A shipper is a person or company that sends or transports goods by sea, land, or air. Usually, shippers pay the cost of freight transportation unless specified in the transportation contract.

What is a shipper in trucking?

A shipper in trucking transportation is a person, business, or entity that tenders a shipment to the carrier. A bill of lading between the shipper, or consignor, and the trucking carrier is a contract of carriage for transport of the shipment. Under the contract, the carrier becomes responsible for the goods and their condition through to the final destination and delivery.

What is the difference in a shipper and a carrier?

A shipper is an individual or company that owns, produces, or provides freight, cargo, or packages being transported. The carrier is a transportation service provider that moves the shipment and assumes responsibility for any loss of goods or damage during transport.

What is the difference between shipper and consignee?

A shipper, or consignor, is the supplier or owner of commodities being shipped. A consignee is the shipment receiver who usually takes ownership of the goods following receipt.

What is a drop shipper?

A drop-shipper is a retailer who fulfills customer orders through a third party that ships goods directly to the buyer. Drop shipping is an order fulfillment option for online retailers to outsource the procurement, production, storage, and shipment of products to buyers.

What is a shipper’s letter of instruction?

A Shipper’s Letter of Instruction (SLI) is a letter from an exporter. The SLI instructs a freight forwarder on how and where to handle the export shipment. With a Shipper’s Letter of Instruction, the exporter grants permission to the forwarder to act as the authorized forwarding agent for export control and customs. All U.S. export shipments require a complete SLI.

Find out how MercuryGate TMS helps shippers.

Learn more!

How MercuryGate TMS helps shippers manage freight transportation

MercuryGate Transportation Management System provides shippers with a single platform solution for global transportation management of multimodal, multi-leg shipments.

MercuryGate TMS supports all modes of freight shipper transportation:

Parcel
Less-than-truckload
Truckload
Ocean
Intermodal
Air
Rail

Control tower visibility, decision support, and business intelligence accessible in a closed loop system allows shippers to manage transportation networks and freight spend.

MercuryGate TMS supports complex shipments that may be multi-modal or multi-leg or include pick-ups and drop-offs. Each shipment movement can be rated separately to improve service and control costs.

Cloud-based software in an open architecture format allows shippers to integrate transportation planning, execution, and settlement with external systems (ERP, WMS, etc.). Customization is accessible for configurable workflows, integrations, and documentation.

Shippers use MercuryGate TMS to directly file Electronic Export Information (EEI) via the Automated Export System (AES) and submit Importer Security Filings (ISF) to comply with 10+2 regulations.