| Towage | The charge made for towing a vessel. |
| Tractor | Unit of highway motive power used to pull one or more trailers/containers. |
| Trade Acceptance | A time or a date draft that has been accepted by the buyer (the drawee) for payment at maturity. |
| Traffic | Persons and property carried by transport lines. |
| Trailer | The truck unit into which freight is loaded as in tractor trailer combination. See Container. |
| Tramp Line | An ocean carrier company operating vessels not on regular runs or schedules. They call at any port where cargo may be available. |
| Transport | To move cargo from one place to another. |
| Transportation & Exit (T&E) | Allows foreign merchandise arriving at one port to be transported in bond through the U.S. to be exported from another port, without paying duty. |
| Transship | To transfer goods from one transportation line to another, or from one ship to another. |
| Transshipment Port | Place where cargo is transferred to another carrier. |
| Trust Receipt | Release of merchandise by a bank to a buyer while the bank retains title to the merchandise. The goods are usually obtained for manufacturing or sales purposes. The buyer is obligated to maintain the goods (or the proceeds from their sales) distinct from the remainder of the assets and to hold them ready for repossession by the bank. |
| Turnaround | In water transportation, the time it takes between the arrival of a vessel and its departure. |
| Twist Locks | A set of four twistable bayonet type shear keys used as part of a spreader to pick up a container or as part of a chassis to secure the containers. |
| Two-Way Pallet | A pallet so designed that the forks of a fork lift truck can be inserted from two sides only. |
| U.S. Consular Invoice | A document required on merchandise imported into the United States. |
| UCP | Abbreviation for the "Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits," published by the International Chamber of Commerce. This is the most frequently used standard for making payments in international trade; e.g., paying on a Letter of Credit. It is most frequently referred to by its shorthand title: UCP No. 500. This revised publication reflects recent changes in the transportation and banking industries, such as electronic transfer of funds. |
| UFC | Abbreviation for "Uniform Freight Classification." |
| Ullage | The space not filled with liquid in a drum or tank. |
| UN/EDIFACT | United Nations EDI for Administration, Commerce and Transport. EDI Standards are developed and supported by the UN for electronic message (data) interchange on an international level. |
| Unclaimed Freight | Freight that has not been called for or picked up by the consignee or owner. |
| Undercharge | To charge less than the proper amount. |
| Uniform Customs and Practices for Documentary Credits (UCP) | Rules for letters of credit drawn up by the Commission on Banking Technique and Practices of the International Chamber of Commerce in consultation with the banking associations of many countries. See Terms of Payment. |
| Unit Load | Packages loaded on a pallet, in a crate or any other way that enables them to be handled at one time as a unit. |
| Unit Train | A train of a specified number of railcars, perhaps 100, which remain as a unit for a designated destination or until a change in routing is made. |
| Unitization | Loading one or more large items of Cargo onto A single piece of equipment, such as A pallet. |
| Unloading | Removal of a shipment from a vessel. |
| Validated Export License | A document issued by the U.S. government; authorizes the export of commodities for which written authorization is required by law. |
| Validation | Authentication of B/L and when B/L becomes effective. |
| Vanning | A term for stowing cargo in a container. |
| Variable Cost | Costs that vary directly with the level of activity within a short time. Examples include costs of moving cargo inland on trains or trucks, stevedoring in some ports, and short-term equipment leases. For business analysis, all costs are either defined as variable or fixed. For a business to break even, all fixed costs must be covered. To make a profit, all variable and fixed costs must be recovered plus some extra amount. |
| Ventilated Container | A container designed with openings in the side and/or end walls to permit the ingress of outside air when the doors are closed. |
| Vessel Manifest | The international carrier is obligated to make declarations of the ship's crew and contents at both the port of departure and arrival. The vessel manifest lists various details about each shipment by B/L number. Obviously, the B/L serves as the core source from which the manifest is created. |
| Vessel Supplies for Immediate Exportation (VSIE) | Allows equipment and supplies arriving at one port to be loaded on a vessel, aircraft, etc., for its exclusive use and to be exported from the same port. |
| Viz. | Namely. Used in tariffs to specify commodities. |
| War Risk | Insurance coverage for loss of goods resulting from any act of war. |
| Warehouse | A place for the reception, delivery, consolidation, distribution, and storage of goods/cargo. |
| Warehouse Entry | Document that identifies goods imported when placed in a bonded warehouse. The duty is not imposed on the products while in the warehouse but will be collected when they are withdrawn for delivery or consumption. |
| Warehouse Withdrawal for Transportation | Allows merchandise that has been withdrawn from a bonded warehouse at one port to be transported in bond to another port, where a superseding entry will be filed. |
| Warehouse Withdrawal for Transportation Exportation (WDT&E) | Allows merchandise that has been withdrawn from a bonded warehouse at one port to be transported in bond through the U.S. to be exported from another port, without paying duty. |
| Warehouse Withdrawal for Transportation Immediate Exportation (WDEX) | Allows merchandise that has been withdrawn from a bonded warehouse at one U.S. port to be exported from the same port exported without paying duty. |
