Key Terms

Term	Definition
AES#	Number required for rail billing when rail road for the export load is Canadian Pacific or Canadian National rail terminal. AES# is given by the freight forwarder to the trucking company, in turn the trucking company provides the AES no. in the rail billing request, only when port of lading is in Canada.
AP	Accounts Payable
APPT Date	Date corresponding to the delivery date (import) or load date (export).
Bobtail	Truck moving without a trailer in the back, only tractor is traveling.
Cargo	Content transported inside the container.
Chassis	Solid steel frame with axels, and wheels on top of which containers are transported. Normally weigh 12,000 lbs. or less. 40 foot chassis: 20 foot chassis: 20 foot triaxle chassis:
	40-foot ultralight spread axel chassis, perforated
Chassis Dray	Chassis needs to be taken to the terminal in order to have the container picked up (terminal does not provide chassis).
Chassis Split	Chassis needs to be taken away from a container stop location because the chassis can't be terminated in the same location of the container.
CO	Cut-Off Date.
Consignee	Customers' customers unloading or receiving import containers.
Container Charge Categories	Categories that are easily attributable to a work order such as driver pay, haulage fee to the customer, and lift and storage fees.
Container Hold	Container Hold means the work order can't be dispatched to the driver.
Container Number	Identifier of the shipping container consisting of 4 letters and 7 numbers. (XXXX0000000) The first four letters identify the container manufacturer or the SS line operator. The next six numbers are the number of the container, and the seventh number is called a check digit, which is not always required when tracking status on various platforms.
Cargo Weight	The weight of the cargo, not including the container itself.
Commodity	Description of the type of cargo transported in a container.
Customers	Freight forwarders (from the perspective of the trucking company).
Drayage	The transportation of goods over short distances.
Driver Detention	Billable driver wait time at the warehouse while unloading or loading. Normally free time is 1 or 2 hours. If loading/unloading exceeds the free time then a driver detention fee will apply.
Drop Empty	Container dropped empty at the shipper (export).
Drop Load	Container dropped loaded at the Consignee (import).
EDI	Electronic Data Interchange.
Empty Release Number	Number needed by the driver to out-gate an empty container from the depot.
ERD	Early Receiving Date.
ETA	Established Time of Arrival. Container expected arrival date at the terminal. ETA does not necessarily correspond to the notification date.
ETN	Established time of notification. Used by CSX rail. Indicates the time from when storage free time calculation begins.
Freight Forwarder	Trucking companies' customers. They arrange transportation of cargo from origin to destination through various means of transportation such as truck, rail, vessel, air. They have relationships with various truckers, ss lines, shippers, and consignees.
Food grade Container	A container in extremely clean condition, no odors, no oil, no stains, no water condensation. It is usually used to load food.
Free Time	Free time starts from rail notification time and runs until LFD. It is the window of time the trucker has to pick up the cargo from the rail without incurring in storage fees.
General Purpose Container	A container used to load any type of commodity.
J1	Document given to the driver at the in-gate, or out-gate, from rail or port terminal, which details the driver gate activity.
Last Free Day (LFD)	Date by which container must be picked up, or else storage fees will be applied.
Live Load (Export)	Loading the truck while the driver waits onsite for loading to complete.
Live Unload (Import)	Unloading the truck while the driver waits onsite for unloading to complete.
Off-Hire Container	Off-Hire container is a container that is leased out temporarily by the SS-line. The condition on a off hire is that is must be returned to a location specifically given by the SS line, with a redelivery #. This redelivery# (also called Off-Hire container) must be put into the return J1 when the driver returns his empty container to the depot before signing it out.
Permit to Transfer (PTT)	Document issued by US Customs requesting to have the cargo dropped at their facility for examination before delivery to the consignee.
Pickup Empty	Empty container previously dropped loaded at the consignee is picked up empty by the trucker (import).
Pickup Loaded	Loaded container previously dropped empty at the shipper is picked up loaded by the trucker (export).
Pick Up Number	Number required by the terminal in order to have the import container released to the driver. It is a sort of PIN#, a secret number that the driver has to provide to the terminal in order to have the container released.
POD	Proof of Delivery
Pre Pull	Temporary dray (normally a day or two) to the trucking company yard before delivery to avoid higher storage charges at the terminal.
Public Alert	Notification that shows on the calendar next to the work order number in order to alert the dispatcher that LFD and/or pickup number, was provided by the customer using direct public link.
Rail Arrival	Physical arrival of the container at its intended final rail destination.
Rail Grounding	Containers taken off the rail car and put into stacks or onto rail pool chassis.
Rail Lift	Process of moving a container from the ground to the chassis, from the chassis to the ground, or from rail/port chassis to trucker owned chassis (example triaxle).
Rail Notification	Notification by the rail terminal that the container is ready for pick up.
Rail Transit Times	Train travel time in days from ports to rail inland destinations or vice-versa.
Reference Number	Freight broker generated number for each dispatch document given to the trucking company. It can sometimes be the same as SS line bol# (if import) or booking# (if export).
RV#	Reservation number needed to ensure ingate of both empty and loaded containers into CSX and CN Rail Terminals.
Shippers	Customers' customers loading export containers.
SS Line	Steam Ship Line, operate cargo ships and provide the empty container used during the transportation.
SS Line Bill of Lading No	A steamship line bill of lading (BL or BoL) is a legal document issued by the SS line to a freight forwarder that details the type, quantity, and destination of the goods being carried.
SS Line Equipment Demurrage Fee	Fee billed by the SS Line to the freight forwarder for the dwelling of the loaded container at the port of discharge beyond Last Free Demurrage Day.
SS line Equipment Detention Fee	Fee billed by the SS line to the freight forwarder for the extended use of the container at the terminal beyond LFD.
SS line Per Diem Equipment Fee	Fee billed per diem by the SS line to the trucking company for the extended use of the container beyond LFD. Normally SS lines give three days to the trucking company to keep a container for a load. Any extra time is billed by the SS line to the trucking company called Per Diem Equipment Fee.
Street Turn	Reuse of an empty import load for an export booking which needs approval by the SS line. Normally approvals are requested through the Avantida portal.
TP	Third-Party (Vendor or Customer). Companies not directly related to the delivery of the container for which costs or revenues can't be easily allocated to a delivery.
Truckers	Truck Drivers.
Work Order	Dispatch sent to the trucking company by the customer detailing the information needed to deliver the shipment.
Work Order Pre Alert	Work orders missing pick up number and or last free day (LFD) for imports, or missing empty release number and or Cut Off date for exports.
Work Order Confirmed	Work orders available and ready for delivery (import) or pick up (export).
Yard	Container Storage location operated by the trucking company.