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Freight Questions & Answers
Clear answers to practical questions about freight, shipping, trucking, warehousing, containers, ports and logistics.
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- 23 questions answered
- 14 categories
- 76 glossary terms
Featured answers
Questions the dock is asked often and that were not already answered in depth elsewhere on the site.
- How Much Weight Can a 40-ft Container Carry?On one major carrier's published specs, a 40-ft standard dry container is rated for a maximum payload of about 28,800...
- How Many Cartons Fit in a 40-ft Container?It depends on the carton size, which way up the cartons may go, how high they can be stacked and what they weigh....
- How Is LTL Freight Priced?An LTL charge usually starts from a base rate per hundredweight (100 lb) that depends on the freight class, the...
- What Happens After a Container Arrives at Port Newark?After the vessel discharges, the container has to be released by both Customs and the ocean carrier before anyone can...
- What Are the Different Types of Container Holds?A container can be held for unrelated reasons, each cleared by a different party. A customs hold is placed by CBP and...
- Do I Need a Customs Broker to Import Goods?Not legally. U.S. law requires a customs broker's license only for conducting customs business on behalf of someone...
All questions by category
Each answer starts with a short answer, then what it depends on, a worked example and its limits.
Container
- How Many Cartons Fit in a 40-ft Container?It depends on the carton size, which way up the cartons may go, how high they can be stacked and what they weigh. Divide the container's inside length, width and height...
- How Much Weight Can a 40-ft Container Carry?On one major carrier's published specs, a 40-ft standard dry container is rated for a maximum payload of about 28,800 kg (63,493 lb) and a 40-ft high cube about 28,620...
- What Is the Difference Between Gross, Net and Tare Weight?Net weight is the goods alone. Tare weight is the weight of the empty container, packaging or vehicle. Gross weight is the total: goods plus packaging, pallets and the...
- Why Is Heavy Cargo Shipped in 20-ft Containers?Because a 20-ft container carries nearly as much weight as a 40-ft one in half the space. On one carrier's specs the 20-ft payload is about 28,200 kg against about...
Pallet
Freight Pricing
Cross-Docking
Transloading
Drayage
Warehouse
Port
- How Long Can a Container Stay at the Port?There is no single limit; three clocks apply. Commercially, a container can sit at the terminal for the free time in the carrier's or terminal's tariff, after which...
- What Are the Different Types of Container Holds?A container can be held for unrelated reasons, each cleared by a different party. A customs hold is placed by CBP and handled through the importer's customs broker. A...
- What Happens After a Container Arrives at Port Newark?After the vessel discharges, the container has to be released by both Customs and the ocean carrier before anyone can pick it up: the entry has to clear CBP, freight...
LTL
- How Is LTL Freight Priced?An LTL charge usually starts from a base rate per hundredweight (100 lb) that depends on the freight class, the shipment's weight break and the lane. A negotiated...
- Why Was My LTL Shipment Reclassified?Because the carrier found that the class, weight or description on the bill of lading did not match the freight. LTL rules tariffs let carriers open packages, reweigh...
FTL
Freight Emergency
Shipping Documentation
- Master vs. House Bill of Lading: What Is the Difference?When an NVOCC or forwarder consolidates several shipments, the ocean carrier issues one master bill of lading to the NVOCC, and the NVOCC issues its own house bill of...
- What Documents Are Needed to Import a Container into the U.S.?For a typical ocean import: an Importer Security Filing made before the container is loaded abroad, the bill of lading, the commercial invoice, a packing list where...
Equipment
International Freight
- Do I Need a Customs Broker to Import Goods?Not legally. U.S. law requires a customs broker's license only for conducting customs business on behalf of someone else, so an importer may file its own entries. In...
- FCL vs. LCL: Which Should You Choose?Choose FCL (full container load) when you have enough cargo to justify a whole container, want it sealed from origin to destination, or want a flat price per box. Choose...
- Freight Broker vs. Freight Forwarder: What Is the Difference?A freight broker arranges truck transportation between shippers and motor carriers for a fee and must be registered with FMCSA, but it is not the carrier. A freight...
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Topic clusters
Each cluster connects the definition, the practical answers, the in-depth guide, the calculator and the service for one topic, so you can go as deep as you need.
Cross-docking
Truck-to-truck transfers with little or no storage.
Transloading
Ocean container to domestic trailer, and back again for exports.
Freight rework
Restacking, rebuilding, relabeling and sorting freight so it can be delivered.
Demurrage and free time
The container clocks at the terminal and outside it.
Containers
Sizes, weights, loading and what fits.
Freight class and LTL
How LTL freight is classified, measured and priced.