Shipping glossary
Shipping terms, in plain English.
Understand the terms on your carrier agreement and shipping invoice, with practical examples and related guides.
Practical reference for better shipping decisions.33 terms
A
- Actual weight
- The weight of a packed shipment measured on a scale.
- Additional handling
- A fee for packages that meet a carrier handling criterion.
- Address correction
- A billed service or adjustment when a carrier corrects shipment address information.
B
- Base rate
- The starting transportation price before applicable discounts and additional charges.
- Billable weight
- The weight a carrier uses to determine the transportation price.
- Billing adjustment
- A change to a billed charge after a carrier reviews shipment or account information.
C
- Commercial invoice
- A document describing goods, values, and transaction details used in international shipping and customs processing.
- Customs clearance
- The process of presenting shipment information and meeting import or export requirements so goods can move across a border.
D
- Declared value
- A stated shipment value used under a carrier liability or value-protection program.
- Delivery area surcharge
- An additional delivery charge for designated postal codes or locations.
- Demand surcharge
- An additional charge a carrier applies under defined demand conditions or date windows.
- Digital Bill of Lading (eBOL)
- Digital Bills of Lading (eBOL) replace paper documents in the shipping process, particularly for palletized freight. This digital approach saves time and reduces operational costs by automating the creation and handling of handover documents.
- DIM divisor
- The number used to convert package volume into dimensional weight.
- Dimensional weight
- A pricing weight calculated from the space a package occupies.
- Disbursement fee
- A carrier or broker fee associated with advancing or processing duties and taxes on behalf of a customer.
E
- Earned discount
- A discount that depends on meeting the qualifying activity specified in an agreement.
F
- Fuel surcharge
- A variable charge associated with fuel costs, applied under the carrier fuel rules.
G
- General rate increase
- A carrier change to its published rate schedule, often announced as an average increase.
H
- Harmonized System code
- A classification code used to identify goods for customs and trade purposes.
I
- Invoice audit
- A review of shipping charges against shipment records, carrier rules, and agreement terms.
L
- Landed cost
- The combined cost of getting goods to their destination, including applicable transport and import costs.
- Large package surcharge
- An extra charge for packages meeting a carrier large-package definition.
M
- Minimum charge
- A price floor that limits how low an applicable charge can fall.
- Multi-carrier routing
- Choosing among carrier services for each shipment using business requirements and shipping data.
N
- Negotiated rate
- Pricing established in an agreement between a shipper and a carrier or authorized provider.
P
- Published rate
- A rate listed in a carrier rate guide for a defined service and shipment category.
R
- Refund or carrier credit
- An amount returned or credited after a carrier accepts an eligible request or corrects a charge.
- Remote area surcharge
- A charge associated with delivery or pickup in a location a carrier designates as remote.
- Residential surcharge
- An additional charge applied by some services to a residential delivery classification.
S
- Service guarantee
- A carrier commitment that can provide a remedy when a covered service fails its qualifying terms.
- Shipping zone
- A geographic pricing category assigned to a shipment lane.
- Surcharge
- An additional charge applied when a shipment meets a carrier rule.
T
- Transit time
- The time a service is expected or committed to take between shipment acceptance and delivery.
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