IMPARGO's transportation and logistics glossary

Find the definitions of the most important terms used in transportation and logistics industry

What does Carrier mean?

A carrier is a company or a person legally entitled to transport goods by land, water, and air. Usually, carriers work with shippers to move products from one location to another.

There are two basic categories of carriers or delivery techniques:

  • Common carrier: A transport provider who is authorized to give his services to any individual or business under the terms of a license issued by a regulatory authority is referred to as a common carrier. The fact that the common carrier is not constrained by a contract allows him to work with many shippers on the same day.
  • Contract carrier: a business or individual that regularly offers transportation services to a certain shipper. This means that over the course of the contract, the contract carrier and shipper come to a mutual understanding and agree to cooperate under specific guidelines.

The safest and most economical path is used to transfer freight to its final location by a carrier. Even though there are difficulties involved in moving goods by road, a seasoned carrier can assist your company in moving goods efficiently, safely, and at scale. Moreover, private for-hire carriers known as contract carriers provide truck transportation to particular people and companies in accordance with contracts. Companies frequently engage with contact carriers to work together for a predetermined period of time under more flexible arrangements that can be terminated or renegotiated as necessary by either party.

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