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Glossary Term

Container Imbalance

Container Imbalance Definition:

Container imbalance is a situation that occurs when there is a cargo surplus and a shortage or inadequate containers to ship it.

When there is an imbalance between container demand and supply, a shortage will arise, causing container imbalance. This also attracts other costs called container imbalance charges (CIC). Container pile-ups in warehouses or ports may cause this shortage. The pile-ups are usually due to slow clearance processes or an influx of deliveries. Port and shipment delays are the primary causes of container imbalance. Also, the loading and unloading process will be delayed if the container contents are too heavy.

Container on a Trailer

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ACEP (Approved Continuous Examination Program)  Aggregate Shipment API (Application Programming Interface) Backhaul BAF (Bunker Adjustment Factor) Beneficial Cargo Owner BIC (Bureau International des Containers) Bill of Lading BPD (Barrels Per Day) Cabotage Cabotage Containers Carrier Carrier Owned Container (COC) CBM Chassis Check Digit Clear Height Combo Chassis Container Freight Station Container Imbalance Damage Protection Plan (DPP) Damage Replacement Value (DRV) Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Fifth Wheel Flat Rack Container Flatbed Garments on Hanger (GOH) Gateway HazMat High cube Container In Bond/A container Ingate Joint Rate Kingpin Known Loss Landed Cost Master Bill of Lading (MBL) MGM Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) O/H (Overheight) O/S (Open Sided Shipping Container) Payload