| A.I.D | Agency for International Development. |
| A.T.A | American Trucking Association. |
| AA | Always Afloat (In some ports the ship aground when approaching, or at berth.) |
| AAR | Abbreviation for:
- Against All Risks (insurance clause).
- Association of American Railroads. |
| Abaft | A point beyond the midpoint of a ships length, towards the rear or stern. |
| Abandon | A proceeding wherein a shipper/consignee seeks authority to abandon all or parts of their cargo. |
| Abatement | A discount allowed for damage or overcharge in the payment of a bill. |
| ABI | U.S. Customs' "Automated Broker Interface," by which brokers file importers' entries electronically. |
| Aboard | Referring to cargo being put, or laden, onto a means of conveyance. |
| Absorption | One carrier assumes the charges of another without any increase in charges to the shipper. |
| Acceptance | A time draft (or bill of exchange) that the drawee (payer) has accepted and is unconditionally obligated to pay at maturity.
- Broadly speaking, any agreement to purchase goods under specified terms. |
| Accessorial Charges | Charges that are applied to the base tariff rate or base contract rate, e.g., bunkers, container, currency, destination/delivery. |
| Acquiescence | When a bill of lading is accepted or signed by a shipper or shipper's agent without protest, the shipper is said to acquiesce to the terms, giving a silent form of consent. |
| Acquittance | A written receipt in full, in discharge from all claims. |
| ACS (A.C.S.) | U.S. Customs' master computer system, "Automated Commercial Systems." |
| Act of God | An act beyond human control, such as lightning, flood or earthquake. |
| Ad Valorem | A term from Latin meaning, "according to value." |
| Administrative Law Judge | A representative of a government commission or agency vested with power to administer oaths, examine witnesses, take testimony, and conduct hearings of cases submitted to, or initiated by, that agency. Also called Hearing Examiner. |
| Admiralty (Adm.) | Refers to marine matters such as an Admiralty Court. |
| Advance | To move cargo up line to a vessel leaving sooner than the one booked. (See "Roll.") |
| Advanced Charge | Transportation charge advanced by one carrier to another to be collected by the later carrier from the consignor or consignee. |
| Adventure | Shipment of goods on shipper's own account. A bill of adventure is a document signed by the master of the ship that carries goods at owner' risk. |
| Advice of Shipment | A notice sent to a local or foreign buyer advising that shipment has gone forward and containing details of packing, routing, etc. A copy of the invoice is often enclosed and, if desired, a copy of the bill of lading. |
| Advising Bank | A bank operating in the seller's country, that handles letters of credit in behalf of a foreign bank. |
| Affreightment, Contract of | An agreement by an ocean carrier to provide cargo space on a vessel at a specified time and for a specified price to accommodate an exporter or importer. |
| Aft | Movement toward the stern (back end) of a ship. |
| Agency Tariff | A tariff published by an agent on behalf of several carriers. |
| Agent (Agt.) | A person authorized to transact business for and in the name of another person or company.
Types of agent are:
(1) brokers,
(2) commission merchants,
(3) resident buyers,
(4) sales agents,
(5) manufacturer's representatives. |
| Aggregate Shipment | Numerous shipments from different shippers to one consignee that are consolidated and treated as a single consignment. |
| Agreed valuation | The value of a shipment agreed upon in order to secure a specific freight rate. |
| Agreed Weight | The weight prescribed by agreement between carrier and shipper for goods shipped in certain packages or in a certain number. |
| Air Waybill | The forwarding agreement or carrying agreement between shipper and air carrier and is issued only in nonnegotiable form. |
| All In | The total price to move cargo from origin to destination, inclusive of all charges. |
| Alongside | A phrase referring to the side of a ship. Goods delivered "alongside" are to be placed on the dock or barge within reach of the transport ship's tackle so that they can be loaded. |
| Alternative Rates | Privilege to use the rate producing the lowest charge. |
| American Bureau of Shipping | U.S. classification society which certifies seagoing vessels for compliance to standardized rules regarding construction and maintenance. |
| AMS | The U.S. Customs' "Automated Manifest System." |
| Anti-Dumping Duty | A tariff imposed to discourage sale of foreign goods, subsidized to sell at low prices detrimental to local manufacturers. |
| Any Quantity (A.Q.) | Usually refers to a rating that applies to an article regardless of size or quantity. |
| Apparent Good Order | When freight appears to be free of damage so far as a general survey can determine. |
