Glossary

Glossary of Shipping Terms


Actual Weight - exactly what the product weighs including packaging.

Ag Stamp - A document from the USDA that designates the nursery in question is registered at a federal level and is allowed to sell plants for retail and wholesale.

Backhaul - The return trip back to the original point of origin.

Bill of lading (BOL) - A document and contract which provides the driver & carrier with all the details to process the freight and to invoice it properly.  The BOL also acts as a receipt and a report for the receiver.

Billable Weight - is the greater of the two weights (actual vs. dimensional), some shippers will bill by whichever is greater.

Boxed - the plants you are shipping are going to be packed in a sealed corrugated box for shipping.

Carrier - an individual or company engaged in transporting goods for hire

 - care of 

Consignee - refers to the party that will pay for freight to be shipped.  Sometimes the consignee of the shipment will be the shipper and sometimes it will be who will receive the freight.

Consignor - The party who originates a shipment of goods (shipper)  The sender of a freight shipment, usually the seller.

Deckable -  The product being shipped is less than half the height of the inside of a truck trailer (~45 inches)

Dimensional Weight (AKA Dim) - Dim weight (aka DIM weight) is the amount of space a package occupies in relation to its actual weight.  To calculate Dim Weight the formula is LxWxH / 139 = total cubic square inches.

F.O.B. - Free or Freight on Board, Example:  FOB, Apopka. FOB terms dictate where the responsibility for the product shifts. If your freight is FOB from the shipper's dock. The consignee is responsible for any damage/issues with the freight from the time it leaves the plant supplier's dock. Conversely. If the FOB terms dictate delivery to the receiver as the FOB term (often referred to as “delivered”) then the plant supplier is responsible for the quality of the product all the way to the consignee’s location.

Loose - Any plant not boxed and shipped in a pot or cell pack tray

LTL - less than truckload lots, a LTL will carry multiple orders of freight

Nematode Letter - Often used as a short term for a legal declaration document that is used to list out and prove that a given nursery is certified by the Florida Department of Agriculture to ship certain sized plants, of certain varieties, to certain states in the US.

Non-Deckable - The product being shipped is less than half the height of the inside of a truck trailer. (45+ inches).

Pallet - a flat wooden structure that heavy goods are put onto so they can be moved using a fork-lift or pallet-jack.

Pallet Cube -The amount of cubic feet of product that is allowed to be shipped or stored on a pallet.

Pallet Rack- a multilevel wood structure used to ship and/or display live goods

Rack (Rental) -rack rented and  used for shipment of live plants to retailers or between growers.

Reefer/Refrigerated Truck - Climate controlled truck

Shipper - the person responsible for coordinating the outbound logistics of their freight.

Third Party Logistics - Transportation, warehousing and other logistics related services provided by third parties.

TL - Truckload

Tray - The plastic structure which holds multiple plants or small pots. Plants can be shipped in their tray.