Chartering abbreviations and Shipping terms
| Term | Meaning |
| ABC analysis | Classification of items in an inventory according to importance defined in terms of criteria such as sales volume and purchase volume. |
| Accessibility | A carrier's ability to provide service between an origin and a destination. |
| Accessorial charges | A carrier's charge for accessorial services such as loading, unloading, pickup, and delivery. |
| Action message | An alert that an MRP or DRP system generates to inform the controller of a situation requiring his or her attention. |
| Active stock | Goods in active pick locations and ready for order filling. |
| Activity-Based Costing | A method of cost management that identifies business activities performed, accumulates costs associated with these activities, and uses various cost drivers to trace costs of activities to the products. |
| Advanced shipment notice | A list transmitted to a customer or consignor designating items shipped. May also include expected time of arrival. |
| Affreightment, Contract Of | An agreement by an ocean carrier to provide cargo space on a vessel at a specified time and for a specified price to accommodate an exporter or importer. |
| Agency Fee | A fee charged to the ship by the ship's agent, representing payment for services while the ship was in port. Sometimes called attendance fee. |
| Agency tariff | A rate bureau publication that contains rates for many carriers. |
| Agent | An enterprise authorized to transact business for, or in the name of, another enterprise. |
| Agglomeration | A net advantage a company gains by sharing a common location with other companies. |
| Aggregate tender rate | A reduced rate offered to a shipper who tenders two or more class-related shipments at one time and one place. |
| Air cargo | Freight that is moved by air transportation. |
| Air Carrier | An enterprise that offers transportation service via air. |
| Air taxi | An exempt for-hire air carrier that will fly anywhere on demand; air taxis are restricted to a maximum payload and passenger capacity per plane. |
| Air Waybill | A bill of lading for air transport that serves as a receipt for the shipper, indicates that the carrier has accepted the goods listed, obligates the carrier to carry the consignment to the airport of destination according to specified conditions. |
| Aircargo Agent | An agent appointed by an airline to solicit and process international airfreight shipments. |
| Aircargo Containers | Containers designed to conform to the inside of an aircraft. There are many shapes and sizes of containers. Aircargo containers fall into three categories: 1) aircargo pallets 2) lower deck containers 3) box type containers. |
| Airport and Airway Trust Fund | A federal fund that collects passenger ticket taxes and disburses those funds for airport facilities. |
| All Water | Term used when the transportation is completely by water. |
| All-cargo carrier | An air carrier that transports cargo only |
| Any-quantity rate | A rate that applies to any size shipment tendered to a carrier; no discount rate is available for large shipments. |
| Arrival Notice | A notice from the delivering carrier to the Notify Party indicating the shipment's arrival date at a specific location (normally the destination). |
| Assignment | The transfer of rights, duties, responsibilities, and benefits of an agreement, contract, or financial instrument to a third party. |
| Audit | In reference to freight bills, the term audit is used to determine the accuracy of freight bills. |
| Auditing | Determining the correct transportation charges due the carrier; auditing involves checking the freight bill for errors, correct rate, and weight. |
| Average cost | Total cost, fixed plus variable, divided by total output. |