Glossary

An abbreviation for Capital Expenditure. A capital expenditure is an investment in physical assets such as machinery and buildings.

The resources available for investing in assets that produce output. Also, anything that confers value or benefit to its owners, such as a factory and its machinery.

Computer-Aided Planned Stowage and Networking system.

Cargo Agents Reservation Air Waybill Issuance and Tracking.

Rating system for ships developed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that measures how efficiently a ship transports goods in grams of CO2 emitted.

Any type of material or product that is transported.

See Cargo.

To know where shipments are from origin to destination. Often done electronically and with the assistance of connected devices.

An amendment applicable to U.S. interstate shipments that delineates the liability of common carriers for product damage and bill of lading provisions.

A Customs document used to temporarily import or export goods without paying duty or value-added tax (VAT).

Material handling equipment consisting of rotating layers of bins and/or drawers that can store many small items using relatively little floor space.

The movement of goods or people from one place to another. See Transportation.

A business that transports goods or people via land, sea, or air. Examples include trucking companies, railroads, maritime shipping firms, and airlines.

Items or resources that a carrier owns and uses to move goods or people from one place to another. Includes things such as trucks, trailers, technology, etc.

See Booking Number.

Provides shipment details to Customs, including the carrier’s certification of the owner or consignee of the cargo.

Liability incurred by a carrier when responsible for cargo that includes shipment loss, damage, and delay. Excludes acts of God, war, and the goods’ inherent nature.

See Tracking and Tracing.

Usually refers to the movement of goods locally (short hauls) via truck but can also describe a charge for the pick-up and delivery of goods.

A group of companies that limit competition by agreeing to cooperate rather than compete to produce a product or service. Often (but not always) illegal.

A storage rack that is made to store goods in boxes or cartons and designed to speed up the picking process. May be used in conjunction with gravity flow conveyors.

A payment method for goods in which the documents transferring title are given to the buyer upon payment of cash to an intermediary acting for the seller.

The time it takes for a company to convert its investments (in raw materials or inventory) into cash flows from sales. Also called the net operating cycle.

When the buyer pays the seller in advance of shipment of goods. The funds are held by the seller as a deposit, or by an escrow service, until the goods are shipped.

The time period from the spending of money (in raw materials or inventory) to receiving it back in sales receipts. See Cash Conversion Cycle.