Modes of Transport
This mode carries the most cargo overseas, often measured in TEUs.
What is Ocean Freight (Shipping)?
Large buildings where goods are stored, sorted, and prepared for shipping.
What is a Warehouse or Distribution Center?
The continent where most cinnamon and nutmeg for Thanksgiving desserts are originally sourced.
What is Asia (or Southeast Asia)?
The term for the continuous, temperature-controlled system needed to move perishable items like fresh turkey.
What is the Cold Chain?
The acronym for the unit used to measure container capacity, equal to one 20-foot container.
What is a TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit)?
This is the 'Last Mile' mode, delivering goods directly to your home or store.
What is Truck (Road) transport?
This inventory strategy means receiving goods just before you need them to save money on storage.
What is Just-In-Time (JIT)?
A specific tax a government puts on products coming in from other countries.
What is a Tariff?
The specialized type of container or trailer used to keep products cold or frozen during shipment.
What is a Reefer or Refrigerated Container?
The final, most expensive part of the delivery process that takes the package to the customer's door.
What is the Last Mile?
The logistics term for using two or more transport types, like truck and rail, for one container.
What is Intermodal transport?
The costs involved in keeping goods in the warehouse, like rent, insurance, and utilities.
What are Holding Costs?
The required legal step for international shipments to get government approval to cross a border.
What is Customs Clearance?
The main result when the Cold Chain is broken, which ruins the food and makes it unsafe.
What is Spoilage (or Bacterial Growth)?
The mandatory document that acts as a contract and receipt for all goods being shipped.
What is a Bill of Lading or Waybill?
This is the fastest, most expensive mode, used for urgent or high-value items.
What is Air Freight?
This is the name for inventory that is currently moving and has not yet arrived at its destination.
What is In-Transit Inventory?
The increased risk of supply chain disruption caused by political problems in the country of your supplier.
What is Geopolitical Risk?
The piece of equipment on a reefer truck that actively keeps the cargo at the correct temperature.
What is the Refrigeration Unit?
The acronym for a company that manages the shipping, warehousing, and logistics for another company.
What is a 3PL (Third-Party Logistics Provider)?
The specialized mode used primarily to transport liquids or gas like oil and natural gas over land.
What is Pipeline?
The risk of losing money if you order too much inventory and it spoils or goes unsold after the season.
What is Obsolescence Risk (or Spoilage Cost)?
The general business trend of buying goods or materials from suppliers in foreign countries to save money.
What is Global Sourcing or Offshoring?
The device placed inside a container that records the temperature history of the shipment.
What is a Data Logger (or Temperature Sensor)?
This common performance metric measures how reliably a shipment arrives on schedule.
What is On-Time Delivery (or Lead Time Variance)?