Trucking Glossary

A system for booking a terminal visit for pickup, return, or another transaction. Platforms, time windows, and receiving conditions vary. A confirmed appointment does not by itself mean the container is released, charges are settled, or pickup can proceed.

Also: 港口预约

Driving the tractor with no trailer attached. Bobtailing handles differently — braking can actually be worse than with a trailer.

Also: 光头 · 无挂

An identifier for a transport booking, distinct from a container number or bill-of-lading number.

When asked for a booking, do not substitute a container number; use authorized channels.

The wheeled frame supporting a container for road transport, separate from the container itself. It may be owned or supplied under another arrangement; confirm its pickup, return, and use requirements.

Inspect as required before use, record concerns, and report and address them through the carrier and equipment-use procedures.

Also: 拖架

An arrangement requiring a chassis move to or from a location different from the container pickup or return location; charges depend on terms.

Confirm both locations, timing and charge responsibility, not only the container appointment.

Standardized steel box — common sizes 20', 40', 40' HC, 45'. The basic unit of ocean + drayage freight.

Also: 柜 · 海运箱 · box · can

In drayage, the status that required authorizations for an import container to enter the pickup process have been satisfied, often checked separately for ocean-carrier release, customs release, and other holds. “Released” does not by itself mean the box is discharged and available, an appointment exists, charges are resolved, or the gate will accept the truck.

Before dispatch, check line release, customs or CBP release, other holds, physical availability, LFD, charges, and appointment status in the applicable carrier or terminal system. One green status does not mean every pickup condition is complete.

Also: 柜子放行 · 提柜放行 · 进口柜放行 · cargo release · line release · customs release · fully released

A customs-related hold preventing routine cargo release, distinct from terminal restrictions or a carrier's freight release.

Identify the hold type and contact the party responsible for it.

In ocean shipping, a possible charge when a container or cargo remains at a terminal beyond allowed free time. It is common in import pickup workflows. Check free time, billed days, and the actual invoice; the term alone does not make the driver the payer.

Start by distinguishing terminal storage from equipment use after pickup, then read the bill. Per diem means “per day” and can refer to different equipment.

Short-distance container transportation between ports, rail terminals, depots, and customer warehouses.

Also: 港口短驳 · port drayage

Delivering one container and collecting another during a single terminal visit. Examples include returning an empty then collecting an import, or dropping an export then taking an empty. Both moves must meet the terminal’s current receiving and appointment conditions.

Also: 双向 · dual move

The return of an unloaded import container to the terminal, depot, or yard currently designated and accepting it for the ocean carrier or equipment provider. The location and conditions may vary by line, size, type, date, shift, and inventory. An empty return is a different transaction from delivering a loaded export.

Before dispatch, recheck the ocean carrier's return instruction, the terminal's empty-receiving status, and whether an appointment is required. Do not assume the pickup terminal must or will accept the empty. Keep the EIR.

Also: 还空箱 · 空柜返场 · 空箱退回 · empty container return · empty drop-off · MTY in · empty in

A terminal or depot record generated when a container, chassis, or other equipment is interchanged or processed at the gate. It commonly includes equipment identifiers, direction, time, and recorded condition or damage. It evidences the interchange but is not a release, an appointment confirmation, or conclusive proof of damage responsibility.

Before leaving the gate, check the container and chassis numbers, direction, time, and damage remarks. Use the facility's correction channel promptly for omissions or mismatches, and retain the paper or electronic copy plus any permitted condition evidence.

Also: 设备交收单 · 柜架交接单 · 闸口交接凭证 · interchange receipt · equipment interchange report · gate receipt · gate ticket

Free time is the period during which a container or cargo may remain at a terminal or similar facility without the applicable storage or demurrage charge. The last free day is the final day or cutoff in that period. One is a period and the other a deadline; calculation varies by terminal, carrier, cargo, and current rule.

For the specific container, recheck the displayed LFD, availability, holds, charges, and appointment status that day. Do not calculate the deadline from a remembered number of free days; if the box is unavailable or the gate is closed, review the applicable rule and updates.

Also: 免费期 · 免堆时间 · 最后免堆日 · 最后免费提柜日 · free time · free days · last free day · LFD

A carrier's release status for freight-payment or commercial-document conditions; other holds may remain.

Freight released does not necessarily mean ready for immediate pickup.

Literally “per day.” In port workflows it commonly labels daily equipment-use charges for containers or chassis. Read the bill and terms to identify the equipment, free time, and charging period; the term alone does not identify which equipment is involved.

Also: detention (container)

A nonprofit established by marine terminal operators at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, responsible for programs including OffPeak. PierPASS/TMF on documents generally refers to the traffic mitigation fee supporting extended terminal shifts; it is not a truck appointment.

Check current PierPASS notices and the shipment’s arrangements for rates, charge periods, and exemptions; do not assume a shift is free based on past practice.

Also: 港口班次费 · PierPass 班次系统

A facility where freight is loaded, unloaded, or transferred. In drayage it usually means a particular container terminal within a port; in other contexts it may be a rail or freight terminal. Knowing the port name alone is not enough to identify the facility.

Also: 港口码头

A terminal-system hold or pending restriction whose reason and release conditions must be checked with that terminal.

Report the status label and lookup time without assuming its cause.

A TSA-issued Transportation Worker Identification Credential used for unescorted access to secure areas of facilities or vessels covered by maritime-security rules, among other required uses. It does not replace a terminal appointment or other access procedures.

Also: 港口卡 · Transportation Worker Identification Credential