Logistics & courier glossary

3PL (Third-Party Logistics)

A provider operating logistics on behalf of shippers.

AWB (Air Waybill / Consignment Reference)

A structured consignment identifier used in courier booking workflows.

Bag

A physical grouping of consignments moving together between stages.

Branch Hierarchy

Parent/child branch structure mirroring a logistics network.

Courier Management Software

Software for courier companies to book, execute, and manage shipments across branches.

Control Tower (Logistics)

A single view of network health, delays, and exceptions.

Courier Aggregator (B2B)

A platform coordinating multiple courier partners for enterprise shippers or 3PLs.

Contract Management (Logistics)

Managing commercial contracts alongside operational activity.

Delivery Run (OFD)

Last-mile execution from hub to proof of delivery.

GST Logistics Invoicing

GST-oriented company and invoicing fields for Indian logistics billing.

Hub Operations

Sortation, inward processing, and handoffs inside a courier hub.

Inward Leg

Hub processing stage when freight arrives for sortation.

Logistics Operating System (LOS)

A unified software layer where bookings, hub execution, analytics, and commercial workflows run for a logistics network.

Logistics Marketplace

A platform connecting shippers and logistics providers with shared operational discipline.

Logistics MIS

Management information dashboards for daily courier operations.

Logistics Agreement

Commercial terms governing lanes, SLAs, or partner capacity.

Multi-Branch Courier Software

Courier software where each branch sees scoped bookings, hubs, and KPIs.

Manifest

A document grouping consignments for a lane or vehicle movement.

Multi-Carrier Shipping

Operating multiple logistics partners from one system of record.

OFD (Out for Delivery)

Shipments currently on last-mile delivery runs.

PIN Validation

Checking coverage rules before a booking consumes hub capacity.

POD (Proof of Delivery)

Confirmation that delivery was completed.

Procurement (Logistics)

Commercial workflows to buy capacity and services from partners.

RFQ (Request for Quotation)

A structured procurement request to vendors or partners.

RTO (Return to Origin)

Consignment returned when delivery cannot be completed.

Shipment Booking

Creating and revising consignments before hub execution.

Serviceable PIN

A destination PIN your network can actually serve before booking is locked.

Shipment Lifecycle

Stages from booking through hub handoffs to POD.

Supply Chain Visibility

Seeing where freight is and what is at risk across the network.

Shipment Top-Up

Add-on shipment capacity beyond plan allowances.

TMS (Transport Management System)

Software focused on transport planning and execution.

Transport Management

Coordinating linehaul, hubs, and last mile across a network.