The most important abbreviations in road freight and logistics
The world of freight forwarding is full of jargon and abbreviations. This comprehensive glossary explains the most widely used — from transport documents and load types through vehicle categories, Incoterms, and the conversational shorthand that dispatchers and customers use every day.
Transport documents
CMR — International road freight waybill (from the French Convention relative au contrat de transport international de Marchandises par Route). Mandatory for every cross-border road shipment.
MRN — Movement Reference Number. Reference number assigned by EU customs systems to a declaration.
TIR — Transport International Routier. International customs transit system allowing lorries to cross borders without repeated customs checks.
BOL / B/L — Bill of Lading. Sea freight transport document; its road equivalent is the CMR waybill.
POD — Proof of Delivery. Delivery confirmation — the recipient's signature on the CMR or an electronic record.
SAD — Single Administrative Document. Standardised EU customs declaration form.
EUR.1 — Preferential origin certificate proving the goods' origin for reduced customs duty rates.
T1 / T2 — Customs status during EU transit. T1 = goods outside the EU customs territory. T2 = goods within EU customs procedures.
AWB — Air Waybill. Air freight equivalent of the CMR waybill.
Load types and units
FTL — Full Truck Load. The entire trailer is booked for a single shipment. Best from about 6 LDM or 5 tonnes.
LTL — Less Than Truck Load. Part load / groupage — you share the trailer with other shippers. Charged per LDM or kilogram.
LDM — Loading Metre. Cargo space unit: 1 LDM = 1 m length × 2.4 m width. A Euro pallet (120×80 cm) = 0.4 LDM.
FCL / LCL — Full Container Load / Less than Container Load. Sea freight equivalents of FTL/LTL.
RO-RO — Roll-on/Roll-off. Vehicles drive on and off the ship via a ramp (ferries, Ro-Ro cargo ships).
Vehicle types and body styles
Curtainsider / Tautliner — Standard trailer with sliding curtain sides. The most common type for pallet freight.
Mega Trailer — Trailer with 3 m internal height instead of 2.7 m. For bulky cargo.
Jumbo Trailer — Oversize trailer for light, voluminous shipments (larger than a standard curtainsider).
Flatbed — Platform trailer without sides — for oversized or unusually shaped cargo.
Tail Lift — Hydraulic rear platform allowing loading/unloading without a loading dock.
Reefer / Frigo — Refrigerated vehicle with active cooling and ATP certification. For food and pharmaceuticals.
Isothermal — Insulated vehicle without active cooling. Maintains temperature for a limited time.
HGV — Heavy Goods Vehicle. Any lorry over 3.5 t gross vehicle weight.
LCV — Light Commercial Vehicle. Van or light truck up to 3.5 t (e.g. Sprinter/Transit).
Incoterms 2020 (delivery terms)
EXW — Ex Works. The seller places goods at their premises; the buyer covers all transport and customs costs.
FCA — Free Carrier. The seller delivers goods to a carrier named by the buyer at an agreed location.
CPT — Carriage Paid To. Seller pays freight to the agreed destination; risk transfers when goods are handed to the carrier.
CIP — Carriage and Insurance Paid To. Like CPT with the addition of cargo insurance arranged by the seller.
DAP — Delivered At Place. Seller delivers to the destination without unloading.
DPU — Delivered at Place Unloaded. Like DAP but the seller also handles unloading.
DDP — Delivered Duty Paid. Seller covers everything — freight, customs duties and taxes — right to the buyer's door.
FOB — Free on Board. Sea freight term: seller is responsible until cargo is loaded on board the vessel.
Logistics and forwarding terms
ETA — Estimated Time of Arrival. Expected arrival time of the vehicle or shipment.
ETD — Estimated Time of Departure. Expected departure time.
ATD / ATA — Actual Time of Departure / Arrival. The real recorded departure or arrival time.
POL / POD — Place of Loading / Discharge. Pick-up and delivery location.
DISPO — Dispatcher / Logistics coordinator. The person or team managing transport operations and communicating with drivers and customers.
3PL / 4PL — Third/Fourth Party Logistics. Outsourced logistics providers; 4PL also manages the 3PL partners.
WMS / TMS — Warehouse / Transport Management System. Software for managing warehouse and transport operations.
KPI — Key Performance Indicator. Performance metric (e.g. percentage of on-time deliveries).
OTD — On Time Delivery. Fundamental logistics KPI measuring punctuality of shipments.
SLA — Service Level Agreement. Agreement defining service levels between a client and a provider (e.g. time slots, response times).
Conversational abbreviations in emails and messages
These shorthand terms appear regularly in day-to-day communication between dispatchers, customers and carriers:
FYI — For Your Information. Sharing info without requesting action.
ASAP — As Soon As Possible. Urgently / without delay.
TBD — To Be Determined. Not yet decided; will be confirmed later.
TBC — To Be Confirmed. Awaiting confirmation.
EOM — End of Message. The subject line is the complete message; the body is empty.
N/A — Not Applicable. Does not apply to the given situation.
PO — Purchase Order. The buyer's reference number for a specific order.
RFQ — Request for Quotation. Request for a price offer with specific shipment parameters.
RFP — Request for Proposal. Request for a comprehensive offer including solution, terms and price.
T&C — Terms and Conditions. The general conditions of business.
FIFO / LIFO — First/Last In, First Out. Warehouse stock rotation methods.
ROI — Return on Investment. The financial return on a business decision or investment.
B2B / B2C — Business to Business / Consumer. The nature of the commercial relationship.
ETAs, PODs, RFQs — plural forms regularly used in operational emails: "Please send PODs for last week's shipments."
Customs and international abbreviations
HS Code — Harmonized System Code. International product classification number for customs purposes.
CN Code — Combined Nomenclature. EU extension of the HS code used in the customs tariff.
EORI — Economic Operators Registration and Identification. EU customs registration number for exporters and importers.
AEO — Authorised Economic Operator. Certified status granting simplified customs procedures to trusted businesses.
ICS2 — Import Control System 2. EU pre-notification system for air and sea imports (mandatory from 2024).
Related services: International transport · Pallet transport