| Fair Return | A profit level that enables a carrier to realize a rate of return on investment or property value deemed acceptable for that level of risk. |
| Fair Value | The value of the carrier's property; the calculation basis has included original cost minus depreciation, replacement cost, and market value. |
| FAS (Free Alongside Ship) | The delivery is completed for the supplier when the product is on the quay for loading on a vessel hired by the recipient. FAS is intended only for transporting goods by sea or inland waterway. |
| FCA (Free Carrier) | Supplier produced, packed, and prepared the cargo to be shipped. Goods are received by the buyer's carrier, which picks up the load from the seller's place. |
| FCL (Full Container Load | An ocean shipping mode, in which the entire container is intended for one supplier and occupies a full container. |
| Feeder | A grain container or reservoir constructed around the hatchway between two decks of a ship which when filled with grain automatically feeds or fills in the vacant areas in the lower holds. |
| Feeder Service | Cargo to/from regional ports are transferred to/from a central hub port for a long-haul ocean voyage. |
| Feeder Vessel | A short-sea vessel which transfers cargo between a central hub port and smaller 'spoke' ports. |
| Field Warehouse | A warehouse that stores goods on the goods' owner's property while the goods are under a bona fide public warehouse manager's custody. |
| Fill Rate | The percentage of order items that the picking operation actually found. |
| Fixed Costs | Costs that do not fluctuate with the business volume in the short run. |
| Fixed Quantity Inventory Model | A setup wherein a company orders the same (fixed) quantity each time it places an order for an item. |
| Flexible-Path Equipment | Materials handling devices that include hand trucks and forklifts. |
| Flow Rack | A storage method where a product is presented to picking operations at one end of a rack and replenished from the opposite end. |
| FOB (Free On Board) | A supplier has organized land delivery, completed port formalities, and performed loading on ship's board. |
| Food and Drug Administration (FDA) | The US Department of Health and Human Services Agency, one of the federal executive departments. |
| For-Hire Carrier | A carrier that provides transportation service to the public on a fee basis. |
| Forklift Truck | A machine-powered device used to raise and lower freight and to move freight to different warehouse locations. |
| Forty-Foot Equivalent Unit (FEU) | Conventional unit for measuring the capacity of freight vehicles. Also referred to as 2 TEU. |
| Forwarder’s Cargo Receipt (FCR) | A document issued by a freight forwarder to the shipper that serves as certification of the receipt of cargo. |
| Free Time | The period of time allowed for the removal or accumulation of cargo before charges become applicable. |
| Free Trade Zone | A port designated by the government of a country for duty-free entry of any non-prohibited goods. |
| Freight | Goods being transported from one place to another. |
| Freight Bill | The carrier's invoice for payment of transport services rendered. |
| Freight Carriers | The freight companies that physically transport goods on behalf of shippers. |
| Freight Charge | The rate established for transporting freight. |
| Freight Class | A type of cargo has been given certain characteristics that dictate how much it costs to transport them. |
| Freight Collect | The freight and charges to be paid by the consignee. |
| Freight Forwarder | An enterprise that provides services to facilitate the transport of shipments. |
| Freight Prepaid | The freight and charges to be paid by the consignor. |
| Freight Quotation | A quotation from a carrier or forwarder covering the cost of transport between two specified locations. |
| FTL (Full Truckload) | Transportation of cargo that completely fills the truck. |
| Fuel Surcharge Mechanism (FSC) | Drayage fuel. |
| Fumigation | If consolidated into a container, the surcharge applied to the disinfection of the container. |
| Fumigation Certificate | A document that confirms that wooden packing materials in a shipment have been fumigated. |
