C & F  Cost and Freight Terms of sale Seller quotes price including the cost of goods and all transportation charges to the named point of destination.
C-TPAT  Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism.
Cabotage  Trade or transport in coastal waters or between two ports/points within a country especially by other than domestic carriers. Many countries, like the U.S., have laws requiring domestic-owned vessels to perform domestic interport water transportation services.
CAF  Cost, Assurance, and Freight
Also known as, Currency Adjustment Factor
Used to adjust ocean freight due to currency fluctuations
Cargo Bays  Doors at warehouse where vehicles back up to load/unload cargo.
Cargo Manifest   An invoice of all cargo loaded on board a vessel. Listing of all cargo on board a vessel is required by the relevant local authorities. Same as Manifest
Carrier's Certificate   A Release Order used to advise customs of the details of the shipment, its ownership, port of lading, etc. By means of this document the carrier certifies that the firm or individual named in the certificate is the owner or consignee of the cargo. It is an U.S. Customs form used in lieu of bill of lading.
CBM   Cubic Meter (1 Cubic Meter = 35.314 Cubic Feet)
Cell  Container slot where container fits into place on vessel.
Certificate of Origin   Document used to assure the buying country precisely which country produced the goods being shipped. Usually completed by a recognized Chamber of Commerce.
CFR  Cost and Freight.
CFS  Container Freight Station
Location designated by the ocean carrier for the receiving and delivering of a shipment, and for assembly and distribution of shipments into or out of steamship line containers. Most LCL cargos are either packed into or devanned at the CFS. The carrier may store empty containers at a CFS but will not receive or deliver containers at a CFS.
Chassis   Trailer or wheeled unit on which a container is placed in order to move container over the road.
CIF  Cost insurance and freight.
CIP  Carriage and Insurance Paid to.
Claim Tracer   Request for advice concerning the status of a claim.
Clean On Board  A clause inserted in the Bill of Lading by some shipping/transportation companies stating that have not noted or are not familiar with any irregularities or discrepancies in the packing or in the general condition of any part of the goods or its description.
COFC  Container on Flat Car. Rail service on which a container is loaded onto a flat car without chassis, bogies or wheels.
Combined Transport Bill of Lading   Provides a combined transport by at least two different modes of transportation from a place at which the goods are taken to a place designated for delivery.
Commercial Invoice   A document produced by the shipper/seller of goods which contains an accurate description of the merchandise and the country of origin. All items are itemized and with actual price.
Common Point   Point reached by two or more transportation lines.
Common Tariff   Tariff published by or for the account of two or more transportation lines as issuing carriers.
Company Guarantee   A letter of guarantee from a company indemnifying the carrier of responsibility associated with the release of goods in lieu of a bill of lading.
Conference   Defined in the 1984 Shipping Act as: ... an association of ocean common carriers permitted, pursuant to an approved or effective agreement, to engage in concerted activity and to utilize a common tariff; but the term does not include a joint service, consortium, pooling, sailing, or trans-shipment arrangement. It is basically a group of steamship companies offering equitable freight rates, standardized shipping practices and regularly scheduled services between designated ports. These arrangements are given anti-trust immunity as authorized by the Shipping Act 1984.
Consignee  Person/one to whom something is consigned or shipped and entitled to take delivery.
Consignor  Person/one that consigns something (as the goods of an individual shipment). See also Shipper.
Consolidation  The placing of LCL/LTL cargo from several sources into a container in order to fill the container and obtain a better per-unit cost for shipping.
Consular Invoice   Document required by some foreign countries showing exact information as to consignor, consignee, value description, etc. for a shipment.
Container Depot   Location, other than a container yard, maintained by or on behalf of ocean carrier at which shippers or consignees may pick up or drop off empty equipment. No loaded containers may be received at CDs and such locations may not be owned or controlled by a shipper or his agent.
Container Service Charge   Charge for services performed at loading ports: a) Moving empty containers from CY to CFS; b) Drayage of loaded containers from CFS to CY and/or ship's tackle; c) Issuing dock receipt/shipper order.
Container Stuffing List (CSL)   List showing how cargo is stowed in each container.
Container Yard (CY)  Area adjacent to the vessel berth where containers are delivered to and received from the vessel or inland carriers.
Container  Weatherproof box designed for shipment of freight, generally used for overseas shipments. The container is separable from the chassis when loaded onto vessels or rail cars.
Continuous Flow Distribution (CFD)   The streamline pull of products in response to customer requirements while minimizing the cost of distribution.
Continuous Replenishment Program (CRP)   A program that triggers the manufacturing and movement of a product through the supply chain when the identical product is purchased by an end user.
Contract Carrier   For-hire interstate operators which offer transportation services to certain shippers under contracts.
Core Competency   A company's primary function considered essential to its success.
CPT  Carriage Paid To.
Cross-Docking   The process of moving merchandise directly from the receiving dock to the shipping dock, eliminating the need to place the merchandise in storage.
Customs Entries - Consumption Entry Form Required by U.S. Customs for importing goods into the United States. The form contains information as to the origin of the cargo, a description of the merchandise, and estimated duties applicable to the particular commodity. Estimated duties must be paid at the time the entry is filled.
Customs Entries - Immediate Delivery Entry  It is used to expedite clearance of cargo. It allows up to ten days for the payment of estimated duty and processing of the consumption entry. In addition, it permits the delivery of the cargo prior to payment of the estimated duty and then allows subsequent filing of the consumption entry and duty. Also known as an ID entry.
Customs Entries - Immediate Transportation Entry It allows the cargo to be moved from the pier to an inland destination via a bonded carrier without the payment of duties or finalization of the entry at the port of arrival. Known as an IT entry.
Customs Entries - Transportation and Exportation Entry It allows goods coming from or going to a third country, such as Canada or Mexico, to enter the United States for the purpose of transshipment. Known as a T&E entry.
Customs Entries - Vessel Repair Entry is the law known as the "Foreign Vessel Repair Statute". It provides that when any repairs in a foreign country are made on a vessel documented under the laws of the United States, an ad valorem duty of 50% is imposed on the cost of repair, including labor and labor costs, when the vessel arrives in the United States. All equipment, parts, or materials purchased, and repairs made, outside the United States must be declared on Customs Form 226 (CF-226) and filed at the port of first arrival within 5 working days.
Customs House Broker   Independent broker certified by U.S. Bureau of Customs to act for importers and businessmen in handling for them the sequence of custom formalities and other details of importing and exporting goods
Cut Off Time   Last possible time when containers/cargoes may be delivered to a ship or designated point.
Cycle Count   Counting inventory by checking a particular location or set of locations and comparing the physical counts with the system-maintained inventory levels.
Cycle Time The amount of time it takes to complete a business process. For example, the amount of time from when a service is ordered until it is received by the customer.
Cycle Time Reduction   The process of reducing cycle time, cutting costs and improving customer service.