Shipping Terms – What Does It All Mean?

Acronyms … in our cyber-filled world, you may wonder if everyone is speaking in a different language!  It’s hard to remember what common acronyms such as GPS (that’s global positioning system) stand for, so no one is expecting you to master abbreviated shipping terms as well.  

Of course, we take care of all your documentation, insurance and shipping needs (it’s something we’ve been doing for over 25 years) but our beginners guide to common shipping terms and acronyms makes customers understand the basics of vehicle shipment and what to expect.  So, let’s get started …

CIF

CIF is short for the cost, insurance, and freight required to enter an overseas port.

Compliance

Compliance is like a Warrant of Fitness, only quite a bit more stringent. Compliance must be done on all vehicles entering New Zealand to make sure the vehicle is in line with NZ standards. For more information on Compliance please go to http://www.mmnz.biz/vehicle-certification/

Consignee

A consignee is the person to whom the carrier (ship) is delivering the goods to.

Customs Clearance

Customs clearance is the documentation involved and submitted to enable the import/export of goods into a country.

MAF

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) will be checking your vehicle thoroughly for dirt, leaves, seeds and plant material in general, as well as mud, so you need to give your vehicle a good clean, inside and outside.

MPI

The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) is the government agency in charge of the biosecurity inspections. You may have seen MPI representatives at the airport. MPI inspects all used vehicle imports and approximately 85% of these vehicles are held by MPI for some kind of clean.

POD

A widely used term within the courier and air cargo industries POD stands for Proof of Delivery.

Here at Cars2NZ, we have a list of transportation services as long as your arm, including nationwide trucking and logistics, container packing for import/export and foreign exchange.

Our page of frequently asked questions explains a lot of customer concerns, but we’re also happy to take your call ,(+64 9 309 1163) if you need clarification on any other shipping matters.