Glossary of Terms

A legal document between the shipper of a particular Shipment and the Carrier detailing the type, quantity and destination of the Shipment being carried.

A broker is the “middle person” between a shipper and a motor carrier. Brokers arrange for the transportation of property or goods. They do not transport the property, do not operate motor vehicles or have drivers, and do not assume responsibility for the cargo being transported.

Review of the previous day’s, week’s, or month’s performance, typically with period-over-period comparison (such as same day of week). The focus is on identifying and correcting defects.

A Buyer is a person or organization that has demand for capacity that is published in the CloudSort Exchange. Buyers generally access the Exchange to discover capacity, performance and price; then subsequently transact. See Buyer ID.

The unit of measure for capacity that bought and sold on the CloudSort Exchange. Generally each Capacity Block represents a standard pallet sized position. In execution, Capacity Blocks are occupied by Transporters as they flow through the delivery system.

Any ground or air Carrier appropriately certificated by DOT, FAA, and/or any other applicable governmental authority providing air or ground cargo transportation services. See Motor Carrier.

Two or more Locations, Places, or Points that are joined by a physical mechanism to transport packages or containers from one to the other.

In a contract of carriage, the consignee is the entity who is financially responsible (the buyer of the goods being shipped) for the receipt of a shipment. Generally, but not always, the consignee is the same as the receiver.

A physical device that is acted on (loaded, moved, unloaded) and contains multiple packages. Physical forms include bags, pallets, Gaylords, CloudSort Containers, etc. Generally does not include trailer, airplane, box truck or other transportation devices. See Container ID.

Aggregation of Packages into a Container according to Package Sortation Ingredients. For purposes of this Platform, container excludes trailers and aircraft.

A designated location, step, or specific process within a system where monitoring, measurement, and control of materials, information, or goods are exercised. It is a critical juncture where an organization can track progress, ensure quality, and manage the flow of items to achieve a desired outcome. Generally, this is any location where CloudSort technology is interfacing with a device or person able to alter the direction or otherwise manipulate the status of a Package, Transporter or Trip.

The delivery area (or service area) of a carrier. Typically defined and visualized as a collection of ZIP Codes.

A specific, time-sensitive, and high-stakes step or process that is essential for the successful completion of a supply chain operation. The failure to perform a critical action correctly or on time can lead to severe consequences, such as significant financial losses, damage to reputation, or even threats to public health and safety. For purposes of this platform, any predetermined activity that is required to meet a timeline; typically in support of a committed time-in-transit for a Shipment.

Time-sensitive or urgent deadline by which a Trip or Transporter must be dispatched from its origin to ensure it arrives at its destination by a specific, non-negotiable date and time. The CDT is derived from the Lane and is modifiable from time to time by the owner of the Lane.

The cutoff time for a Transporter or shipment to be received at a cross-dock or package sorting facility in order for it to be processed and dispatched on the planned cycle. Missing the CET means the item will likely not be processed until the following cycle, causing a delivery delay. Represents the latest time that a Transporter can be tendered to the Trip Origination Point, such as an Origin Gateway, and Supplier will commit to shipping it on that day.

A logistics strategy in which incoming products such as Transporters are unloaded from an inbound vehicle and immediately transferred to an outbound vehicle, with little or no storage in between. The goods "cross" from one loading dock to another within a distribution center, bypassing the traditional warehouse storage function. The goal of cross-docking is to streamline the supply chain, reduce costs, and accelerate the delivery of goods. For purposes of the Exchange, this means there are no package level touches (the Transporter / Container maintains its integrity). An efficient method of moving packages through a station.

An all inclusive collection of technology, processes and assets needed to transport Shipments from the Point of Origin (Shipper) to the Destination (Consignee).

Any party that initiates or drives the need for a product or service within the supply chain. This User's actions triggers the logistical processes required to fulfill that need. These users aren't always the end consumers, but they are the ones whose requirements dictate the flow of goods and services. The term is used by CloudSort as a way to segment the requirements of domestic commerce participants since shippers, carriers 3PL and others might have both supply and demand, with demand side Users consuming Capacity Blocks, Package Level Sortation, etc.

Freight forwarders assemble and consolidate shipments and provide for break-bulk and distribution of shipments; organize shipments for individuals or corporations . Unlike Brokers, Freight Forwarders assume responsibility for the transportation and may transport the freight itself. Therefore, they are involved directly or indirectly with the cargo.

A type of trucking in which an entire truckload (usually 53’ long trailer) is reserved for the transportation of the cargo. FTL service is used for shipments that can fill up an entire truck.

Process of converting text for an address or place to a complete address with a location. For example, converting "1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, DC" to -77.03654 longitude and 38.89767 latitude. The resulting locations are output as geographic features with attributes, which can be used for mapping or spatial analysis.

Return the location of a device without relying on GPS, using geospatial data from cell towers and WiFi nodes.

Two Places that are connected via a transportation asset, such as a tractor trailer. In the CloudSort Exchange, a Lane consists of two, and only two, stops; an origin and a destination. See Lane ID.

Location and Place are used to identify a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere. The term Location generally implies a higher degree of certainty than Place. Place often indicates an entity with an ambiguous boundary relying more on human or social attributes of place identity and sense of place than on geometry.

A buyer and seller of commodities for profit or operator of a retail business.

The infrastructure, technology and processes required to connect a package to a last mile delivery provider.

Operates commercial motor vehicles (CMV’s) to transport property, passengers, or hazardous materials (HAZMAT) and is involved in commerce (transportation related to a business). It could be a company with several power units, or it could be an owner-operator.

Technology that automates tasks and improves data accuracy and generally deployed at a Control Point. User interface that provides instructions, container management and other critical functions associated with Dock Operations.

Means a bundle of something, usually of small or medium size, that is packed and wrapped or boxed; parcel. Can be part of, or the entirety of, a shipment.

A point is a type of geometry containing a single set of (x,y) coordinates and a spatial reference. Point coordinates are often expressed in longitude (x) and latitude (y) coordinate values; they can also optionally contain an m value for measure, and / or a z value for height (typically used in linear referencing).

A project is a set of Demand Side (Buyer) generated purchases of Supply Side resources in order to successfully execute the solutions required by the Buyer.

A document containing prices and descriptions for the various service options available from a transportation provider. Generally based on rate ingredients and can be for Package level or Container level activities.

The details which are used to determine the price to transport and deliver; these ingredients include class/product, weight, processing category, dimensions and zones as needed by class/product.

A physical asset or location that can be assigned attributes and tasks.

A route defines the path between two or more Stops. A route must contain at least two stops; an origin and a destination, but can also contain many intermediate stops. A route is generally matched with an output from a Routing Service to optimize.

A designated area where loaded Transporters, such as containers or pallets, are staged prior to loading into a trailer for dispatch.

A Stop is a type of Place where goods are added to or removed from the Truck. In the CloudSort Exchange, all Lanes contain two a minimum of two stops, an origin and a destination.

Any entity that provides services or resources needed to meet customer demand. Their primary function is to create and deliver "supply" to other businesses or to the end consumer. These are the companies that physically move the goods by providing transportation, warehousing, and other logistics services to a client. Examples include trucking companies, freight forwarders, and ocean carriers. The term Supply Side is used by CloudSort as a way to segment the requirements of commerce participants since shippers, carriers 3PL and others might have both supply and demand.

Total time it takes for a Transporter to be moved from its point of origin to its final destination. This is a crucial metric in logistics that directly impacts customer satisfaction and overall supply chain efficiency.

When goods or packages are transferred from one container into another with minimal (or zero) use of material handling equipment such as conveyors.

A pallet, container, or other item that is identified for movement through the system (the “goods”). For purposes of the CloudSort Exchange, the Transporter represents ‘Demand’ that is allocated to Capacity Blocks published by a Supplier.

Specific instance of a Lane that is scheduled to dispatch on a specific date and time. See Trip ID.

A list that includes the details for transportation activities such as the origin and destination for each Lane, as well as the departure and arrival times for each Trip.

Individuals with password access to the CloudSort platform. Users are assigned to organizations and access is tiered, with each tier granted certain IAM policies. See User ID.

A human readable code, generally on a Package Label or Container label, that helps operators to route packages and containers correctly without the use of supporting technology. VSMs typically consist of an alphanumeric string that includes the destination station plus work area.