Author name: The Alibaba.com Team

A reefer container (RF) is a shipping container that keeps its contents at a controlled temperature.

A Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) is a designated area in or near a U.S. Port of Entry where goods are exempt from customs tariffs and other taxes.

Shipment Gross Weight is the cumulative weight of an entire shipment, calculated by adding the tare and net weights.

The chargeable weight is the weight that an air or LCL freight provider charges to move a customer’s cargo and it is usually determined by calculating the volumetric and gross weight and selecting the higher weight.

A full truckload (FTL) is a shipment large enough that it requires a full truck for its transportation.

Less than truckload (LTL) is a freight trucking method for smaller shipments that don’t fill up a truck and can be combined together to fill up a full truckload.

A dry run refers to a trucking scenario when a trucker is unable to complete a pickup or delivery.

A clean truck fee is levied by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as part of the Clear Air Action Plan to help cut down on air pollution.

A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is a document that lists all potential hazards and the safe handling process of all potentially dangerous goods.

A shipper is a person who consigns goods and signs a contract of carriage with a carrier in one‘s name or on one‘s behalf on the freight documents.

A house bill of lading (HBL) is an acknowledgment of the receipt of goods issued by a freight forwarder or a non-vessel operating company (NVOCC).

An original bill of lading (OBL) is a contract of carriage, which doubles as a title of the cargo and a carrier’s receipt of the cargo.

An express bill of lading is a type of bill of lading with no original bill of lading issued and the cargo is automatically released at the destination.

A master air waybill (MAWB) is a transport document for air cargo with details of delivery terms issued by the air cargo carrier or its agent.