival port, or Transportation and Exportation (T&E) through the U.S. to another port for export.

ISF (Importer Security Filing, "10+2")

Advance cargo information required by CBP for ocean shipments to the U.S. It is due no later than 24 hours before the cargo is loaded on the vessel at the foreign port.

NVOCC

Non-Vessel-Operating Common Carrier: an ocean transportation intermediary that issues its own bills of lading and buys space from ocean carriers.

PGA (Partner Government Agency)

U.S. government agencies, such as FDA, USDA, and EPA, that set import requirements in addition to CBP.

Post Summary Correction (PSC)

An electronic correction to a filed customs entry summary, submitted before the entry is finalized (liquidated).

Reefer

A refrigerated container that keeps cargo at a set temperature.

Telex Release / Surrendered B/L

The original bills of lading are surrendered at origin so cargo can be released at destination without paper originals.

TEU

Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit, the standard measure of container capacity. A 40-foot container equals 2 TEU.

Transloading

Transferring cargo from one container or vehicle to another, for example from an ocean container into a 53-foot domestic trailer.

ULD (Unit Load Device)

A pallet or container used to load cargo onto an aircraft.