Freight Glossary: Port, Customs and Trucking Terms

Plain-English definitions of the terms used on drayage quotes, terminal notices, customs paperwork, warehouse reports and trucking invoices.

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How to use this freight glossary

This freight glossary defines more than 70 terms you will see on drayage quotes, terminal notices, customs paperwork, warehouse reports and trucking invoices for freight moving through the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Each definition is written for importers, forwarders, brokers and shippers who need to act on the term. Use it as a working logistics glossary alongside your quotes and notices.

Terms are grouped by where they come up in an import's journey: at the ocean terminal, on the drayage truck, in customs, in the warehouse, on the over-the-road truck, and on the invoice. Where we cover a topic in more depth, the definition links to the guide or service page. For the full sequence from vessel to door, see our guide to importing through Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Ocean and port terms

These terms describe the container, the ocean shipment and the terminal before a truck is involved.

Term	Definition
Arrival notice	The ocean carrier's or forwarder's notice that a shipment is arriving, listing the vessel, container numbers, estimated arrival and charges due before release.
Bill of lading (ocean)	The contract of carriage and receipt for ocean cargo. A master bill is issued by the ocean carrier; a house bill is issued by an NVOCC or forwarder to its own customer.
Container yard (CY)	The area of a marine terminal where containers are stacked before pickup or after return.
FCL	Full container load: one shipper's cargo fills or books an entire container.
LCL	Less-than-container load: ocean freight that shares a container with other shippers' cargo and is separated at a container freight station after arrival.
NVOCC	Non-vessel-operating common carrier: a company that issues its own bills of lading and books space with ocean carriers, without operating ships.
TEU	Twenty-foot equivalent unit, the standard measure of container volume. A 40' container is 2 TEUs. The Port of Long Beach handled about 9.9 million TEUs in 2025 and the Port of Los Angeles more than 10.2 million.
FEU	Forty-foot equivalent unit, equal to 2 TEUs. See shipping container sizes.
High cube	A container one foot taller than standard, 9 ft 6 in externally instead of 8 ft 6 in, which adds internal volume.
Terminal appointment	A reserved time window for a truck to pick up or return a container at a marine terminal. Most terminals in the San Pedro Bay require them.
Availability	The point when an import container is discharged, released by customs and the ocean carrier, free of holds, and ready to be picked up.
Holds	Flags that stop a container from leaving the terminal, such as a customs hold, freight hold for unpaid charges, or a terminal hold for unpaid fees.

Drayage and equipment terms

Drayage terms cover the short truck move between the terminal and a warehouse, and the equipment it uses.

Term	Definition
Drayage	Short-distance trucking of containers between ports, rail ramps and nearby warehouses. See what is drayage and our drayage service.
Chassis	The wheeled steel frame a container sits on while it is trucked. Chassis come in sizes matched to 20' and 40' containers.
Triaxle chassis	A three-axle chassis that spreads weight across more axles, used for heavier containers that would overload a standard two-axle chassis.
Chassis split	A trip to pick up a chassis from one location before collecting a container at another, usually billed as an extra charge.
Live unload	The driver waits while the container is unloaded at the customer's dock, then returns the empty.
Drop	The container is left at the facility on its chassis to be unloaded later and picked up empty on a separate trip.
Pre-pull	Picking up a container before the last free day and holding it in a nearby yard until the delivery appointment. See container storage.
Dual transaction	A terminal visit where the driver returns one container and picks up another in the same trip.
Street turn	Reusing an import empty for an export load instead of returning it to the terminal first. It requires the ocean carrier's approval.
Empty return	Taking the unloaded container back to the terminal or depot the ocean carrier designates, which may differ from where it was picked up.
Bobtail	A tractor driving without a chassis or trailer, for example on the way to pick up equipment.
Dry run	A trip where the driver arrives but cannot pick up or deliver, because the container was not available or the dock refused it. Usually billable.
Equipment interchange receipt (EIR)	The record created when a container or chassis changes hands at a terminal gate, noting its condition. It is the reference point for damage disputes.
UIIA	The Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement, the standard contract that governs how motor carriers use ocean carrier containers and chassis.

Customs and compliance terms

Customs terms govern whether imported cargo can leave the port, where it can go before release, and who files what.

Term	Definition
CBP	U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency that releases imported cargo and enforces trade and in-bond rules.
Customs broker	A licensed professional who files entries, classifies goods and pays duties on behalf of importers. See customs brokers.
Entry	The filing with CBP that declares imported goods and allows their release. A consumption entry brings goods into U.S. commerce; a warehouse entry places them in a bonded warehouse.
ISF (10+2)	The Importer Security Filing, required under 19 CFR Part 149 and due at least 24 hours before cargo is loaded on a U.S.-bound vessel.
HTS	The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, which assigns each product a classification number that sets its duty rate.
In-bond	Cargo moving under a customs bond before CBP releases it. Under 19 CFR 18.1 it must reach its destination port or port of export within 30 days. See in-bond shipments.
IT (immediate transportation)	An in-bond movement to another U.S. port, where the goods will be entered.
T&E (transportation and exportation)	An in-bond movement through the U.S. to another port for export, without a U.S. consumption entry.
IE (immediate exportation)	An in-bond movement for goods exported from the same port where they arrived.
Bonded carrier	A trucking company with a CBP custodial bond that can transport cargo not yet released by customs. See bonded drayage.
Bonded warehouse	A CBP-approved warehouse where imported goods can be stored without paying duty for up to five years from importation, under 19 U.S.C. 1557. See what is a bonded warehouse.
Manipulation	Cleaning, sorting, repacking or relabeling goods in a bonded warehouse, allowed under 19 U.S.C. 1562 with CBP permission.
CBP exam	A customs inspection of a container, ranging from an X-ray scan to a full unload at a centralized examination station. Exams add time and cost.
Foreign-trade zone (FTZ)	A designated area treated as outside U.S. customs territory for duty purposes, where goods can be stored or processed before entry.

Warehouse and CFS terms

Warehouse terms describe what happens to freight between the container and the outbound truck.

Term	Definition
CFS	Container freight station: a facility where containers are unloaded and LCL cargo is consolidated or deconsolidated. See what is a CFS.
Deconsolidation	Unloading a shared container and separating each consignee's freight for onward delivery.
Consolidation	Combining several smaller shipments into one container or truckload to lower cost per unit. See freight consolidation.
Devanning	Unloading cargo from a shipping container. See container unloading.
Floor-loaded	Cartons stacked directly on the container floor without pallets, which fits more cargo but takes longer to unload.
Palletizing	Building cartons onto pallets, wrapped and labeled, so freight can be handled by forklift.
Transloading	Moving freight from one container or trailer to another, often from ocean containers into 53' domestic trailers. See transloading.
Cross-docking	Moving freight from inbound to outbound trucks with little or no storage. See transloading vs. cross-docking.
WMS	Warehouse management system: software that tracks inventory by location, lot and SKU, and records receipts and shipments.
SKU	Stock keeping unit: a code that identifies one distinct product, size or variant in inventory.
Relabeling	Applying new carton or pallet labels, often to meet a retailer's routing guide or correct origin markings.
Routing guide	A retailer's or receiver's written rules for how freight must be labeled, palletized, booked and delivered. Violations can lead to refusals or chargebacks.

Freight glossary: trucking and LTL terms

These terms come up once freight leaves the port area by truck. See nationwide trucking for how we use them.

Term	Definition
FTL	Full truckload: one shipment using a whole trailer, loaded once and driven direct. See full truckload.
LTL	Less-than-truckload: smaller shipments that share a trailer and move through carrier terminals. See LTL freight.
Volume LTL	A spot-priced LTL shipment, often 6 pallets or more, rated on the space it uses rather than the class tariff.
Partial truckload	A shipment that shares a trailer with a few others but travels direct without terminal sorting. See FTL vs. LTL.
53' dry van	The standard enclosed domestic trailer, holding up to 26 standard pallets single-stacked.
NMFC	The National Motor Freight Classification, published by NMFTA, which sets freight classes for LTL pricing. Under Docket 2025-1, effective July 19, 2025, density became the primary classification factor.
Freight class	An NMFC rating from 50 to 500 based on density, handling, stowability and liability. Lower classes cost less per pound.
Density	Weight in pounds divided by volume in cubic feet. It is the main driver of freight class for most LTL freight.
Handling unit	Each pallet, crate or loose piece in a shipment. LTL carriers generally expect each unit's dimensions and weight on the bill of lading.
Reweigh and reclass	A carrier correction when measured weight, dimensions or commodity differ from the bill of lading, followed by a rebill.
Bill of lading (domestic)	The shipping document and contract between shipper and trucking carrier, listing pieces, weight, commodity and terms.
Proof of delivery (POD)	The signed delivery receipt showing what the receiver accepted and any exceptions noted.
OS&D	Over, short and damaged: the exceptions a receiver notes on the delivery receipt when freight does not arrive as shipped.
Carmack Amendment	The federal law, 49 U.S.C. 14706, that makes interstate motor carriers liable for actual loss or damage, subject to agreed declared-value limits. Claims windows may not be shorter than 9 months.
Hours of service (HOS)	FMCSA limits on driving time: up to 11 hours of driving after 10 hours off duty, within a 14-hour on-duty window.
Drop trailer	An empty trailer left at a dock for loading or unloading without the driver waiting.
Lumper	A third-party crew that unloads trucks at some distribution centers, usually for a fee paid at delivery.
Liftgate	A powered platform at the back of a truck that lowers freight to the ground where there is no dock.

Charges and billing terms

These are the charges that most often appear on port and trucking invoices, and what triggers them.

Term	Definition
Free time	The number of days a container can stay at the terminal, or out with the importer, before charges start.
Last free day (LFD)	The final day an import container can stay on terminal without demurrage. See last free day.
Demurrage	A charge for a container left at the terminal past its free time. See demurrage and detention.
Detention (container)	A charge for keeping the carrier's container outside the terminal past the allowed days. Often called per diem.
Per diem	The daily charge for use of an ocean carrier's container or chassis beyond free days.
FMC billing rule	46 CFR Part 541, effective May 28, 2024, which requires demurrage and detention invoices to be issued within 30 calendar days and include specified information, or the billed party need not pay.
Detention (trucking)	A charge for driver waiting time at a pickup or delivery dock past the free time.
Accessorial	Any charge for a service beyond basic pickup and delivery, such as liftgate, residential delivery, chassis split or storage.
Fuel surcharge	A variable charge added to the base rate that moves with diesel prices, usually tied to a weekly published index.
TONU	Truck ordered not used: a fee when a truck is dispatched and the load cancels or is not ready.
Layover	A charge when a driver must wait overnight because a load cannot be picked up or delivered the same day.
Storage	A daily or monthly charge for keeping a container in a yard or freight in a warehouse.

Shipping documents and reference numbers

This part of the shipping terms glossary covers the paperwork and numbers that must match from the ocean booking to final delivery. Most delays at a terminal gate or receiving dock trace back to one of them.

Term	Definition
Commercial invoice	The seller's invoice showing the goods, quantities, values and parties. Customs brokers use it to prepare the entry, and cross-border shipments need it at the border.
Packing list	A carton-by-carton list of what is in a shipment, with counts and weights. Warehouses use it to check freight received against what was shipped.
Delivery order	The instruction from the importer or broker that tells the trucker which container to pick up, where to deliver it, and where to return the empty.
Pickup number	A reference some terminals or carriers require before a container or LTL shipment can be collected.
Seal number	The number on the bolt seal fixed to a container or trailer door. It is recorded on the bill of lading and checked at delivery to show the doors were not opened in transit.
Purchase order (PO)	The buyer's order number. Distribution centers often require it on the bill of lading and on each pallet label to check freight in.

Have a term we did not cover?

If a quote or notice uses a term you do not recognize, ask us. We will explain what it means for your shipment.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between demurrage and detention?

Demurrage is charged while a container sits at the terminal past free time. Detention, or per diem, is charged while the container is outside the terminal past its allowed days.

What is the difference between a bonded carrier and a bonded warehouse?

A bonded carrier transports cargo that has not cleared customs. A bonded warehouse stores it, duty deferred, for up to five years.

Is drayage the same as trucking?

Drayage is a type of trucking: short moves of containers to and from ports. Over-the-road trucking moves freight longer distances, usually in domestic trailers.

What does LFD mean on a terminal notice?

Last free day: the final day the container can stay at the terminal before demurrage starts.

Does freight class apply to full truckloads?

Generally no. Freight class is used to price LTL shipments. Full truckloads are priced per load.

What is the difference between a master and a house bill of lading?

The master bill is issued by the ocean carrier, usually to an NVOCC or forwarder. The house bill is issued by that NVOCC or forwarder to its own customer. The ocean carrier releases the container against the master bill.

What is a street turn?

Reusing an empty import container for an export load without returning it to the terminal first. It saves a trip but needs the ocean carrier's approval.

Who files a customs entry?

The importer of record, usually through a licensed customs broker. Truckers and warehouses handle the cargo but do not file entries.

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