Transport Glossary

A

• ADR (European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road): The European agreement governing the international transport of dangerous goods by road, including labelling, packaging and safety requirements.
• Advance notification: Timely notification of a shipment to the consignee or logistics partner, including details of the expected arrival time.

C

• Cabotage: Transport services carried out within one country by a transport operator established in another country.
• CMR consignment note: The international road freight document that records the contract of carriage and confirms collection and delivery.
• Combined transport: A form of intermodal transport in which most of the journey is made by rail or ship and the road leg is kept as short as possible.
• Customs clearance: The formal declaration and clearance of goods during cross-border transport outside the European Union.

D

• Dangerous goods: Substances or articles that may pose risks to life, health or the environment during transport and are therefore subject to specific safety regulations.
• Digital tachograph: A mandatory electronic device in trucks that records driving and rest periods as well as vehicle speed.
• Dispatch / transport coordination: The operational planning, management and monitoring of vehicles, drivers and loads to use transport capacity efficiently.

E

• ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival): The expected time at which a shipment will arrive at its destination.
• Express delivery: Priority, time-critical transport of goods within a guaranteed delivery window.
• Exceptional permit: Official authorisation under road traffic and vehicle regulations for vehicles whose dimensions or weights exceed statutory limits.

F

• FTL (Full Truckload): A full load that uses the complete capacity of a truck or travels directly from the consignor to the consignee.

H

• Heavy haulage: Transport of loads whose weight exceeds the permissible limits for standard trucks.

I

• Incoterms (International Commercial Terms): Standard international trade terms defining the responsibilities of buyers and sellers, such as EXW, FOB and DAP.
• Intermodal transport: Transport of goods in one loading unit, such as a container or semi-trailer, using several modes of transport without handling the goods themselves between modes.

L

• Logistics: The planning, management, execution and control of efficient material, goods and information flows throughout the supply chain.
• LTL (Less than Truckload / part load): A shipment that does not fill the entire truck, allowing the remaining capacity to be used for other clients' goods.

O

• Overdimensional cargo: Freight whose length, width or height exceeds the standard limits for conventional road transport.

P

• Payload: The maximum cargo weight a vehicle may carry while remaining within its permissible gross weight.
• Permit: Official authorisation to carry out heavy haulage or special transport on a defined route.
• Project shipment / project logistics: Tailored planning and handling of complex, usually large-volume plant and equipment transport for construction or industrial projects.

R

• RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off): A transport system in which wheeled cargo units or complete vehicles are driven on and off a ship.

S

• Special transport: A general term for transport exceeding standard dimensions or weights, including excess width, height, length or weight.
• Subcontracted haulier: An independent transport operator that carries out the physical transport on behalf of a freight forwarder.

T

• Telematics: The combination of telecommunications and information technology used to locate, monitor and manage vehicle fleets in real time.
• Toll: A charge for using infrastructure such as motorways, bridges or tunnels, often calculated according to axle count, weight or emissions class.
• Transshipment: The transfer of goods from one mode of transport to another, for example from truck to rail or ship.
• Transit traffic: Transport through one or more countries without loading or unloading in those countries.