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Logistics Glossary

Plain-language definitions of the road freight, cross-border, customs and trade terms used when moving cargo in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa.

57 terms

A

  • Road Freight

    Abnormal Load

    Cargo, or a vehicle and its cargo, that is larger or heavier than the normal legal limits for dimensions or mass, and so needs a special permit to travel on public roads.

  • Road Freight

    Axle Load

    The part of a loaded vehicle’s weight carried by one axle or axle group. Road authorities set legal limits per axle to protect road surfaces and bridges.

B

  • Road Freight

    Backhaul

    A load carried on the return leg of a trip, so a truck that delivered cargo does not travel home empty.

  • Customs & Documentation

    Bill of Entry

    The formal declaration lodged with customs to enter goods for import, export or another customs procedure. It states what the goods are, their value, origin and tariff code, and the duty due.

  • Cross-Border Transport

    Bonded Transit

    Moving goods under customs control with duties and taxes suspended, secured by a bond or guarantee, until they leave the country or reach a bonded warehouse.

  • Warehousing & Distribution

    Bonded Warehouse

    A warehouse licensed and controlled by customs where imported goods can be stored with duties and taxes suspended until they are released for local use or re-exported.

  • Cross-Border Transport

    Border Post

    An official crossing point between two countries where customs, immigration and other agencies check people, vehicles and goods. For road freight it is where export and import formalities meet.

  • Cargo & Equipment

    Break Bulk

    Cargo moved as separate pieces such as crates, bags, coils or machinery, rather than in containers or as loose bulk.

  • Cargo & Equipment

    Bulk Cargo

    Unpackaged cargo loaded loose, such as grain, ore, coal, sand or fuel, usually carried in tippers, bulk trailers or tankers.

C

  • Supply Chain

    Cargo Insurance

    Insurance that covers loss of or damage to goods while they are being transported or stored in transit. It is separate from the carrier’s limited liability and from vehicle insurance.

  • Supply Chain

    Carrier

    The company that physically moves the goods, such as a road haulier operating trucks, and is responsible for them while they are in its care.

  • Customs & Documentation

    Certificate of Origin COO

    A document that states the country where goods were produced. A preferential certificate lets the importer claim a lower or zero duty under a trade agreement.

  • Customs & Documentation

    Clearing Agent

    A business licensed by the customs authority to prepare and lodge customs declarations on behalf of importers and exporters and to deal with customs for them.

  • Cargo & Equipment

    Cold Chain

    An unbroken sequence of temperature-controlled storage and transport that keeps products such as food, vaccines and medicines within a set temperature range from origin to delivery.

  • Cross-Border Transport

    COMESA Yellow Card

    A regional third-party motor insurance certificate for vehicles travelling between COMESA member countries. It is bought in the home country and checked at borders.

  • Customs & Documentation

    Commercial Invoice

    The seller’s invoice to the buyer listing the goods, quantities, prices, currency and terms of sale. Customs relies on it to value the goods and calculate duty.

  • Supply Chain

    Consignee

    The party named to receive the goods at destination. It is often the buyer, but not always.

  • Supply Chain

    Consignor

    The party that sends the goods and hands them to the carrier, usually the seller or the seller’s agent.

  • Warehousing & Distribution

    Consolidation

    Combining several smaller shipments, often from different shippers, into one larger load to make better use of a truck or container and lower the cost per item.

  • Cross-Border Transport

    Cross-Border Road Transport Permit

    Official permission for a transport operator to carry goods for reward by road between countries, issued under national law and the transport agreements between those countries.

  • Warehousing & Distribution

    Cross-Docking

    Unloading goods from an incoming vehicle and loading them straight onto outgoing vehicles, with little or no time in storage.

  • Customs & Documentation

    Customs Clearance

    The process of declaring goods to customs, paying any duties and taxes, and getting the goods released for import, export or transit.

  • Customs & Documentation

    Customs Duty

    A tax charged on imported goods, usually a percentage of their customs value and set by the HS code. Import VAT and other levies are often charged alongside it.

D

  • Cargo & Equipment

    Dangerous Goods DG

    Substances and articles that can harm people, property or the environment in transport, such as fuels, gases, corrosives and some chemicals, and that must be classified, packed and labelled under special rules.

  • Trade & Incoterms

    Delivered at Place DAP

    An Incoterms® rule under which the seller arranges transport to a named destination and bears the risk until the goods arrive there, ready for unloading. The buyer handles import clearance and duties.

  • Trade & Incoterms

    Delivered Duty Paid DDP

    An Incoterms® rule under which the seller delivers to the named destination cleared for import, with duties and taxes paid, carrying the most cost and risk of any rule.

  • Supply Chain

    Demurrage and Detention

    Charges for keeping a shipping container beyond the free time allowed: demurrage while it stays in the port or terminal, detention while it is outside the terminal and not yet returned. Lines and terminals define them in their own tariffs.

  • Cargo & Equipment

    Dunnage

    Loose material such as timber, airbags or boards placed around and under cargo to fill gaps, spread weight and stop movement in a trailer or container.

E

  • Road Freight

    Empty Running

    Distance a truck travels without cargo, for example returning from a delivery with no backhaul. It adds cost and fuel use without moving goods.

  • Trade & Incoterms

    Ex Works EXW

    An Incoterms® rule under which the seller only makes the goods available at its own premises. The buyer handles loading, export and import formalities, transport and all risk from that point.

F

  • Trade & Incoterms

    Free Carrier FCA

    An Incoterms® rule under which the seller clears the goods for export and hands them to the buyer’s carrier at a named place. Risk passes to the buyer at that point.

  • Supply Chain

    Freight Forwarder

    A company that organises the movement of goods for a shipper: booking carriers, arranging documents and coordinating the steps of a shipment, often across several modes and borders.

  • Road Freight

    Full Truckload FTL

    A shipment that uses a whole truck or trailer for one customer, so the vehicle runs from loading point to delivery point without other customers’ goods on board.

G

  • Road Freight

    Gross Vehicle Mass GVM

    The total weight of a vehicle with its load, fuel and crew. For a truck pulling one or more trailers, the combined figure is the gross combination mass (GCM).

H

  • Customs & Documentation

    HS Code HS

    The international product code from the World Customs Organization’s Harmonized System. Customs use it to classify goods and to set the duty, permits and statistics that apply.

I

  • Trade & Incoterms

    Incoterms®

    A set of eleven three-letter trade terms published by the International Chamber of Commerce. Each one states where the seller delivers, when risk passes to the buyer, and who pays which costs.

L

  • Warehousing & Distribution

    Last-Mile Delivery

    The final leg of a delivery, from a depot or hub to the customer’s door or site.

  • Road Freight

    Less Than Truckload LTL

    A shipment too small to fill a vehicle, carried on a truck that also carries other customers’ goods. Each customer pays for the space or weight their cargo uses.

  • Road Freight

    Load Securing

    Fixing cargo to the vehicle with straps, chains, blocking or dunnage so it cannot slide, tip or fall during braking, cornering or rough road.

  • Cargo & Equipment

    Lowbed Trailer

    A trailer with a deck set close to the ground, used for tall or heavy items such as earthmoving machinery so the overall height stays within limits.

O

  • Cross-Border Transport

    One-Stop Border Post OSBP

    A border post where the officials of both countries work in one shared facility, so travellers and trucks stop once in each direction instead of at two separate posts.

P

  • Customs & Documentation

    Packing List

    A document that shows how a shipment is packed: the number of packages, what each contains, and their weights and dimensions. It is used for loading, inspection and checking delivery.

  • Warehousing & Distribution

    Palletisation

    Packing goods onto pallets so they can be moved by forklift, stacked, counted and secured as single units rather than handled carton by carton.

  • Road Freight

    Payload

    The weight of cargo a vehicle can legally carry: the permitted gross vehicle mass minus the weight of the empty vehicle, fuel and crew.

  • Customs & Documentation

    Proof of Delivery POD

    The signed record that goods were delivered: who received them, when, and whether anything was short or damaged. It usually closes the shipment for invoicing.

R

  • Cargo & Equipment

    Reefer

    A refrigerated trailer or container with its own cooling unit, used to keep chilled or frozen cargo at a set temperature during transport.

  • Supply Chain

    Reverse Logistics

    Moving goods back from the customer or site, for returns, repairs, recycling or the return of empty packaging and equipment.

  • Road Freight

    Route Survey

    A check of the planned road route before a large or heavy load moves, covering clearances, bridge limits, bends, gradients, road works and places where the vehicle can stop safely.

S

T

  • Cargo & Equipment

    Tautliner

    A trailer with a roof and sliding canvas side curtains, so pallets can be loaded from the side by forklift while the cargo stays covered on the road.

  • Warehousing & Distribution

    Third-Party Logistics 3PL

    Handing logistics work such as storage, picking, packing and transport to an outside provider instead of running it in-house.

  • Cross-Border Transport

    Transit Cargo

    Goods that pass through a country on their way to another country, without being imported into the country they cross.

  • Cross-Border Transport

    Transport Corridor

    A main route, often road and rail together, that links ports, borders and economic centres across several countries, such as the North–South Corridor or the Beira Corridor.

  • Cargo & Equipment

    Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit TEU

    The standard measure of container capacity: one 20-foot container is one TEU and one 40-foot container is two TEU (one FEU).

W

  • Customs & Documentation

    Waybill

    The transport document that travels with a road consignment. It names the consignor, consignee and carrier, describes the goods and records receipt by the carrier.

Definitions explain general usage and are not legal or customs advice. Rules and tariffs change, so check the current requirements with the relevant authority before you ship.

Can’t find the term you need?

Ask our team about the documents and terms for your cargo and route.

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