Packing List  List of packages for each shipment showing individual breakdown in weights/measure and quantity.
Pallet  Wooden structure used to support cargo and ease movement by forklifts.
Partlow Chart   A chart that indicates the temperature reading in a reefer container.
Partnerships and Alliances   Shippers and providers who enter into agreements designed to benefit both parties.
Per Diem  On a daily basis.
Physical Distribution   All logistics activities from the production line to the final user, including traffic, packaging, materials handling, warehousing, order entry, customer service, inventory control, etc.
Pier  A structure built out from land and extending some distance over water, that is often used for docking boats. Also known as wharf.
Piggyback   Transportation of highway trailers or demountable trailer bodies on specially equipped rail flat cars.
Pilferage   Cargo stolen from the container, warehouse or terminal.
Plimsoll Mark   Depth to which a vessel may safely load. Identified by a circle on the vessel's side with a vertical line through and a number of small horizontal lines showing the max depth for summer and winter.
Port & Terminal Service Charge [PTSC]   South Europe Conference [SEAC] charge incurred when the shipper is not able to deliver cargo directly alongside the vessel. The carrier may assess its expenses in moving cargo from the shipper's point of delivery to the vessel.
Positioning   Moving of empty equipment from surplus areas to deficit areas.
Primage  (1) A charge paid by shippers to ship agents for services provided by the agent in Turkish and Greek ports, generally for loading activities conducted by port stevedores. It is not an actual contractual term so the obligation to pay does not depend on its inclusion in the bill of lading.
(2) Turkey: 3% on Total Ocean Freight including all surcharges and intermodal charges.
(3) Greece: 3% Piraeus, 5% Salonika (except on cargo originating in Bulgaria).
PTI   Pre Trip Inspection. (Typically the shipping line's inspection of reefer containers prior to release to the shipper for stuffing/loading).
Purchase Order  Common grouping of orders for goods/services. Several SKU categories may be listed on one purchase order. Most customers group their orders in a particular way to facilitate distribution at the other end. For example, one purchase order for an apparel importer might encompass 2 dozen green sweaters and 2 dozen red sweaters. If those P.O.s originated from the same store, it is simple for the store to put all items under that P.O. onto the right truck.