Hopper Cars

Rail cars that permit top loading and bottom unloading of bulk commodities. Some hopper cars have permanent tops with hatches to provide protection against the elements.

Horizontal Play/Horizontal Hub

This is a term for a function that cuts across many industries. Usually, it defines a facility or organization that is providing a common service.

Hoshin Planning

Also, 'Hoshin Kanri' is a step-by-step strategic planning process that assesses breakthrough strategic objectives against daily management tasks and activities. It provides a visual map at all levels of the organization and provides clear strategic direction. A company develops up to four vision statements that indicate where the company should be in the next five years. Company goals and work plans are developed based on the vision statements. Periodic audits are then conducted to monitor progress.

Hostler

An individual is employed to move trucks and trailers within a terminal or warehouse yard area.

Household Goods Warehouse

A warehouse is used to store household goods.

HR

Human Resources

HTML

HyperText Markup Language

HTTP

HyperText Transfer Protocol

Hub

1) A large retailer or manufacturer has many trading partners. 2) A reference for a transportation network, such as 'hub and spoke', which is common in the airline and trucking industry. For example, a hub airport serves as the focal point for the origin and termination of long-distance flights, where flights from outlying areas are fed into the hub airport for connecting flights. 3) A common connection point for devices in a network. 4) A Web 'hub' was one of the initial names for what is now known as a 'portal'. It came from the creative idea of producing a website that would contain many different 'portal spots' (small boxes that looked like ads) with links to different yet related content. This content, combined with Internet technology, made this idea a milestone in the development and appearance of websites, primarily due to the ability to display a lot of useful content and store one's preferred information on a secured server. The web term 'hub' was replaced with 'portal'

Hub Airport

An airport serves as the focal point for the origin and termination of long-distance flights. Flights from outlying areas are fed into the hub airport for connecting flights.

Human Factor Design

Incorporating scientific data on human physical capabilities into the design of equipment, products, and systems.

Human-Machine Interface

Any point where data is communicated from a worker to a computer or from a computer to a worker, data entry programs, inquiry programs, reports, documents, LED displays, and voice commands are all examples of human-machine interfaces.

Human Resources (HR)

The function is broadly responsible for personnel policies and practices within an organization.

Hundredweight (cwt)

A pricing unit used in transportation is equal to 100 pounds.

Hurdle Rate

The required rate of return in a discounted cash flow analysis is above which an investment makes sense and below which it does not.

Hybrid Inventory System

An inventory system combines multiple methodologies, such as push and pull, fixed and variable/dynamic, etc. Also, see the Fixed Reorder Cycle Inventory Model, Fixed Reorder Quantity Inventory Model, and Optional Replenishment Model.

Hyperinflation

Inflation that is out of control leads to prices rising rapidly as the currency loses its value.

Hyperlink

A computer term, also referred to as a 'link', is the text you find on a website that can be 'clicked on' with a mouse. Clicking on it will take you to another web page or a different area of the same web page. Hyperlinks are created or 'coded' in HTML.

HyperText Markup Language (HTML)

The standard language for describing the contents and appearance of pages on the World Wide Web is HTML.

HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP)

The internet protocol that allows World Wide Web browsers to retrieve information from servers.

IATA

The International Air Transport Association.

ICC

Interstate Commerce Commission.

Igloos

Pallets and containers used in air transportation: the igloo shape is designed to fit the internal wall contours of a narrow-body airplane.

Image Processing

Allows a company to take electronic photographs of documents. The electronic photograph can then be stored in a computer and retrieved from computer storage to replicate the document on a printer. The thousands of bytes of data composing a single document are encoded on an optical disk. Many carriers now use image processing to provide proof-of-delivery documents to a shipper. The consignee signs an electronic pad that automatically digitizes the consignee's signature for downloading into a computer. A copy of that signature can then be produced to demonstrate that a delivery took place.

IMB

International Maritime Bureau.

IMC

Intermodal marketing company.

IMO

International Maritime Organization.

Import

Movement of products from one country into another: the import of automobiles from Germany to the U.S. is an example.

Importation Point

The location (port, airport, or border crossing) where goods will be cleared for importation into a country.

Import/Export License

Official authorization issued by a government agency that allows for the transport of goods across their national boundaries. Licenses may be required for all or only specific classes of commodities.

Impressions

With regard to online advertising, it is the number of times an ad banner is downloaded and presumably seen by users. Guaranteed impressions refer to the minimum number of times an ad banner will be seen by users.

In Bond

Goods are held or transported in-bond under customs control either until import duties or other charges are paid or to avoid paying the duties or charges until a later date.

Inbound Logistics

The movement of materials from suppliers and vendors into production processes or storage facilities is known as logistics.

Incentive Fee

A premium fee is based on the control of costs in a cost-plus-incentive-fee contract.

Incentive Rate

A rate designed to induce the shipper to ship heavier volumes per shipment.

INCOTERMS

International terms of sale, developed by the International Chamber of Commerce, are used to define the responsibilities of sellers and buyers.

Independent Action

A carrier that is a member of a rate bureau has the right to publish a rate that differs from the rate published by the rate bureau.

Independent Demand

In a requirements planning system, the independent demand is that which is not related to a parent product in a product structure bill of materials or planning bill. Independent demand is typically end customer demand, which must be separately forecast.

Independent Trading Exchange (ITE)

Often used synonymously with B2B, e-marketplace, or Virtual Commerce Network (VCN), ITE is a more precise term connoting many-to-many transactions, whereas the others do not specify the transactions.

Indirect Cost

A resource or activity cost, such as operational costs and overhead, cannot be directly traced to a final cost object since no direct or repeatable cause-and-effect relationship exists. An indirect cost uses an assignment or allocation to transfer the cost.

Indirect/Distributor Channel

Your company sells and ships to the distributor. The distributor sells and ships to the end user. This may occur in multiple stages. Ultimately, your products may pass through the Indirect/Distributor Channel and arrive at a retail outlet. Order information in this channel may be transmitted by electronic means. These means may include EDI, brokered systems, or linked electronic systems.

Indirect Retail Locations

A retail location ultimately sells your product to consumers, but purchases your products from an intermediary, such as a distributor or wholesaler.

Infinite Loading

A method used in calculating work center activity loading where there are no constraints placed on the capacity of the work centers. In other words, the calculation assumes an infinite amount of capacity is available.

Information Systems (IS)

Managing the flow of data in an organization in a systematic and structured way to assist in planning, implementing, and controlling.

Inherent Advantage

The cost and service benefits of one mode compared with other modes.

Initial Contact Personnel

The first point of contact that a customer has with a company is crucial.

Inland Bill of Lading

The carriage contract is used to transport goods from a shipping point overland to the exporter's international carrier location.

InlandCarrier

An enterprise that offers overland services to or from a point of import or export.