A container about 20 feet long, often used for heavy cargo; counts as one TEU.

The most common ocean container length, about 40 feet; counts as two TEU.

A 53-foot domestic container used on US rail and road, not on ocean ships.

80,000 pounds — the usual federal gross weight limit for a truck on interstate highways.

An extra charge on top of the base rate, such as waiting time, chassis, storage or a prepull.

Automated Export System — where EEI export filings are submitted.

A single price meant to include base rate, fuel and listed extras.

APM Terminals Elizabeth, a major NY/NJ marine terminal.

A booked time slot to pick up or deliver at a terminal, ramp or customer.

The ocean carrier's notice that cargo is arriving, with dates, charges and release steps.

Whether a container is released, accessible and ready for a truck to pick up.

The weight carried by one axle or axle group, which has its own legal limit.

Bill of lading — the ocean carrier's contract and receipt for the cargo, listing shipper, consignee and containers.

The basic price for moving the load, before accessorials and fuel surcharge.

Beneficial Cargo Owner — the company that actually owns the freight, such as the importer.

The $75,000 surety bond a freight broker must keep to protect carriers and shippers.

BNSF Railway, a major western US railroad.

A tractor driving with no chassis or container attached.

Bill of lading — the shipping document describing the cargo and parties; drivers carry it with the load.

The ocean carrier's reservation for an export shipment, used to get the empty and return it loaded.

The federal rule linking allowed weight to the number and spacing of axles.

A company that arranges freight between shippers and carriers without hauling it.

The FMC's consumer affairs and dispute resolution service for shipping charge disputes.

A demand for payment for cargo that was lost, short or damaged.

Insurance that pays for damage to or loss of the freight being hauled.

The ocean carrier arranges and controls the inland trucking of its container.

The set of documents a carrier gives to be approved by a broker or customer.

US Customs and Border Protection — clears imports and can place holds or exams.

Commercial Driver's License — required to drive a heavy truck.

Code of Federal Regulations — the written federal rules, such as 49 CFR for transportation.

The wheeled steel frame a container sits on so a tractor can pull it on the road.

A shared group of chassis that several carriers can draw from under one set of rules.

The company that owns or leases chassis to carriers, such as DCLI or TRAC.

Picking up or returning the chassis at a different location from the container, adding a trip.

The seventh digit of a container number, calculated from the others to catch typing errors.

Canadian National, a railroad serving Canada and the central US.

Carrier-owned container — the box belongs to the ocean carrier.

Certificate of Insurance — proof of a carrier's insurance coverage and limits.

The party named to receive the cargo.

The box's unique ID: four letters plus seven digits, the last being a check digit.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City, a railroad linking Canada, the US and Mexico.

CSX Transportation, a major eastern US railroad.

A licensed company that files import paperwork with US Customs for the importer.

A block on releasing the container until customs, the line or the terminal clears it.

US Customs clearance allowing an import container to leave the terminal.

The last time a terminal accepts an export container or document for a vessel.

Demurrage and detention — the time-based charges for keeping containers too long.

Doing Business As — a trade name a company uses that differs from its legal name.

Direct ChassisLink Inc., a major US chassis provider.

Miles driven without a paying load, such as returning bobtail.

A charge for leaving a loaded container at the terminal after free time ends.

An off-terminal yard where empty containers or chassis are stored, picked up and returned.

A charge for holding equipment too long, or for a truck waiting past free time at a customer.

Unloaded from the ship onto the terminal; a discharged box is not automatically available for pickup.

Delivery order — the document authorizing a carrier to pick up a specific import container.

Short-distance trucking of containers between ports, rail ramps, depots and nearby customers.

A standard steel box for general cargo, with no refrigeration.

A trip where the truck arrives but cannot complete the move; often billed.

Drayage Truck Registry — the port list of trucks approved to serve its terminals.

How long a container or truck sits at one place before moving on.

Electronic Data Interchange — standard computer messages for tenders, status and invoices.

Equipment interchange receipt — the gate record proving who had the container and chassis, and their condition.

Electronic Logging Device — records a driver's hours of service automatically.

Bringing the empty container back to the location the line or provider names.

Earliest Receiving (Return) Date — the first day the terminal accepts a loaded export container for its vessel.

Estimated time of arrival — a forecast, not a guarantee.

A customs or agency inspection of cargo, sometimes at a separate exam site.

Norfolk Southern's driver and customer tool for its intermodal ramps.

Selling invoices to a finance company for fast payment at a discount.

A container with no roof or sides, used for oversized or heavy cargo.

Lifting a container from one chassis to another, usually for a fee.

Federal Maritime Commission — regulates ocean shipping, including demurrage and detention billing.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — the US agency regulating trucking companies and drivers.

The days allowed before storage, demurrage or per diem charges start.

A company that arranges shipping for cargo owners, often booking ocean and inland legs.

An extra charge that adjusts the rate for the current price of diesel.

A diesel generator, clipped to the container or slung under the chassis, that powers a reefer on the road.

A virtual boundary in GPS tracking that records when a truck enters or leaves a site.

Satellite location tracking showing where a truck is.

Total weight of truck, chassis, container and cargo together.

A container sitting on the ground in the stack, not on a chassis; it must be lifted onto one.

The category of danger, such as flammable or corrosive, numbered 1 to 9.

Hazardous materials regulated for transport, needing proper papers, placards and a qualified driver.

A container about one foot taller than standard (9'6"); written 40HC for a 40-foot high cube.

Hours of Service — federal limits on how long a driver may drive and work.

Intermodal Association of North America — runs the UIIA and the intermodal driver database.

IANA Intermodal Driver Database — links each driver to the carriers they drive for at rail ramps.

Intermodal Equipment Provider — the company that supplies containers or chassis to motor carriers under interchange.

Intermodal Marketing Company — arranges rail and truck moves for shippers and hires drayage carriers.

Cargo moving under customs control before duty is paid; only bonded carriers may haul it.

The truck entering a terminal, ramp or depot to drop off or pick up equipment.

The handover of a container or chassis from one party to another, recorded on a gate receipt.

The record printed at the gate showing equipment, condition and time of the handover.

Freight that moves in the same container across more than one mode, such as ship, rail and truck.

Inland Point Intermodal — an ocean shipment that continues by rail to an inland ramp under one booking.

Importer Security Filing — cargo data the importer must send customs before loading abroad.

The international standard for container numbers, owner codes and size-type codes.

Internal Transaction Number — proof that an export filing was accepted in AES.

The railroad's interchange record when a container leaves or returns to a ramp; J1 out and J1 in.

FMCSA Licensing and Insurance — shows a carrier's authority status and insurance filings.

A charge when the driver must wait overnight or until the next day to finish.

Last Free Day — the last day a container can be picked up before storage or demurrage charges start.

The ocean carrier's release once freight charges are paid and documents are in order.

The driver waits at the customer while the container is unloaded, then leaves with the empty.

A customer's offer of a load to a carrier, which the carrier accepts or declines.

Maher Terminals in Elizabeth, NJ, a major NY/NJ marine terminal.

The port facility where ships are loaded and unloaded and truckers pick up or drop containers.

Motor Carrier number — FMCSA operating authority to haul regulated freight for hire.

The cargo owner or its agent arranges the inland trucking instead of the ocean carrier.

A trucking company with authority to haul freight on public roads.

FMCSA's newer registration system, replacing older carrier lookup tools during 2026.

Norfolk Southern, a major eastern US railroad.

Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier — sells ocean shipping and issues its own bill of lading without owning ships.

The shipping line that moves containers by sea and usually owns or leases them.

Optical Character Recognition — gate cameras that read container and truck numbers.

Out of Gauge — cargo sticking out beyond a container's normal size, needing special handling.

Over-the-road — long-haul trucking, as opposed to local drayage.

A vehicle or driver ordered off the road until a safety problem is fixed.

The truck leaving a terminal, ramp or depot with equipment; recorded on the interchange receipt.

Cargo heavy enough that the truck exceeds legal limits without a permit or tri-axle chassis.

A driver who owns or leases the truck and contracts with a carrier.

Hazmat danger level: I is high, II is medium, III is low.

The weight of the cargo alone.

The gate booth or screen where the driver identifies the truck and transaction before entering.

A daily charge for keeping the line's container or chassis outside the terminal past free time.

The required yearly safety inspection of a chassis, shown by a decal or record.

State approval to move an overweight or oversize load on specific roads.

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration — the federal agency writing hazmat transport rules.

A reference the terminal, ramp or customer requires to release a container.

The diamond-shaped sign on a vehicle or container showing the hazard class of dangerous goods.

Port Newark Container Terminal, a major NY/NJ marine terminal.

Proof of delivery — the receiver's signed document confirming the cargo arrived.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the port's road and access rules.

An online system used at some NY/NJ terminals for truck appointments.

The driver's safety check of tractor, chassis and container before driving.

Pulling a container from the terminal early and storing it in the carrier's yard before delivery.

The official regulated name of a hazardous material on shipping papers.

BNSF's driver gate app for its intermodal ramps.

A rail terminal where containers are lifted on and off trains and handed to trucks.

Rate confirmation — the agreed price, scope and terms for one load between customer and carrier.

The facility where the cargo is delivered and unloaded.

A second trip to deliver after the first attempt failed.

A refrigerated container with its own cooling unit that must stay powered.

Radio tag on the truck that gates read to identify it automatically.

A carrier onboarding and monitoring platform brokers use to check authority and insurance.

A repair truck sent to fix a chassis or tire problem where the truck is.

Whether a chassis is safe and legal to drive: tires, brakes, lights and locks.

FMCSA's public website showing a carrier's registration, authority and safety snapshot.

Standard Carrier Alpha Code — a carrier's 2–4 letter ID used by terminals, railroads and lines.

A printed record from a certified scale showing gross and axle weights.

The numbered security seal on the container doors; its number must match the paperwork.

The Port of NY/NJ truck and driver registry required to use the marine terminals.

The temperature the reefer is ordered to hold, taken from the shipping instructions.

The party sending the cargo, usually where an export is loaded.

A container owned by the shipper rather than the ocean carrier, so different return rules apply.

The hazmat document listing the material, class, UN number and emergency contact.

The container's length, height and kind, such as 40-foot high cube dry or 20-foot reefer.

Steamship line — the ocean carrier.

The count of days toward storage charges at a terminal or rail ramp.

Reusing an import's empty container for an export load without returning it first; needs approval from all parties.

The two-axle group on a tractor or chassis; it can slide to spread weight.

The weight of the empty container or vehicle, without cargo.

Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit — a measure of container capacity; a 40-foot box equals two TEU.

Trailer interchange receipt — the gate record of equipment, condition and time when custody changes.

The terminal's gate receipt showing container, chassis, condition, time and custody at interchange.

Transportation Management System — software for orders, dispatch, tracking and billing.

Truck Ordered, Not Used — a fee when a dispatched truck is cancelled or cannot load.

TRAC Intermodal, a major US chassis provider and pool operator.

The truck's powered front unit with the engine and cab that pulls the chassis.

Insurance covering damage to a container or chassis the carrier does not own while in its care.

Moving cargo out of a container into another trailer or container at a warehouse.

A chassis with three axles, used to carry heavy containers legally.

A record opened at the terminal or provider to report and fix an equipment or gate problem.

Transportation Security Administration — issues the TWIC card.

Transportation Worker Identification Credential — TSA card required to enter secure port areas.

The corner locks that secure the container to the chassis.

Uniform Intermodal Interchange Agreement — the standard contract letting carriers use equipment providers' containers and chassis.

The four-digit identification number assigned to a hazardous material.

Union Pacific, a major western US railroad.

Union Pacific's driver app used to check in at its ramps.

The USDOT number identifying a carrier for safety records and inspections.

Verified Gross Mass — the certified weight of a packed export container, required before loading on a ship.

A US tax form giving a company's legal name and tax ID for payments.

A container already sitting on a chassis, ready to be hooked by a tractor.