Q-Z

Reefer – a term for a Refrigerated truck.

RFP – Request for Proposal

RFQ – Request for a quote

SCAC – Standard Carrier Alpha Code – A unique two-to-four-letter code used to identify transportation companies.

Seal – A device used for containers, lockers, trucks, etc. to prove to relevant parties that they have remained closed during transit and thus the shipped goods have remained undisturbed.

Shipper – The person or company who is usually the supplier or owner of commodities shipped. Also called “Consignor” or “Sender”.

SIC – Standard Industrial Classification – four-digit numeric code Used by the US government to classify products and services. Established in 1937, it is being supplanted by the six-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS code), which was released in 1997.

Side Kits – A system to protect flatbed loads from weather and other elements, consisting of panels (for the sides) and tarps (for the top).

Skid – synonym for pallet.

SKU – Stock Keeping Unit – a term for an individual model of inventory which has a specific numeric ID (like a UPC).

StackTrain – as opposed to Trailer on Flatcar (TOFC), in which an entire semi-trailer (wheels, frame and all) is placed on a rail car, a Stacktrain allows for two containers stacked on each other per rail car and doubles the capacity of the railcar.

Stretch Wrap – Clear plastic wrap, with very elastic properties, used to wrap items stacked on a pallet to give the palletized load stability and security during transit.

Supply Chain – The network of retailers, distributors, transporters, storage facilities and suppliers that participate in the sale, delivery and production of a particular product.

Supply Chain Management – The discipline of designing, implementing, monitoring, and improving a company’s supply chain.  Gain in efficiency within supply chain management will usually drive down costs.

Tankers – Transportation vehicles designed to move large volumes of liquid cargo.

Tariff – Formal, printed list of freight charges, method of their computation, and applicable regulations or terms.

Team Drivers – Two drivers who work together to drive a single load.  The transit time can be cut dramatically because one driver can sleep while the other legally drives, and stop time is thus greatly reduced.

Telex Release – A Telex release is the industry term for the release of cargo at one port when the original bill of lading has been surrendered at another. Although this is still referred to as a Telex release, today the release is almost always made by e-mail.

Traffic – Refers to the discipline, within an organization, of managing all of that organization’s shipping needs and standards.  This usually includes carrier relations and negotiations, determining best practices for inbound purchasing and outbound deliveries, and finding the carriers needed for specific shipments when necessary.

Zone Skipping – The use of LTL carriers to transport parcels to a parcel carrier’s hub near the load’s final destination instead of relying on the parcel carrier for end-to-end delivery. The term “zone skipping” refers to the LTL carrier bypassing the parcel carrier’s traditional “zones”, which allows the shipper to avoid charges incurred by the parcels crossing multiple zones en route from the shipper to the final destination.

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