Transport and trade documentsModes and equipmentPartiesCustoms and tradeCosts and calculation
Transport and trade documents
International road consignment noteCMR
The road transport document under the CMR Convention. It evidences the contract of carriage and travels with the cargo; it is not a document of title.
Bill of ladingB/L
The sea transport document issued by the carrier: a receipt for the goods, evidence of the contract of carriage and, when negotiable, a document of title.
FIATA multimodal bill of ladingFBL
A multimodal transport bill of lading issued by a FIATA forwarder that takes responsibility for the carriage from origin to destination.
Commercial invoiceInvoice
The seller’s invoice with the description, quantity, price and currency of the goods; the basis of the customs value and most other documents.
Packing list
A list of the packages with the number, weight, dimensions and marks of each; needed for loading, customs and checking delivery.
Certificate of originC/O
A document confirming the country where the goods were made; required for preferential duty or by the country of destination.
TIR carnetTIR
An international customs guarantee that lets a sealed truck cross several countries without separate inspection and guarantees at each border.
Modes and equipment
Full truckloadFTL
A whole truck for one shipper’s cargo; suited to bulky or heavy loads.
Groupage / less than truckloadLTL
Cargo smaller than a truckload carried together with other shippers’ loads; the cost is based on that cargo’s weight and volume.
Full container loadFCL
A container holding one shipper’s cargo only.
Less than container loadLCL
Small cargo shipped in a container shared with other loads.
Refrigerated (reefer)Reefer
A truck or container with a cooling unit for temperature-sensitive goods such as fruit and food.
Tilt trailerTilt
A curtain-sided trailer that can also be loaded from the side and top; the most common truck in international road freight.
Lowbed trailerLowbed
A low-deck trailer for machinery and tall or heavy cargo.
Multimodal transportMultimodal
Moving one shipment by more than one mode, for example sea and road, under a single contract.
Transshipment
Moving cargo from one vehicle to another on the way, for example from a Turkish to an Iranian truck at the border.
Parties
Freight forwarderForwarder
A company that organises carriage for the cargo owner: choosing carriers, documents, customs and follow-up.
Carrier
The party that performs the carriage or undertakes it under the contract.
Shipper / consignorShipper
The party that hands over the cargo for carriage and is named as sender in the transport document.
Consignee
The party to whom the cargo is delivered at destination.
Customs and trade
Incoterms
International Chamber of Commerce rules that split costs, risk and formalities between seller and buyer, such as EXW, FCA, CPT and DAP.
HS code
The worldwide classification code of goods that decides duties, permits and trade statistics.
Customs clearanceClearance
Completing customs formalities, paying duties and obtaining permits so the goods may leave customs.
Transit
Carrying foreign goods through a country’s customs territory to a third country, without import or payment of import duties.
Order registration (Iran)Order registration
Registering imported goods in Iran’s National Trade System before import; the basis for foreign exchange and clearance.
Letter of creditL/C
A bank’s undertaking to pay the seller against documents that comply with the credit’s terms.
Bonded warehouse
A warehouse under customs control where goods are kept until clearance or re-export.
Costs and calculation
Cubic metreCBM
The unit of cargo volume: length × width × height in metres.
Chargeable weight
The weight freight is charged on: the greater of the actual weight and the volumetric weight.
Demurrage
A charge for keeping a container or vehicle beyond the free time at the port or at loading and unloading.
Detention
A charge for keeping a container outside the port beyond the shipping line’s free time.
Freight chargeFreight
The price of moving the cargo from origin to destination, apart from customs and storage costs.
Cargo insurance
Insurance protecting the cargo owner’s interest against the covered risks in transit; different from the carrier’s liability insurance.
For more, see SEAROAD’s training section. Training
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