What Is Cargo? Meaning in Freight Transport

Cargo (also called freight) is goods carried for commercial purposes by truck, van, train, ship or container. The term once meant goods loaded onto a ship; today it covers commercial goods on any mode. It excludes crew baggage, equipment or supplies carried to support the transport itself.

Cargo and the transport documents

Because cargo moves commercially, the carrier issues a transport document as receipt and contract: an air waybill in air freight, a bill of lading in sea freight, or a CMR consignment note in road freight.

Cargo in road freight

On the road, cargo travels as full loads (FTL) or shared loads (LTL), often on pallets or in containers. What a carrier earns per tour depends on how well the cargo, route and cost are planned.

In the Planner Module from IMPARGO the route, per-country toll and full tour cost are calculated before a cargo is accepted.