Glossary

The use of 3D scanning software to measure volumetric load calculations, provide images, and generate electronic documentation.

A third party logistics provider (3PL) coordinates services such as transportation, warehousing, inventory and forwarding using its own and other companies' assets.

A fourth party logisitcs provider (4PL) provides a single interface to coordinate multiple (all) logistics services for a client, often using other 3PLs and its own assets.

See American Bus Association (ABA).

Classifying inventory based on a characteristic such as sales volume or revenue where "A" represents the highest volume or revenue and "C" the least amount.

Activity Based Planning (ABP) identifies and adjusts the resources needed to produce products or services to meet specific client needs.

ACD is the abbreviation for Automated Call Distribution (see below).

The system used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to track, control, and process all commercial goods imported into the United States.

Automatic Identification System (AIS) technology is a tracking system that uses transceivers on ships. Used by vessel traffic services. Supplements marine radar.

See American National Standards Institute.

See Automative Storage/Retrieval System.

Accredited Standards Committee (ASC)

See American Society for Quality (ASQ).

Actual Time of Arrival. Also an acronym for the American Trucking Association (see above).

Actual Time of Departure.

Automated Tariff Filing Information System. Uses digital technology to document international trade data using World Customs Organization (WCO) standards.

See Available to Promise.

Demand that falls outside expected projections. This can be due to one-time events or changes in the market.

An accounting method designed to capture all costs, including variable and fixed costs, and assign the associated costs to each unit of production.

Acceptable Quality Level (AQL), also known as Acceptable Quality Limit, sets the average allowed number of quality defects per batch to pass inspection.

A quality management plan that outlines the criteria for what will be sampled (the selection and size) and how to determine the results (pass/fail).

When doing acceptance sampling, the maximum number of defects allowed within a lot. If the acceptance number is exceeded, the lot is rejected.

Sampling a portion of a lot to determine whether the whole lot is acceptable or should be rejected. See also Acceptance Number.

The ability of a carrier to provide service between an origin and a destination.

Extra charges for services outside the standard cost of transportation. Fuel surcharges, detention, handling, and storage are examples of these types of charges.