People working in the transportation industry often use technical jargon when they are discussing a shipment. Like with any technical field, these terms can be confusing if you’re not familiar with them. That’s why we’re here to help!

Wood-Hall Logistics have broken down some technical terms that are commonly used when transporting freight. We hope they’ll be helpful!

FTL or Full Truckload

FTL stand for Full Truckload shipping. This is when you have enough product to fill a truck, usually maxed out by weight. Varies by destination, time of year and equipment-type used.

LTL or Less Than Truckload

LTL stands for Less Than Truckload. This is when you don’t have enough product to fill a truck and the transportation company combines shipments from multiple customers. Pricing can be given for skids, linear footage, per hundred weights, etc.

Bill of Lading (BOL, BL, B/L)

The Bill of Lading is an important shipping document between the transportation company and the shipper. It includes information like the product description, the size, the weight, the origin and the destination—among other things.

Consignee

The consignee is the delivery location for a shipment. It’s the person or company that will receive the shipment.

Consignment

The consignment is the product or the goods being transported.

Consignor

The consignor is the shipper, the person giving the products to the transportation company.

Customs Document

A document required for crossing borders between the US and Canada, detailing the contents of the shipment for legal purposes.

Deadheading

Deadheading is when a truck is running empty and not carrying any products.

Hazardous Materials

Hazardous materials are classified as anything explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous. Anything regulated by the US or Canada will require additional information to be added on the trailer.

Log Book

A document that describes the working duties of a truck driver, while they are transporting a shipment.

Oversize Load

Any product that exceeds the legally-defined limits for width, length, height or weight, which is impossible to split into smaller units.

Pallet / Skid

A wooden or plastic platform used to stack boxes or other containers of product for loading and unloading. The term also refers to a pallet that is fully-loaded with goods.

Terminal

A terminal is any dock or hub where the products will be loaded, unloaded or otherwise handled in the transportation process.

Contact Wood-Hall Logistics for more information on transportation in Canada and the USA.