- ACE
- CBP's Automated Commercial Environment, the electronic system through which entries, ISF and manifests are filed.
- Arrival notice
- The carrier's notice that cargo has arrived or is about to, listing charges due before release.
- Bill of lading (B/L)
- The contract and receipt for ocean cargo. A master B/L is issued by the carrier; a house B/L by the forwarder.
- Bonded warehouse
- A CBP-approved facility where imported goods can be stored with duties deferred until withdrawal, for up to five years.
- CBM
- Cubic metre, the unit used to price LCL and to compute volumetric weight.
- Chargeable weight
- The greater of actual weight and volumetric weight; what air and express freight is billed on.
- Chassis
- The trailer frame a container sits on for road transport; usually billed per day.
- Consolidation
- Combining several shippers' cargo into one container (LCL) or one entry.
- Container freight station (CFS)
- The warehouse where LCL cargo is stuffed at origin and unpacked at destination.
- Continuous bond
- An annual customs bond covering all of an importer's entries and ISF filings.
- Customs broker
- A person or company licensed by CBP to transact customs business on behalf of importers.
- Customs value
- The value on which duty is assessed, normally the price paid or payable plus certain additions.
- Demurrage
- Terminal charges for a container left on the dock beyond its free days.
- Detention (per diem)
- Shipping-line charges for a container returned late after pickup.
- Drayage
- Short-distance trucking of a container, typically between the port and a warehouse or rail yard.
- Duty drawback
- A refund of up to 99% of duties on imported goods later exported or destroyed, claimed within five years.
- Entry
- The declaration filed with CBP to import goods. Type 01 is a formal consumption entry; type 11 is informal.
- Entry summary (CBP Form 7501)
- The document that reports classification, value and duties for an entry.
- FCL / LCL
- Full container load, where you use the whole container; less than container load, where you share it.
- FEU / TEU
- Forty-foot and twenty-foot equivalent units, used to count container capacity.
- Free time
- The days a container may stay at the terminal, or with the consignee, before demurrage or detention starts.
- Freight forwarder
- A company that arranges transport on behalf of shippers; for U.S. ocean trade it must be licensed by the FMC.
- General average
- A maritime principle under which all cargo owners share a loss incurred to save the voyage, such as jettisoned cargo.
- Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF)
- A 0.125% fee on the value of ocean imports, collected with duties.
- HTS / HTSUS
- The ten-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, which sets duty rates.
- Importer of record
- The party legally responsible for the entry, the duties and the accuracy of the declaration.
- Incoterms
- The ICC's eleven standard trade terms that allocate transport cost, risk and tasks between seller and buyer.
- ISF (10+2)
- The Importer Security Filing of ten data elements due at least 24 hours before ocean cargo is loaded abroad.
- Known shipper
- A shipper vetted under TSA rules whose cargo may fly on passenger aircraft.
- Landed cost
- The total cost of goods delivered: product, freight, insurance, duties, fees and handling.
- Liquidation
- CBP's final computation of duties on an entry, normally about a year after entry.
- Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF)
- An ad valorem CBP fee on formal entries with an annual minimum and maximum.
- NVOCC
- Non-vessel-operating common carrier: an FMC-licensed company that issues its own bills of lading and buys space from shipping lines.
- Open top / flat rack
- Special containers for cargo that is too tall or too wide for a standard box.
- Partner government agency (PGA)
- Agencies other than CBP whose rules apply at import: FDA, USDA, CPSC, EPA, DOT, FCC and others.
- Power of attorney
- The document authorising a customs broker to act for the importer.
- Prior notice (FDA)
- Advance electronic notice to FDA of food shipments before arrival.
- Reefer
- A refrigerated container.
- Rolled cargo
- Cargo left behind when a vessel departs because space was overbooked or the container arrived late.
- Section 232 / 301
- Additional U.S. duties imposed for national-security reasons (232) or in response to trade practices (301).
- Single-transaction bond
- A customs bond covering one entry only.
- Telex release
- The carrier's electronic authorisation to release cargo without presenting the original bill of lading.
- Transload
- Moving cargo from an ocean container into a domestic trailer to save inland cost.
- Volumetric weight
- A weight derived from volume (CBM × 167 for air) used when cargo is light for its size.
- Warehouse receipt
- The 3PL's acknowledgement of goods received, which also sets the terms of storage.
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