Glossary of Transport terms A - F
| A - F | G - L | M - R | S - Z |
Articulated Vehicle - Road vehicle consisting of two parts, the tractor unit and the trailer. Connected at the rear of the tractor unit by use of a king pin and fifth wheel the two sections are allowed to pivot for easier movement.
Back Load - cargocarried by vehicle on its return journey after delivering original load.
Bailee - A person to whom goods are entrusted for a fee specific purpose but not with the intention of transfer-ring ownership. E.g. Carriers, forwarders etc...
Bi-modal trailer - trailer that can travel either by road or rail Also known as a "kangaroo"
Bonded Warehouse - A place of storage for goods for which duty is owed or outstanding. A bond or guarantee is required by Customs & Excise, usually issued by a Bank which covers any amount of duty that may be out-standing.
Box Trailer - a trailer with a solid box construction, more secure that flat or soft sided trailers. Load-ing/unloading is carried out via securable doors on the side or at rear. More suited to palletised traffic.
Break Bulk - Cargo carried outside a container by an ocean going vessel. or the dismantling of large consign-ments into smaller lots for onward distribution to more than one customer.
Bulk Cargo - Unpacked cargo usually raw materials e.g. coal, grain, sand etc...
Cabotage - movement of cargo purely within one country by a carrier registered in another country.
CargO - Online certificate issuing facility for your Marine.
Open Covers - A service from Norwich Union to enable you to generate Marine certificates online.
Charter Party - Documentation containing terms and conditions of the contract set up between the charterers and the owners of that vessel. Involves the hire of a whole or a substantial part of a ship.
CIM - A document agreed by the Convention Internationale Marchandises Chemin de Fer. It is a standard inter-national transport document issued when goods are to be transported by Rail. Also refers to the international convention on the movement of goods by rail
Clearing Agent - A company acting on behalf of a forwarding agent in the country of shipment of the good, who, at the Port of destination takes delivery of the goods covered by a house bill of lading from the carrier and releases them to the holders of the bill.
CMR Conditions - Refers to the Convention Marchandises Routiers made force of law in the UK by the Car-riage of Goods by Road Act 1965. It sets out the rules with regard to a hauliers liability for goods carried across frontiers.
Common Law - hauliers who carry under common law can only be held liable for negligence, without mone-tary limit per tonne. The onus is however on the shipper to prove the carrier was negligent in the event of loss or damage.
Consolidation - Smaller consignments from different sources that do not constitute a full container load can be grouped together to form a full container load (FCL) by a forwarding agent. This may help obtain an advanta-geous freight rate. This consolidated container load can then be separated at the port of destination by a clearing agent.
Also known as Groupage.
Container - a standard sized steel box used for the intermodal carriage of goods.
(See ISO Container)
Crate - type of packaging where goods are visible through gaps in the case/crate. Used to save weight and freight for cargo which does not require full protection
Curtain Sider - strong composite plastic sheeting (curtains) that provides soft waterproof sides to trailers and swap-bodies that can be pulled up or back to allow easier loading / unloading by a forklift truck. Also known under trademark Tautliners.
Debris Removal Insurance - Insurance policy extension to cover the costs of removing damaged goods from the roadside following a road accident
Demountable Body - a truck body specially designed to be interchangable between road vehicles without the intervention of other mechanical handling equipment. Consist of a box with folding legs which are extended to allow a vehicle drive beneath it to pick up or drop.
Dry Bulk Cargo - unpacked cargo carried in raw form e.g. chemicals, grain, etc...
Dry Bulk Container - Container designed for the carriage of bulk cargo such as dry chemicals or grain.
Dunnage - External material used to protect and prevent movement of goods while in transit. Could include air-bags, blankets or wooden frames.
Flatbed - an open lorry or trailer which may have either removable or drop sides, or no sides at all to facilitate loading/unloading.
Flat Rack Container - strengthened container without sides or roof, used to carry large heavy bulky items such as machinery or timber.
carriers bill of lading.
Freight - the consideration for the contact of affreightment or the charge made by the carrier to the shipper for delivering the goods to their destination.
Freight Transport Association Conditions for the Carriage of Goods by Road 1990 - Set of contract condi-tions for the carriage of goods by road drawn up by the Freight Transport Association.