SCAC Codes and B/Ls

Discussion with a co-worker on MSN:

Coworker said:
I’M GONNA HAVE MY OWN SCAC CODE ONE DAY

I said:
LOL

Coworker said:
OERTPHC

I said:
My BLs are gonna start with OMGWTFBBQ

SCAC is not a term for feces.  It means Standard Carrier Alpha Code.  Usually they’re 4 letters, but sometimes they differ.  They are typically registered with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), a U.S. government body that overseas most aspects of shipping (commercial in our case).  SCAC codes are also used for truckers, but that’s a separate issue.

What’s a BL, you ask?  Sometimes these are referred to as BOL or B/L, but those all stand for Bill of Lading; it’s like the pink slip for your car and it denotes cargo ownership.  Once the BL is transferred from a seller to a buyer, the buyer can release the Bill of Lading to the carrier to claim their container (or loose cargo if it’s consolidated).

What’s an NVOCC?

Hello and welcome to my blog. If you’re not involved in international logistics, you’ve probably never heard of the term NVOCC. It’s a simple acronym that stands for “Non Vessel Operating Common Carrier.” In layman’s terms, that means it’s a freight company that does not have its own ships.

NVOCCs basically sign contracts with steamship lines to move a minimum volume of shipping containers, helping importers/exporters with their supply chain based on the requirements and services available. As you might have guessed, I work for an NVOCC and I’ll be chronicling my “adventures” here. I was with the steamship lines before my life in this industry.

What’s the point of blogging about life at an NVOCC? I haven’t really seen any blogs specifically about this industry, plus it will be a good outlet for writing. I haven’t kept a blog since I lived overseas.

I appreciate all my guests and hope you can enjoy the posts I put up here. There will not be a scheduled update timeframe, but I will definitely try to keep it up-to-date based on my experiences.