Glossary
Every term your team, your carriers and your clients use, explained in one or two plain sentences.
By the Hyper Route team · Updated
| Abbreviation | Full form |
|---|---|
| AWB | Air waybill |
| NDR | Non-delivery report |
| RTO | Return to origin |
| POD | Proof of delivery |
| COD | Cash on delivery |
| ODA | Out of delivery area |
| OFD | Out for delivery |
| EDD | Estimated delivery date |
| TAT | Turnaround time |
| LR | Lorry receipt |
| CN | Consignment note |
| FTL / PTL | Full truckload / part truckload |
| 3PL | Third-party logistics |
| FSC | Fuel surcharge |
| SAC | Services Accounting Code |
A 3PL is a company that runs logistics for other businesses: warehousing, packing, shipping and returns. Many courier agencies grow into small 3PLs for their e-commerce clients.
An AWB number is the unique number a carrier gives a shipment so it can be tracked. The term comes from air freight, but in India every courier's tracking number is commonly called the AWB number. How to track an AWB number →
AWB masking replaces the carrier's AWB number with a tracking number issued by the agency, so the end client tracks with the agency's number and never sees which carrier moved the parcel. White-label tracking with AWB masking →
Chargeable weight is the weight a carrier bills: the higher of the actual weight and the volumetric weight, usually rounded up to the next weight slab. Volumetric weight calculator →
COD is a payment method where the receiver pays in cash (or by UPI or card) at the doorstep, and the carrier collects the money on the shipper's behalf. Rider app with COD control →
COD remittance is the carrier paying the cash it collected on delivery back to the shipper, usually in cycles after delivery. Matching remittances to delivered shipments is called COD reconciliation.
The consignee is the person or business the shipment is addressed to: the receiver.
The consignor is the person or business sending the shipment: the shipper.
A docket or consignment note (CN) records a shipment's sender, receiver, contents and charges. Many Indian couriers and transporters use the docket or CN number as the tracking number.
The EDD is the date a carrier expects to deliver a shipment, based on the lane, service type and pickup time.
An e-way bill is an electronic document under GST that must accompany goods in transit. It's generally required when the consignment value exceeds ₹50,000, with some state-specific rules and exemptions. GST on courier services →
The first mile is the pickup leg: collecting the shipment from the shipper and bringing it to the carrier's first hub.
FTL (full truckload) means one shipper books a whole truck. PTL (part truckload), also called LTL, means several shippers' goods share a truck and are priced by weight or CFT.
A fuel surcharge is a percentage added to the freight charge to reflect fuel prices. Carriers revise it periodically, so it should be checked on every carrier bill.
A hub is a facility where a carrier collects, sorts and routes shipments between the first mile and the last mile.
The last mile is the final delivery leg from the local hub to the receiver's door. It's usually the most expensive and failure-prone part of the journey.
Line haul is the long-distance movement of shipments between hubs or cities, by air or road.
A lorry receipt is the document a road transporter issues on accepting goods for transport. The LR number is used to track truck consignments.
A manifest is the list of shipments handed over to a carrier at pickup. Signed manifests settle disputes about what was actually picked up.
Multi-carrier shipping means booking and tracking shipments with several couriers from one system, choosing the best carrier for each lane, weight or service. Multi-carrier tracking →
An NDR is the status a carrier raises when a delivery attempt fails, for example a wrong address, an unreachable phone or a refused parcel. Acting on NDRs quickly is the main way to prevent RTO. NDR and RTO management →
ODA pin codes are outside a carrier's regular delivery network. Shipments to them usually carry an extra charge and a longer transit time.
Out for delivery means the shipment has left the last-mile hub with a delivery rider and should be delivered that day.
A POD is the evidence that a shipment was delivered: a signature, OTP, photo or stamped copy, with date and time.
Serviceability tells you whether a carrier can pick up from or deliver to a given pin code, and with which services such as COD or reverse pickup.
A prepaid shipment is one where the receiver has already paid, so the carrier collects no money at delivery.
A rate card is a carrier's or agency's price list, usually by weight slab and zone, plus surcharges such as fuel, COD and ODA.
A reverse pickup is when the carrier collects a return from the receiver and brings it back to the shipper.
RTO means a shipment couldn't be delivered and is being sent back to the shipper. It usually costs the forward freight plus a return charge. How to reduce RTO →
SAC (Services Accounting Code) classifies services under GST. Courier services fall under SAC 996812. GST on courier services →
Surface shipments move by road and are cheaper but slower. Air or express shipments fly between cities and cost more, and are usually priced on volumetric weight.
TAT is the promised or actual time from pickup to delivery on a lane.
Volumetric weight is a parcel's size converted into kilograms: length × width × height in cm divided by the carrier's divisor, commonly 5000 for express courier. Volumetric weight calculator →
A weight discrepancy is when the carrier bills a higher weight than the shipper declared, usually after re-weighing or re-measuring the parcel at a hub. How to catch weight discrepancies →
A weight slab is the step in which a carrier charges weight, such as every 0.5 kg. A 1.1 kg parcel on 0.5 kg slabs is billed as 1.5 kg.
White-label tracking is a tracking page that carries the agency's brand instead of the carrier's, so clients stay loyal to the agency. White-label tracking →
AWB stands for air waybill. An AWB number is the unique number a carrier gives a shipment so it can be tracked. The term comes from air freight, but in India every courier's tracking number is commonly called the AWB number.
NDR stands for non-delivery report. An NDR is the status a carrier raises when a delivery attempt fails, for example a wrong address, an unreachable phone or a refused parcel. Acting on NDRs quickly is the main way to prevent RTO.
RTO stands for return to origin. RTO means a shipment couldn't be delivered and is being sent back to the shipper. It usually costs the forward freight plus a return charge.
POD stands for proof of delivery. A POD is the evidence that a shipment was delivered: a signature, OTP, photo or stamped copy, with date and time.
ODA stands for out of delivery area. ODA pin codes are outside a carrier's regular delivery network. Shipments to them usually carry an extra charge and a longer transit time.
OFD stands for out for delivery. Out for delivery means the shipment has left the last-mile hub with a delivery rider and should be delivered that day.
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