A plain-language glossary of the logistics terms you meet while tracking freight, so the assistant can define any of them from one source. For the structural rules of each tracking number, see [tracking number formats](/docs/tracking-number-formats); for what a parcel's status means, see the [status ontology](/docs/status-ontology).
Air cargo
- AWB (Air Waybill) — the transport document for an air shipment: a non-negotiable receipt and contract of carriage between the shipper and the airline.
- MAWB (Master Air Waybill) — the AWB the airline issues for a whole consignment. It is numbered as a 3-digit IATA airline prefix + 8 digits, the last of which is a modulo-7 check digit (e.g.
020-12345675). - HAWB (House Air Waybill) — the AWB a freight forwarder issues to each individual shipper whose cargo is grouped inside one MAWB consolidation.
- ULD (Unit Load Device) — the standardised container or pallet that cargo is loaded into for an aircraft.
Ocean freight
- Bill of Lading (BoL / B/L) — the ocean transport document: receipt for the goods, contract of carriage, and (when negotiable) document of title.
- MBL (Master Bill of Lading) — issued by the ocean carrier to the forwarder. HBL (House Bill of Lading) — issued by the forwarder to the actual shipper.
- ISO 6346 — the standard for marking ocean containers: four letters (owner + category) + 6 digits + a check digit, e.g.
MSCU1234565. - FCL / LCL — Full Container Load (one shipper fills a container) vs Less-than-Container Load (cargo from several shippers shares one).
- TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) — the unit for counting container capacity; a 40-foot container is 2 TEU.
- Demurrage — a charge for a container that stays inside the port/terminal beyond the agreed free time.
- Detention — a charge for keeping the carrier's container outside the terminal (e.g. at your warehouse) beyond the free time.
Postal and parcel
- UPU S10 — the Universal Postal Union standard for postal item identifiers: two service letters + 9 digits + a check digit + two country letters, e.g.
RR123456785IT. - EMS (Express Mail Service) — the postal operators' international express service (the
E…S10 prefix). - Last mile — the final leg from the local depot to the recipient's door.
Customs and trade
- HS Code (Harmonized System) — the international tariff classification code for a product; customs use it to assess duties.
- Incoterms — the ICC's standard trade terms (EXW, FOB, CIF, DAP, DDP…) defining who pays for and bears the risk of each leg of carriage.
- Customs broker — a licensed agent who clears goods through customs on the importer's behalf.
General tracking
- ETA — Estimated Time of Arrival. ETD — Estimated Time of Departure.
- POD (Proof of Delivery) — the record (signature, photo, timestamp) confirming a shipment was delivered.
- Track and trace — following a shipment's location and status across carriers from one identifier, which is exactly what TrackJet does.