Cargo Freight

Cargo freight means goods transported for commercial purposes by air, road or sea, as opposed to personal baggage or small parcels. The terms cargo and freight are used almost interchangeably, so cargo freight simply describes commercial shipments that are booked onto a flight, truck or vessel. In practice, it usually refers to palletized, crated, heavy or bulky goods that are too large for parcel networks and need their own paperwork, such as an air waybill or bill of lading, along with tracking until delivery.

Cargo and freight mean almost the same thing: goods transported for business. Cargo is the word more often used by airlines and shipping lines for the goods they carry, while freight is common in trucking and can also refer to the charge for transporting goods. Some people use cargo for goods carried by ship or aircraft and freight for goods carried by truck or rail. For shippers, the difference is mostly one of wording, and both terms describe commercial shipments moved on a booked service.

The cheapest way to send freight depends on its size, weight, the distance and how soon it must arrive. Heavy and bulky freight is usually cheapest by truck, especially when the deadline allows a few days. Air freight costs more but can be worth it for long distances and tight deadlines. For small boxes, a parcel service is usually cheapest. The best value is the lowest-cost option that still meets the real deadline, so comparing truck and air options for the same shipment is worthwhile.

Truck freight is usually cheaper than air freight for the same shipment, often by a wide margin, especially for heavy or bulky goods. Air freight is priced on chargeable weight, which includes the space a shipment takes in the aircraft, and it also includes trucking to and from the airports. Air becomes worth its higher cost when the distance is too far to drive in time or the deadline is very tight. For shorter distances, a dedicated truck can be both cheaper and faster than flying.

To get a freight quote, contact a freight provider by phone or quote form with the shipment details. Give what the freight is, the number of pieces, the weight and dimensions of each, whether it can be stacked, the pickup and delivery addresses, and whether each site has a dock or needs a liftgate. Add the ready date and the deadline, plus any dangerous goods or special handling. Ask whether the quote is door to door and which charges it includes, so quotes can be compared fairly.

Freight refers to the goods being transported, or to the transport of those goods from one place to another. Logistics is the broader work of planning and managing how goods move and are stored, including transportation, warehousing, inventory, order processing and the flow of information. Freight transportation is one part of logistics. A freight provider moves shipments by truck, air or other modes, while a logistics provider may also manage warehouses, inventory and distribution for a business as part of its supply chain.

Three commonly described types of bill of lading are the straight bill of lading, the order bill of lading and the bearer bill of lading. A straight bill of lading is non-negotiable and consigns the goods to a named receiver, which is usual for domestic freight. An order bill of lading is negotiable and can be transferred by endorsement, so ownership can change while goods are in transit. A bearer bill of lading lets whoever holds it take delivery, and it is rarely used for routine freight.

Freight shipments are usually tracked with a reference number. Air freight is tracked with the air waybill number, which airlines use to show when a shipment is accepted, departs and arrives. Truck freight is tracked with the bill of lading number or a carrier's PRO number. Many carriers offer online tracking, but the most complete updates often come from the provider managing the whole shipment, which can confirm pickup, the flight or truck's progress, arrival and delivery, and provide proof of delivery at the end.

Air freight is better than a truck when the distance is too far to drive in time for the deadline, such as across the country on the same day, or when the shipment is small and valuable enough that speed justifies the cost. A truck is usually better for heavy or bulky freight and for shorter distances, where a dedicated truck that leaves at pickup and drives straight to the receiver can arrive before air freight, which needs time for airport cutoffs, screening and recovery.

A shipment generally counts as freight rather than a parcel when it is palletized or crated, too heavy or large for parcel size and weight limits, made up of many pieces that are better shipped together, or needs equipment such as a forklift or liftgate to load and unload. Parcel networks are designed for packages one person can handle that move through automated sorting. Freight travels on a booked truck or flight with its own paperwork, such as a bill of lading or air waybill.