Glossary Consolidation

Consolidation refers to combining small amounts of cargo (LCL, Less Than Container Load) that cannot fill a unit of transportation into a mixed loading container (FCL, Full Container Load), and a means of transportation such as a freight train, truck, container, or air container is counted as a single unit. The consolidator gathers small amounts of cargo into a consolidated cargo and becomes the shipper for the consignment, while acting as the shipper of the mixed cargo for the carrier. They are different from forwarding agents or transportation agency operators. In the case of air transportation, air consolidators are different from air cargo agents in that they operate the air transportation business.