20 shipping acronyms all shippers should know - Infographic

Quick overview

Shipping acronyms describe transport services, documents, locations, charges and regulatory requirements. Understanding them helps you check quotations, prepare documents and communicate with carriers and forwarders.

The definitions below cover common ocean-freight terms, plus related U.S. trucking and customs terminology. A service label or acronym does not by itself establish what a quotation includes.

1. IMO — International Maritime Organization

The United Nations agency responsible for international shipping standards concerning safety, security and environmental performance.

IMO 2020 refers to the sulfur limit that took effect on January 1, 2020: 0.50% by mass outside designated sulfur emission control areas. Those areas generally have a 0.10% limit. Approved equivalent compliance methods may also be used.

2. ELD — Electronic Logging Device

A device that records a commercial driver’s hours-of-service information. The U.S. ELD rule applies to many drivers required to keep records of duty status, with specified exceptions. It is a road-transport requirement, rather than an ocean-cargo document.

3. SOLAS — Safety of Life at Sea

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea sets safety requirements for ships. Its container-weight provisions require verification of the gross mass of packed containers within their scope.

4. VGM — Verified Gross Mass

The verified total mass of a packed container, including cargo, packaging, securing materials and the container’s tare weight.

The responsible shipper must provide VGM in time for vessel stowage planning. Read our SOLAS VGM guide for the submission process.

5. P2P — Port to port

Transport between the agreed origin and destination ports. Inland pickup and final delivery are generally outside this service scope. Check the quotation for terminal handling, customs services and other local charges.

6. D2D — Door to door

Transport between agreed pickup and delivery locations. The label does not automatically include customs duties, insurance, unloading or every destination charge.

Compare the agreed scope in our freight movement types guide.

7. FCL — Full container load

A service using a dedicated container for a shipment. The container does not have to be completely full. Equipment, route and service arrangements determine the practical and financial comparison with LCL.

8. LCL — Less than container load

A service combining separate shipments in a shared container. Charges commonly depend on chargeable volume or weight, subject to minimums and additional fees.

Compare complete LCL shipping and FCL quotations for the actual shipment.

9. LTL — Less than truckload

Road freight that shares truck capacity with other shipments. Pricing and handling depend on the carrier, shipment characteristics, route and service requirements.

10. TEU — Twenty-foot equivalent unit

A standard unit used to express container capacity and traffic. A nominal 20-foot container represents one TEU, while a nominal 40-foot container represents two TEU.

TEU is not a cargo-weight limit or a guarantee of usable loading volume.

11. ETD — Estimated time of departure

The expected departure time or date for a transport leg. Check which location and leg it refers to. An ETD is an estimate, rather than confirmation that departure has occurred.

12. ETA — Estimated time of arrival

The expected arrival time or date at a specified location. Vessel arrival, cargo availability and final delivery are different milestones.

13. POL — Port of loading

The port where cargo is loaded aboard the vessel for the relevant transport leg or documented carriage.

14. POD — Port of discharge

In ocean routing, the port where cargo is discharged from the vessel. Discharge does not automatically mean customs release or availability for collection.

In other logistics contexts, POD can mean proof of delivery, so check the context.

15. GRI — General rate increase

An announced adjustment to freight rates by a carrier. Its applicability depends on the trade lane, service, effective date and quotation or contract terms. It is not necessarily applied to every booking.

16. B/L or BoL — Bill of lading

A transport document serving as a cargo receipt and evidence of the carriage contract. Certain negotiable forms can also function as documents of title.

See our bill of lading guide for document and release differences.

17. ISF — Importer Security Filing

Advance cargo information required for covered U.S.-bound ocean shipments. The main deadline for most imports is no later than 24 hours before cargo is loaded aboard the U.S.-bound vessel at the foreign port.

Certain data elements and movements have separate timing rules. A forwarder may set an earlier submission cutoff to prepare the filing. ISF is separate from the customs entry.

18. EEI — Electronic Export Information

U.S. export information submitted electronically through the Automated Export System (AES).

EEI is generally required when the value under an individual Schedule B or permitted HTS classification exceeds $2,500 for the shipment, unless an exemption applies. Some exports require filing regardless of value. Electronic reporting replaced the paper Shipper’s Export Declaration (SED).

19. HS — Harmonized System

The international product-classification system developed by the World Customs Organization. Its internationally standardized commodity codes have six digits. Countries add further subdivisions for their own tariff and statistical purposes.

A six-digit HS code alone may not establish the complete import-duty treatment.

20. HTS — Harmonized Tariff Schedule

In U.S. import documentation, HTS usually refers to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). U.S. import entries generally use ten-digit classification numbers.

Check the applicable tariff provision, notes and additional measures rather than assuming the base rate is the total duty payable.