What are the Most Common Freight Shipping Terms?
The terms of freight
shipping companies, especially sea or ocean freighting, has a
list of industry terms. While the list is long, many freight shipping terms
seem to be asked again and again.
What
is LTL freight?
The full form of LTL is less
than truckload is a freight shipping mode for cargo larger than parcel or small box but short
of the space needed of a full truckload shipment. A common carrier moves the
freight. If a shipper has an LTL, then the cargo will take a much longer time
to reach the destination because the container's space will get filled by the
other shipper, meaning that it will have more than one stop, unloading, and
loading while heading to its destination.
What
is flatbed hauling?
Flatbed hauling is commonly
linked with shipping heavy or unique-shaped cargo that is too large for
conventional trucks. It also applies to freight that needs open sides for
accessibility when loading and unloading the freight.
What
is bulk freight?
Freight is generally
contained within packages or containers during the shipping process. Many freight
forwarding services, particularly certain raw materials, commodities,
or goods that are not packaged, are referred to as bulk freight.
What
is it intermodal shipping?
When a shipment is shipped
through two or more modes of transportation, it is known as intermodal
shipping. If freight cannot be shipped from one point to its final destination
with a single mode, then it is time to include another mode of transport to get
across the shipment to its location. For instance, ocean or sea shipping, air
shipping, and rail shipping certainly need an intermodal shipping model. A truck
is used via road to reach the port from the pickup point to load the shipment
onto the carrier; similarly, when it reaches its location, a rail and a truck
may be required for the cargo to reach its final destination.
What
does BOL mean?
BOL is the Bill of Lading; it
is an important freight shipping document
that describes the contract between the carrier and the shipper. The BOL will
contain all details about the shipper, the receiver, and the items being
shipped.
What
is a blind load?
Blind load refers to those
cargo wherein the shipper and receiver do not know each other; that is, the
receiver does not know who the shipper is, and the shipper does not know the
receiver. In such cases, the origin of the shipment or the destination point of
the shipment is concealed.
What
is a backhaul?
A backhaul is when a shipment
is returning. In other words, it means a return trip of any truck that has been
transporting freight, and now it's on its way back to the origin point; this is
known as a backhaul. Sometimes, a carrier might offer a discount during the
backhaul if they have freight during the return trip.
What is a
PRO number?
Your PRO number is a number
that the shipper assigns as soon as the carrier picks up the shipment. These
numbers help the freight forwarding services to track where the shipment is at any given time. It is
effectively and efficiently the same as a tracking number you would get with
any item you order online or any item you send to a friend. Still, it applies
in this instance specifically to the freight shipping industry.
Conclusion
While there is any number of
additional terms involved in the freight shipping industry, knowing these most
important terms will help you decide upon which method of shipment to use.
Knowing when and which term to use will help you will help your company to look
more professional.