Estes Express Lines Transportation Glossary

Transportation Glossary (PDF)

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S

Safety stock:

Quantity of inventory used in inventory management systems to allow for deviations in demand or supply.

Said to Contain:

See STC.

SCAC:

Standard Carrier Alpha Code. See Owner Code.

Section 7 (SEC 7):

This relieves the shipper of the responsibility of the freight charges if the carrier is unable to collect said charges from the consignee.

Semi:

A truck trailer with no front-end axle. A king pin underneath the front end of the trailer attaches to a fifth wheel allowing that end of the trailer to rest on a tractor or a dolly. It is supported at the rear by its own wheels.

Shipment:

A single consignment of one or more pieces from one shipper, at one address; signed for in one lot; and moving on one waybill or airbill to one receiver at one destination.

Shipper:

The person/company that gives the shipment to the carrier for delivery to the consignee; the person/company shipping the freight.

Shipper’s Load and Count (SLC):

Standard Bill of Lading and manifest clause used by mutual agreement of both shipper and carrier for containerized cargo that is loaded and sealed by the shipper. As a result, the piece count in the container is not checked or otherwise verified by the carrier.

Shipping Document:

See Manifest.

Shipping Manifest System:

Software used to associate shipments with carrier, service, rate, etc. Shipping manifest systems will produce a report (physical or electronic) that is sent to the carrier to be used for billing purposes.

Shortage:

A situation that occurs when a shipment has fewer pieces than are called for on the freight bill.

Shrink-Wrap:

See Stretch-Wrap.

SLC:

See Shipper’s Load.

Spotting:

Placing a container in a required place for loading or unloading.

Sleeper:

A truck tractor that has a sleeping compartment in the cab.

Sleeper Teams:

Two drivers who operate a truck equipped with a sleeper berth. While one driver sleeps in the berth to accumulate mandatory off-duty time, the other driver operates the vehicle.

Sliding Tandem (Slider):

Mechanism that allows a tandem axle suspension to be moved back and forth at the rear of a semi-trailer for the purpose of adjusting the distribution of weight between the axles and fifth wheel.

Spread Axle (Spread Tandem):

Tandem axle assembly spaced further apart than the standard spacing of 54 inches. The U.S. federal bridge formula favors trailer axles with an 8-or-9 foot spread by allowing higher weight than on tandems with standard spacing.

Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC):

See Owner Code.

STC (Said To Contain):

Usually used in conjunction with shrink-wrapped skids. A term in a Bill of Lading signifying that the carrier is unaware of the nature or quantity of the contents of a carton, crate, container or bundle and is relying on the description furnished by the shipper.

Stop-Offs:

Truckload shipments with multiple stops delivered in sequence.

Storage Charges:

Costs that begin to accrue after the shipper has been notified of nondelivery and has not provided disposition.

Straight Truck:

A vehicle wherein the cargo body and cab are mounted on the same chassis.

Stretch-Wrap:

A protective layer of stretchy plastic wrapping, usually clear, used to hold cartons and products together in transit. It shrinks slightly after it is applied, and is commonly used to secure product to skids. Also known as shrink-wrap.

Super-Regional:

A haul among the four Estes regions of 1,201 miles or more.

Supply Chain:

The organization of processes used to move goods from the customer order through the raw materials stage, assembly, supply, production and distribution of products to the customer.

SWS:

Stretch or shrink-wrapped skids—unitized freight on skids wrapped in plastic.

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