Glossary

All documents (such as bills of ladings and commercial invoices) presented to the buyer to receive payment for a shipment.

A specialized type of aircraft used for carrying unitized cargo loads (packed into specific sized containers) that can be more quickly loaded and unloaded.

Documentation used when more than one mode of transport, and often more than one carrier, is used to move the goods to the final destination.

See Cumulative Lead Time.

Seller created document which includes the name and address of the buyer and seller, the products being shipped, and their value (for customs and other purposes).

A designated area around a city to which a carrier’s rate quote for the city may apply. Also, portions of the U.S. southern border with some limited regulations.

The portion of the production capability that is being used or is planned for use.

Any article exchanged in trade. Often a term applied to raw materials and agricultural products.

A provision of the Hepburn Act (1906) intended to prohibit railroads transporting in interstate commerce commodities they produced, mined, controlled or owned.

The grouping of similiar parts or materials under the control of one buyer for their procurement to support production.

A series of numbers used to identify products by classes and sub-classes. Used in carrier tariffs and for international trade.

The purchasing strategy for a variety of items, including a plan to manage the supplier base and solve problems.

The rate to purchase a specific commodity; the rate may include the transportation from origin to destination.

A business, regulated by the government, that provides transportation services to the general public and publishes rates for its services.

Serves the public without discriminating, transports goods and people, and charges reasonable rates.

Average time from when a finished product is ready to be shipped until the unit is shipped to a customer.

All items on an order must be delivered on time for the order to be considered complete and on time. A metric used by businesses to measure performance.

Degree to which products, services, processes, and/or documents comply with requirements.

Material that contributes to a finished product but is not the finished product itself. Examples: wheel for a bicycle, memory chip for computer, or button for a shirt.

Training designed to be viewed on a computer. Includes all training and testing materials.

A member of a group of steamship companies offering equitable rates, standardised shipping practices and regularly scheduled services between designated ports.

The specified arrangement of components to produce an assembly.

The trigger to begin to manufacture, assemble, or package a product is a customer order or release rather than a market forecast.

With EDI, an electronic notice (response) indicating that a message sent to a trading partner has reached its intended mailbox or been retrieved by the addressee.

Purchase order issued to a supplier listing the goods or services and terms of an order previously placed orally or in some other way prior to the purchase document.