Shipping Terminology P’s, R’s, S’s, T’s, U’s, and W’s

Shipping Terminology (P's R's S's T's U's & W's)

To help you understand terms used in the shipping industry, whether familiar or not, we created an index of sorts with many useful shipping terms.. We hope that these aid you in communicating, interpreting, and managing your business.

Pallet: An elevated wooden platform without sides or a top on which shipments are loaded and secured to.

Palletized Shipment: A shipment secured to a pallet to be transported by a carrier.

Partial Shipment: Essentially a larger LTL shipment with the safety benefits of an FTL shipment. Usually a partial shipment only has one or two extra stops and the goods are not consistently consolidated and deconsolidated as they are with LTL shipments.

Payment Terms: Broad term referring to the payments made to a prepaid or collect bill. Usually, the shipper pays the shipping charges on a prepaid bill and the consignee pays the shipping charges on a collect bill.

Pickup and Delivery (P&D): The movement of goods between locations on their way to consignee/buyer’s destination.

Progressive Rotating Order (PRO): A 10-digit tracking number used by freight brokers to identify unique loads in their system.

Pup Trailer: A single trailer that does not exceed 29 lineal feat of loading space.

Revenue: The shipping charges or margin that the transportation provider receives in compensation for their services.

RVNX: Released value not exceeding.

Shipper’s Agent: Different than common carriers, freight forwarders, and brokers, shipper’s agents provide shipping services related to warehousing, loading, and unloading shipments.

Shipping Documents: A broad term referring to the various documents required to move a shipment from its origin to destination. These include the Bill of Lading, packing slips, customs paperwork, and manifests.

Shortage: The opposite of an overage, in which the number of units received is less than those specified on the shipping documents.

Tariff: A document which specifies certain rules, rates, and charges to move particular goods.

Terminal: The location where shipments are prepared to make a local move to the destination or another terminal.

Third Party: Another party responsible for paying shipping charges that is not the shipper or consignee.

Truck Tonnage: The weight of a shipment transported by a truck (in tons.)

Truckload (TL): Synonymous with FTL. A single large-volume shipment from one shipper that exceeds 10,000 lbs or takes up an entire trailer space.

UN Number: An internationally recognized number that identifies hazardous materials.

Waybill: A non-negotiable prepared by the carrier at origin. It shows the origin, destination, route, consignor and consignee, description of goods being shipped, and the amount charged for the transportation services.

Wharf: A structure on the harbor or bank where vessels can dock to load and unload goods.

Will Call: A request to pick up freight from the carrier’s location

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