International Road TL Cargo Freight Shipping Companies & Quotes

Our Cargo Shipping Network lets you decide which road freight specialist can give you the optimal quote for your national or international TL requirements. One request submitted by you will put you into direct contact with companies that can handle short or long-haul TL freight for both commercial and personal effects. Be careful though not to base your decision on price alone. Make sure that your Truck Load shipment receives the level of service and security that it deserves; even if that means paying a little more!

A second factor to consider when undertaking a TL is who will do the packing. It is of course recommended that you go with a packing specialist like a professional freight operator. But, self-service can be a cheaper alternative, albeit one where the responsibility of the packing of the TL falls onto you.

Astray B/L (Bill of Lading) - An itemized list of goods contained in a shipment. Multi-use documents that are essential to conduct the day to day operations when transportation of supplies, materials, and personal property is required. These primary documents are used to procure freight and express transportation and related services from commercial carriers, including freight forwarders.

 

Base Rate - A tariff term referring to a rate less accessorial charges, or simply the base tariff rate. Base rates are usually shown "per hundred pounds" and are often discounted by 40-70%.

Bilateral - A contract term meaning that both parties agree to a contractual provision.

Bill of Lading (B/L) - An itemized list of goods contained in a shipment. Multi-use documents that are essential to conduct the day to day operations when transportation of supplies, materials, and personal property is required. These primary documents are used to procure freight and express transportation and related services from commercial carriers, including freight forwarders.

Billing - Preparation of the freight bill, the primary document for a common carrier shipment including a description of the freight, number of pieces, and charges. See "Freight Bill."

Bill-To Party - Customer designated as the party paying for services.

Billed Weight - The weight shown on a waybill or freight bill, i.e., the invoiced weight. Could be different than the "Actual Weight."

Blind Shipment - A B/L wherein the paying customer has contracted with the carrier where either the shipper or consignee information is not provided.

Broker - Any person who sells transportation without actually providing it. A person who arranges for transportation of loads for a percentage of the revenue from the load.

Carrier - Any person or entity who, in a contract of carriage, undertakes to perform or to procure the performance of carriage by rail, road, sea, air, inland waterway or by a combination of such modes.

Cartage - Usually refers to intra-city hauling on drays or trucks.

Chock - A piece of wood or other material placed at the side of tires or cargo to prevent rolling or moving.

Claim - A demand made upon a party for payment on account of a loss, damage, or overcharge sustained through its alleged negligence.

Claim Prevention – The continuous activity of every employee in reducing the number of claims by performing the basic requirements of shipping, receiving, handling, transporting, and delivering shipments on-time without any shortages or damages.

Common Carrier - A transportation company which provides service to the general public at published rates.

Concealed Damage - Damage that is not evident from viewing the unopened package.

Consignee - A person or company to whom commodities are shipped.

Consignor - A person or company shown on the bill of lading as the shipper.

Cubic Foot - 1,728 cubic inches. A volume contained in a space measuring one foot high, one foot wide, and one foot long (12" x 12" x 12").

Deficit Weight - The weight by which a shipment is less than the minimum weight.

Delivery Receipt – The control document used to deliver freight to the consignee. The delivery receipt (D/R) is signed by the consignee and the driver. Also used as a receipt for collecting monies and for recording delivery exceptions. A signed bill of lading may also be used as a delivery receipt.

Density - The weight of cargo per cubic foot or other unit.  

Weight (in pounds) divided by [(Length" x Width" x Height") divided by 1728].

Driver Collect - Where the delivering carrier's driver collects the freight charges from the consignee "on the spot" because the consignee has not established credit privileges with the carrier.

Dry Cargo - Cargo that is not liquid and normally does not require temperature control.

Exception - Notations made when the cargo is received by the customer, at carrier's terminal, or loaded aboard a vessel. Exceptions show any irregularities in packaging or actual or suspected damage to the cargo. Exceptions are then noted on the B/L, freight bill, or delivery receipt.

Exempt Carrier - Motor carriers who are exempt from regulation by the type of commodity hauled (agricultural, newspapers) or the type of service provided (in conjunction with air, local in nature).

FCL - Abbreviation for "Full Container Load." Similar to a TL or Truckload.

Free Astray - An astray shipment (a lost shipment that is found) sent to its proper destination without additional charge.

Freight - Any commodity being transported - or the charges assessed for carriage of the cargo.

Freight Bill - An invoice. Document for a common carrier shipment. Gives description of the freight, its weight, amount of charges, taxes, and the party responsible for payment.

Freight Charge - The transportation charge for transporting freight. Sometimes used synonymously with "Rate."

General Freight Carrier - A carrier which handles a wide variety of commodities in standard trailers. Such carriers can provide truckload or less than truckload service.

Gross Weight - Entire weight of goods, packaging, and container, freight car, or container, ready for shipment. Generally, 80,000 pounds maximum container, cargo, and tractor for highway transport.

Household Goods – Also referred to as personal effects.

In Bond - Cargo moving under Customs control where duty has not yet been paid..

Invoice - An itemized list of goods shipped to a buyer, stating quantities, prices, shipping charges, etc

LCL - Abbreviation for "Less than Container Load." The quantity of freight which is less than that required for the application of a container load rate.

LCV - Abbreviation for "Longer combination vehicle." A tractor pulling at least two trailers.

LTL (Less than Truckload) - A quantity of freight less than that required for the application of a TL or truckload rate. The historical definition of LTL freight is "shipments under 10,000 pounds."

Logistics - That part of the supply chain process that plans, implements, and controls the efficient, effective flow and storage of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption in order to meet customers' requirements.

Loose Freight - Without packing. Sometimes used to refer to freight that has not been palletized or otherwise unitized, i.e., "loose cartons."

Nested - Articles packed so that one rests partially or entirely within another, thereby reducing the cubic foot displacement, i.e., paper cups.

NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier) - A cargo consolidator in ocean trades who will buy space from a carrier and sub-sell it to smaller shippers. The NVOCC issues bills of lading, publishes tariffs, and otherwise conducts itself as an ocean common carrier, except that it will not provide the actual ocean or intermodal service.

Open Top Container - A container fitted with a solid, removable roof, or with a parpaulin roof so the container can be loaded or unloaded from the top; also known as "Rag Top."

P&D – An acronym for “pickup and delivery.” LTL and TL freight systems typically have operations for pickup and delivery within cities and freight flow operations for transport of freight between cities.

Packing List - Itemized list of commodities with marks/numbers, but no cost values indicated.

Pallet - A platform with or without sides on which a number of packages or pieces may be loaded to facilitate handling by a lift truck; often referred to as a "Skid."

Pickup - The act of picking up freight at the consignor's shipping platform. The act of calling for freight to be picked up by truck at the consignor's shipping platform.

Prepaid - A freight payment term where the freight charges are to be paid by the shipper or a third party, not by the consignee.

Proof of Delivery (POD) - A paper or electronic document, verifying that a shipment was delivered. The POD includes the shipment details, a consignee representative's signature, the date received, and any delivery exception notations, e.g., pieces short, damaged.

Rate - The charge per hundred pounds, per piece, or per shipment for transporting freight. Sometimes used synonymously with "Freight Charge."

Rate Basis - A formula of the specific factors or elements that control the making of a rate. A rate may be based upon a number of factors, e.g., weight, measure, density, equipment type, package, box, etc.

Reconsignment - Changing the consignee or destination on a bill of lading while shipment is still in transit (before delivery). Also referred to as "Diversion."

Remittance - Funds sent by one person to another as payment. "Remittance Advice" includes all invoice numbers being paid by each payment.

Shipment - A package or group of packages typically sent from one shipper to one consignee on one bill of lading.

Shipper - The person or company who is usually the supplier or owner of commodities shipped. Also called Consignor.

Shipper's Load & Count (SL&C) - Shipments loaded and sealed by shippers and not checked or verified by the carrier.

Shipping Order - Shipper's instructions to carrier for forwarding goods; usually the triplicate copy of the bill of lading.

Shortage – The number of pieces in a shipment are fewer than the piece-count shown on the movement document.

Single Shipment – A shipment rated as less than 500 pounds and is picked up at one location with no other shipments.

Supply Chain - A logistical management system which integrates the sequence of activities from delivery of raw materials to the manufacturer through to delivery of the finished product to the customer into measurable components. "Just in Time" is an example of supply chain management.

TL - Abbreviation for "Truckload." Quantity of freight required to fill a truck. When used in connection with freight rates, the quantity of freight necessary to qualify a shipment for a truckload rate. Historical definition is a shipment of 10,000 or more.

Tariff - A publication setting forth the rules, rates, and charges of companies.

Terms of Sale - The point at which sellers have fulfilled their obligations so the goods in a legal sense could be said to have been delivered to the buyer. Thirteen shorthand expressions that set out the rights and obligations of each party when it comes to transporting the goods.

Truckload TL- Quantity of freight required to fill a truck. When used in connection with freight rates, the quantity of freight necessary to qualify a shipment for a truckload rate. Historical definition is a shipment of 10,000 or more.

Unloading Allowance – A tariff allowance to a customer for unloading its shipments from a carrier’s trailer, thereby reducing the carrier’s labor cost. Usually a fixed sum per hundredweight, conditioned on a specific volume that must be tendered in a single day. Usually, the customer files for (claims) the allowance once each month. See also Loading Allowance.

Volume Rate – A rate (usually less expensive than the LTL scale of rates) for large volume shipments.

Warehouseman’s Liability – A warehouseman is liable for loss or damage to goods caused by failure to exercise “reasonable care” while the product is in his possession. Under certain circumstances, the carrier’s cargo claim liability reverts to that of a warehouseman (usually when the carrier cannot deliver a shipment and must store the product at carrier’s location or at a public warehouse). The interpretation of “reasonable care” and the corresponding financial responsibilities in these situations are sometimes vague and are often determined by common law cases. In general, warehouseman’s liability has proven to be less than full common carrier liability.

Waybill - A document prepared by a transportation line at the point of a shipment; shows the point of origin, destination, route, consignor, consignee, description of shipment and amount charged for the transportation service. It may move with the shipment or be forwarded to the agent at the transfer point or waybill destination.

LTL Road cargo is handled by several trucking companies. Select wisely your partner.