Common Terms

Abbreviation Term Description
ETD
Estimated time of departure
The projection determines when a shipment is expected to leave its point of origin.
ETA
Estimated time of arrival
While commonly used in casual settings, this abbreviation holds a formal purpose in supply chain and logistics management, where the time at which a shipment is expected to appear is carefully estimated based on the route, mode of transportation, and other factors.
JIT
Just-in-time
This supply chain concept promotes the receipt of raw materials and other essentials just before they are needed, rather than keeping them in storage for longer periods of time. This approach can significantly reduce storage costs, particularly for products known to have a brief shelf life.
POD
Proof of delivery
Signed by the recipient, this document verifies that products were delivered in acceptable condition.
ATA
Actual Time of Arrival
A date that a shipment arrived at the Port of Arrival.
ATD
Actual Time of Departure
Actual time of a vehicle departure
Incoterms
International Commercial Terms
 
POL
Port of Loading
Port of Loading is a port or a place where goods are loaded aboard a ship, secured and ready to be transported. POL can also be called the port of exit.
POD
Port of Discharge
is a place where a vessel discharges or unloads some or all of its shipments.
 
Tare Weight
Weight of a container or packing materials without the weight of the goods it contains.
 
Gross Weight
The gross weight is the total weight of the goods carried, including all packaging but excluding the tare weight of the transport unit. The tare weight is the weight of a transport unit before any cargo is loaded.
 
Volumetric Weight
Volumetric weight refers to the overall size of a parcel and is measured in volumetric kilograms. Volumetric weight can be calculated by multiplying the length, width and height of a parcel (in cm) and dividing that figure by 5000 (some carriers use a divisor of 4000).
 
Chargeable Weight
Chargeable weight is what the airline uses to determine the cost of your shipment. It may be either volumetric weight or gross weight, whichever is greater.