Glossary of Terms — Ruby International

A

Access: This refers to the space at and around a shipper’s property for removal of vehicles and household goods. This is usually assessed by the surveyor to ascertain any difficulties the movers or their vehicle may encounter.

Bill of Lading: A document issued by the transportation service provider when the shipper relinquishes the household goods. The terms and conditions of the move are detailed in the document, as well as the essential information about the shipper, the origin and destination addresses.
Bonded Warehouse: A warehouse that meets all local customs regulations, allows storage of items that have not yet cleared customs.
Booker: The agency that has awarded the door or warehouse to door portion of the move to a forwarding affiliate for handling of that particular move.

Cartons: Boxes made for packing of small to medium size items. Some are made for specific items such as wardrobe cartons which has the ability to hang your clothes and in TV cartons which has special padding to protect your TV during transportation.
Chargeable Weight: The weight utilized by a steamship line or airline to determine freight charges.
Consignee: This is the person/company to whom a shipment is assigned to and ultimately will be delivered to at destination.
Containerized Vehicle: This is a vehicle that is placed in an overseas container for shipping.
Cost per Cubic Meter (CBM) or Cubic Foot (CFT): These are the costs given based on the estimated and actual volume your goods will fill on a truck, container, vessel or airline.
Cost per 100 lbs. (also known as CWT): This is one method of providing costs for an international move. Costs are provided in 100 pound increments and are based on the estimated and actual weight of your belongings.
Custom Crate: A wooden crate made specifically to carry items of high importance or high value or which require special care.
Customs Clearance: A formal inspection and approval of the documents and contents of the shipment, conducted by the port authorities and customs officials, which is required before a shipment can enter any country.

Declared Value: This is the value an owner states as the value of their belongings, calculated on the costs to replace the goods at destination. This value will be used to estimate the amount of insurance coverage a transferee purchases for his/her belongings. IMPORTANT: The declared value for insurance purposes, in most cases, will not be used as the declared value for the shipment to clear customs.
Density: This is the ratio between the weight and volume of a shipment. The density of any particular shipment can be found by taking the net weight and dividing it by the gross volume. The average shipment of household goods has a density of 6.0 pounds per cubic foot.
Demurrage: The fee assessed by the steamship line for the detention of equipment beyond the amount of free time allotted at any given port of entry OR port of departure.

Export Wrapping: Method of packing household goods and personnel effects for international shipping.

Full Container Load (FCL): This is a shipment exclusive to one shipper utilizing one full container regardless of the space being used inside (20/40/40HC/45HC/53HC).

Groupage: Your belongings are placed in a larger container along with other shippers’ goods. The cost of shipping is shared by all shippers with goods in the container. This method of transporting goods usually results in savings for all parties involved, although transit time may be longer.

Inventory: Document that lists each item and its condition at the time of loading and also at the time of delivery.

Lift Vans: A wooden shipping container with average dimensions of 7’4 x 3’ 9 x 7’4 that is utilized in the event that a smaller shipment is more cost effective than a full container load.

Overseas Container: Standard sizes are 20’ or 40’. There are also 45’ and 53’ containers available depending on destination. Containers are owned and provided by steamship line companies. They may be loaded onto chassis for trucking, rail cars and vessels.

PBO (Packed by Owner): When a transferee chooses to pack his/her own belongings. Most insurance companies will not provide Full Valuation Protection (FVP) coverage if the shipment has been packed by the shipper. However, total loss policies are available in the event that the shipment is PBO.

RFP (Request for Proposal): A request for proposal (RFP) is a solicitation made, often through a bidding process, by an agency or company interested in procurement of a commodity, service or valuable asset, to potential suppliers to submit business proposals. It is submitted early in the procurement cycle, either at the preliminary study, or procurement stage. The RFP process brings structure to the procurement decision and is meant to allow the risks and benefits to be identified clearly up front.

Shipper: The customer/company whose goods are being transported.
Shuttle: A smaller vehicle provided when loading access at a shipper’s residence limits the use of a large truck.
Storage Insurance Extension: The extension of the original policy to cover the period the shipment is in storage. Please review policy or contact insurance provider for more details on storage extensions.