FAQ / terminology

A

An advice (note) is the notification of a collection or delivery. The advice is not included in the freight costs and must be ordered separately as an extra option.

Internal system of the German customs administration for the electronic processing of customs declarations and administrative documents.

C

With cargo insurance, shipments and goods are insured for their journeys. This cover provides financial protection against damage or loss. If this is required, please consult with the customer service representative who looks after you.

The chargeable weight is the total weight of a shipping order taken as a basis for the shipping cost calculation. The theoretically optimum ratio of weight and volume is taken here to completely fill the capacity of a means of transport. Your freight forwarding quotes are calculated based on volume, loading metres or effective weight.

Calculation based on volume weight / cubic metres:
The volume weight is based on the cargo space in cubic metres which a consignment takes up. It is applied to the price calculation when shipping large goods. For example, 600 kg of feathers will require considerably more cargo space than 600 kg of lead. The volume weight is calculated if it is greater than the actual weight.

Please note the reference to this in your offer: e.g. 1 m3 = 150 kg.

 

Calculating based on loading metres:
A loading metre refers to the spatial requirements of goods on a lorry in terms of length when using the standardised lorry width of 2.4 m. The calculation is therefore based on the following formula: (Length x width of goods in metres) divided by 2.4 = loading metres.

Example: 1 Euro pallet (1.20 x 0.80): 2.4 = 0.4 loading metres.

Please note the reference to this in your offer: e.g. 1 loading metre = 1,500 kg.

Please bear in mind that when loading package items outside packaging standards (e.g. pallets, containers, etc.) it is always the space actually taken up in the vehicle which is used in the calculation.

In the event of any questions regarding your calculations, please refer to our admin department.

The abbreviation CMR stands for Convention Marchandise Routière. It is a series of agreements concerning the international transportation of cargo by road, by means of which responsibilities and liabilities are governed.

To be exempt from VAT when sending to another country within the European Union (EU), companies must demonstrate that goods have actually arrived in another EU member state from Germany by means of a confirmation of arrival. TDBG can supply you with this evidence. Should this be required, please discuss the extra costs involved with your contact.

EP All one-way pallets not exceeding the basic dims of 120 x 80 cm or 80 x 60 cm
FP Exchangeable Euro pallets
HP Half pallet, one-way pallet with a basic size of 80 x 60 cm
KT Boxes and packages of all kinds
GP Exchangeable pallet cages
KI Boxes and crates
BU Bundles, long goods of all types
CC Collico: Anything that does not fall into the other categories
EP1 One-way pallet with a basic dimension of 120 x 80 cm or non-exchangeable FP/GP

Today\'s current freight price for an individual freight request. Please refer to TDBG\'s sales department at the respective locations of Ilsfeld, Poing or Dusseldorf. You can find details on quotes in the transport order.

D

The customer of a shipment is entitled at any time to cancel the existing shipment order prior to the transported goods being delivered. This option is available both before and after the goods have been collected. If a shipment order is cancelled prematurely where the freight forwarder is not at fault, then the freight forwarder is entitled to claim for the dead freight. Dead freight may also be charged for if the ordered goods are not ready for collection, the lorry has to drive back empty or incorrect information has been provided regarding the transport procedure.

A delivery depot is the warehouse from which the delivery of the consignment is made.

With a delivery time window, a time frame – e.g. 08:00 to 17:00 – is defined in which the shipment must be delivered.

A direct journey refers to the direct transportation of goods between the collection and delivery addresses. In such cases, the goods are not reloaded to an additional transport carrier and no inventory turnover of the goods takes place.

E

A customs document which is created when registering for export using the electronic export procedure (ATLAS export).

With TDBG express shipping or TDBG express procurement, we send or source your general cargo shipments quickly and seamlessly within Germany.  You can also book this option for specific times. It is not included in the standard freight costs. Express and special consignments can also be booked abroad. Please refer to your customer services representative for further information.

F

This stands for "Full Truck Load". With FTL transport, the content of an entire lorry is transported from the dispatcher to a single recipient. TDBG can provide you with a tailored freight offer in line with your requirements.

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A fuel surcharge, or also diesel surcharge, refers to added costs passed on to the customer for fuels. The amount of this surcharge therefore depends on the price of oil. This surcharge was introduced due to the increase in prices on the energy market over the past few years. You can find the agreements in your TDBG freight quote.

G

Through our TDBG general cargo shipping, we transport goods of up to 2.5 t per shipment in a highly efficient and environmentally friendly way with a national standard delivery time to the recipient of 24–48 hours: barcode-controlled and under control at all times via our Tracking and Tracing tool.

Features of a general cargo shipment:
Up to 2.5 t / 2.4 loading meters / 6 Euro pallets per shipment, barcode label, tracking and tracing possible.

I

INCOTERMS (International Commercial Terms) are international rules for structuring standard commercial contractual formulae in foreign trade contracts. The rules govern what portion of the transport costs are to be borne by the seller and buyer and when the transfer of risk takes place.

This refers to an additional charge which can be applied to collections and deliveries of goods from or to an island.

M

This is a distribution centre, hub or nodal point. Consignments are gathered, sorted and transshipped at these central points.

MRN stands for Movement Reference Number. This number is issued by customs for electronic export declarations and makes every shipping operation identifiable.

N

When neutralising a shipment, the markings attributable to the original dispatcher of the goods are removed by the TDBG team prior to onward transport. The TDBG team will then apply the customer\'s own markings in accordance with the customer order. If a neutral shipment is required, please refer to your contact in our sales department.

P

TDBG part loads are shipped directly from the dispatcher to the recipient.

The features of a part load are:
Larger than 2.5 t / 2.4 loading meters / 6 Euro pallets per shipment, no barcode, no tracking and tracing possible.

S

If you are not present during the collection or delivery time, you can issue us with your consent to collection/delivery in writing. In the event of any questions, please refer to the contact responsible for you.

T

Tolls are fees for using motorways and tunnels, both national and international. You can see the fees in your quotes and your freight invoices.

Tracking or following consignments refers to an IT-based system for tracking shipments. By means of various search criteria, you can determine the current status of your consignment with TDBG tracking. The only requirement is that you register on our online platform.

Please give us your transport orders for national shipments online by 12:00 of the planned collection day at the latest.

If you are not yet doing these online, please use our freight forwarding order in Excel format.

The following details are not necessary on your transport order:

  • Dispatcher, recipient, customer and potentially deviating loading/unloading addresses
  • Loading date and loading times, desired unloading date
  • Number of packages, type of package, dimensions, content and weight of the total shipment
  • Your loading reference
  • Loading and unloading situation at the location: e.g. ramp depot, lateral loading/unloading, crane-assisted loading/unloading, residential area, etc.
  • Other special characteristics and requests such as express, advice slips, hazardous goods, etc.

W

Warehousing refers to all activities relating to stock storage and logistics within warehouses. TDBG provides you with the option of storing your goods in a high-bay storage facility or in a block warehouse. If this is required, please refer to your contact in our sales department.

Warehousing fees become payable if a shipment cannot be delivered and are billed following the third working day. This does not involve warehousing conditions.