The_Dictionary_of_Transport_and_Logistics

NDC

NDC National Distribution Centre. Centralized distribution warehouse/ depot serving the whole country.

NDSDTS National (Dangerous Substances) Driver Training Scheme. A conglomerate of DTLR* approved dangerous goods training establishments for (mainly) goods vehicle drivers.

NEBOSH NEBSS National General Certificate in Occupational Safety

and Health.

NEBSS National Examination Board for Supervisory Studies. A NEBSS certificate in the road haulage sector is one of the exempting qualifications for professional competence*.

Nederlandse Spoorwegen Dutch Railways.

Negligence Legal term for the tort (ie civil wrong – as opposed to crime which is a criminal wrong) of negligence which means a breach of duty of care by one person against another by which the other suffers damage. In transport, basically, hauliers have a duty to take care of goods consigned for carriage. If they do not and goods are lost or damaged this is negligence unless good reason otherwise can be proved (eg the goods were not properly packed by the sender or they perished of their own accord).

Negotiable bill (ie of lading) A document (or bill) capable of being negotiated by transfer or endorsement. See also Bill of lading.

Net weight The weight of goods or a load without the weight of the packing, or excluding the weight of the vehicle or unit load device into which they are loaded.

Network planning Planning a system of interlinked activities. In distribution, planning a system of deliveries each of which comprises part of the network.

Networking System whereby independent computer users are linked to each other and to central processing, information exchange and printing facilities.

Newton A measure of the force necessary to give a mass of 1 kg an acceleration of 1 metre/sec2 – named after Sir Isaac Newton of falling apple fame.

NEXUS Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Executive (PTE*).

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NMW

NFC National Freight Consortium. Employee-owned successor to the state-owned transport company (which comprised at that time British Road Services, BRS Parcels, Pickfords, etc). Classic example of successful employee buy out. Now known solely as Exel with subsidiaries worldwide. See Exel.

NFDA National Franchised Dealers Association.

NG/NGV Natural gas/vehicle. Vehicle powered by natural gas.

NGVA Natural Gas Vehicle Association.

NI Northern Ireland. Province of six counties which, with Great Britain, forms the United Kingdom (UK). Has separate road freight operators’ licence scheme (administered by DOE*, Belfast) but mainly transport legislation follows that of UK (ie EU law applies in full). Also NI is abbreviation for national insurance*.

NIC National insurance contribution. Compulsory payment by employers and most employees (and self-employed) to provide sickness/retirement benefits, etc (depending on class of contribution and payment record).

Night-out allowance Payment by hauliers to drivers when they have to stay away from home overnight. Agreements with Inland Revenue permit a certain amount of such allowance to be paid tax free, otherwise it is taxable pay (details from RHA* or local Revenue office).

Night risk clause Found in goods-in-transit* insurance policy conditions. Restrictive clause which requires loaded vehicles left overnight to be parked in premises (ie building/yard) which are locked or guarded.

NJTC National Joint Training Committee. Set up in 1974 under auspices of RTIETB* to run young driver training scheme for trainee heavy goods vehicle (now large goods vehicle) drivers.

NL Nationality symbol for the Netherlands – to be shown on the rear of vehicles from that country.

NLSC National Learning and Skills Council. New body launched in 2000, replacing TECs*, to be supported by local learning and skills councils.

NMCH Non-methane hydrocarbons. One of the constituents of exhaust gases.

NMW National minimum wage. Statutory minimum payment – set at £4.10 per hour for those over 21 and £3.50 for 18–21-year-olds, from October 2001.

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NOISE LIMIT

Noise limit Limits set in legislation for noise emitted by vehicles (especially heavies). Measured by noise meter on a ‘drive-by’ test basis. Noise levels are specified in decibels, ie dB(A), and vary according to engine power output and age of vehicle.

‘Norbert’ A heavy vehicle belonging to and painted in the colours of major French road haulier Norbert Dentressangle as identified by lorry spotters on journeys. See also ‘Eddie’.

North Report Report commissioned by government on road traffic law (ie Road Traffic Law Review) under chairmanship of Dr Peter North. Many of the report’s recommendations are now incorporated in legislation.

Notice of intended prosecution Notice given/sent by police to offender to notify their intention of prosecuting. Not always necessary if offender was warned at the time of likely proceedings; or at that time or immediately after the offence an accident occurred; or a summons to appear in Court is sent within 14 days of the offence. Otherwise notice must (normally) be sent within 14 days but there are reasons when it may not be so.

Notifiable alteration Under goods vehicle plating and testing requirements, when operator makes specified alterations to the structure or to the fixed equipment of a vehicle/trailer; to the steering, suspension, wheels and axles; or where a body of different design, construction or type is fitted, this must be notified to the Goods Vehicle Centre, Swansea on Form VTG 10.

Notification to highway and bridge authorities Necessary notification when vehicles carrying heavy loads (ie exceeding 80,000 kg [five days’ prior notice] or when weight on axles exceeds C&U regulations limit [two days’ prior notice]) to authority for every district through which vehicle is to pass. See also Police notification.

Notify party Shipping term referring to the party to whom the arrival notification form is sent.

Notional gross weight When necessary to determine maximum gross weights for vehicles/trailers which do not have plated weights (for driving licence purposes) a multiplier* is used to convert the ulw to a notional gvw.

NOx Emission of nitrogen oxide (NOx) from vehicle exhaust – contributor to the ‘greenhouse’ effect.

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NVSR

NPV Net present value. The outcome of discounted cash flow (DCF*) projections. Provides an accurate assessment of the whole life cost of an asset at today’s prices/values.

NSSN National standard shipping note.

NTA National type approval. Euro-wide scheme to approve vehicles and components.

NtO Notice to owner. Notice sent to registered vehicle keeper (owner) requesting payment if a parking ticket has not been paid (ie by the driver).

NTO National Training Organization. Employer-led body that represents the interests of its particular industry sector in terms of training and education. Replaced Industry Training Organizations (ITOs*), Lead Bodies (LBs) and Occupational Standard Councils (OSCs). Concerned with identifying skill shortages and the training needs of the industry sector they represent and developing occupational standards and NVQs* and SVQs*.

NTDA National Tyre Distributors’Association. Trade association for tyre suppliers.

Nuisance Is an action (in legal terms) by a person/firm, etc which affects the ‘reasonable comfort and convenience of life’ of others. It is a crime if the nuisance is ‘public’ (ie where more than one or two persons, but not possible to say how many, are affected) or a civil wrong (ie tort) if the nuisance is ‘private’ (ie affecting only one or two persons).

NUR National Union of Railwaymen. Trade union for railwaymen but has statutory rights of objection* against goods vehicle ‘O’ licence* applications.

NVOC Non-vessel-owning/operating carrier – shipping term.

NVOCC Non-vessel-owning/operating common carrier. A shipping company issuing bills of lading for the carriage of goods on vessels which he neither owns nor operates.

NVQ National Vocational Qualification (in Scotland, SVQ – Scottish Vocational Qualification). A scheme of nationally recognized qualifications related to the workplace.

NVSR National Vehicle Security Register. A system for ensuring the security of vehicles used by major manufacturers – provides a security code to be etched into the vehicle windows.

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Oo

‘O’ licence Commonly used abbreviation for goods or passenger vehicle operator’s licence. Needed by trade and business users of goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes gvw (with certain exceptions), and by operators of passenger vehicles for hire or reward services (ie PSV* services). Issued by TC* when conditions of good repute*, financial standing* and professional competence* are met. Licence applicant/holder must also comply with declaration of intent*. Road haulage licences may be subject to environmental representation* and statutory objection*. ‘O’ licences can be penalized by TC when conditions are not met. Currently, approximately 400,000 vehicles are specified on 110,000 goods vehicle ‘O’ licences, while in the passenger sector some 85,000 vehicles are specified on approximately 7,500 ‘O’ licences.

O/A Overall (ie as in overall length/width, etc).

OAP Old age pensioner. More appropriately called (eg in the US and Canada) ‘senior citizens’. Body of people for whom special consideration is given in public/passenger transport matters.

OBD On-board diagnostics. Equipment fitted in vehicles to monitor such as safety, security and emissions equipment and warn drivers of failure (eg when an exhaust emission-related component/system fails resulting in excess emissions above standard). Since 2000 new cars require OBD to control and monitor exhaust emissions.

Objection In connection with ‘O’ licensing (see above), objections to applications/licence variations are permitted from list of specified bodies (mainly trade associations/trade unions plus police and local authorities, etc) on grounds that the conditions for ‘O’ licensing are not likely to be met. Objectors must send a copy of their objection to the applicant. They have a right of appeal to the Transport Tribunal* should the TC’s* decision go against them.

Obligatory disqualification Of driving licence. See also Mandatory disqualification.

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OECD

Obligatory lights On motor vehicle/trailer, lights which must be illuminated between sunset and sunrise (ie front and rear position lights, rear number plate light, end-outline and side marker lights – where appropriate) when on the road.

OBO Oil or bulk ore carriers (ie multi-purpose bulk carriers/ships).

Obsolescent stock Parts which have been replaced by an alternative but which may still be used until stock is exhausted. (Source: ILT Supply-Chain

Inventory Management SIG)

Obsolete stock Stock held within an organization where there is no longer any organizational reason for holding the stock. (Source: ILT Supply-Chain Inventory Management SIG)

Obstruction Offence caused by leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position, parking illegally or impeding the flow of traffic. Also by refusal to comply with request/direction of police constable to move vehicle.

Occupier liability Legal liability of occupier of premises to ensure that persons (including trespassers) who come onto his land are safe and that he gives warnings of, or protection against, potential dangers (by fencing off or covering open holes/trenches, by preventing access where dangerous work is carried out, etc).

Ocean Major UK-based shipping and logistics group, including Exel*.

OCR (1) Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations Board. Successor to the Royal Society of Arts which conducts, among other things, the official road haulage professional competence examinations.

OCR (2) Optical character recognition. Term relating to a type of software used in scanning text.

Odometer Correct name for distance recording mechanism within vehicle speedometer/tachograph.

ODP Ozone depletion potential. Environmental description for substances that carry a high risk of depleting the ozone layer when they escape into the atmosphere.

OEC Overpaid entry certificate. Customs document.

OECD Organization for European Co-operation and Development. Found in export trading.

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OEM

OEM Original equipment manufacturer. Maker of components, etc (eg tyres/tachographs*) which are fitted to vehicles at the time of their manufacture.

Off the shelf satisfaction See Fill rate.

Offence In connection with transport, means an illegal act (to park where prohibited, for driver to exceed his driving hours, etc). Invariably, prosecution or issue of fixed penalty notice follows if detected.

Official receiver Person appointed by a Court to administer the property (assets, etc) of a bankrupt person/firm (or insane person).

OFT Office of Fair Trading. Official body concerned with protecting consumers and promoting their interests and with encouraging fair competition. In particular it deals with such issues as misleading advertisements and problem traders and keeps a watch on the consumer credit sector and licences those businesses that offer credit or money-lending services to consumers. It encourages competition, but strives to ensure this is fair by removing or limiting restrictions and by preventing or modifying anticompetitive agreements, rules or behaviour.

O/H Overheight. A container or trailer with goods protruding above the unit profile.

Oiler Old name for a diesel engine/vehicle.

OJ Abbreviation for the Official Journal*.

OJEC Official Journal of the European Communities. Brussels-published document in which all EU legislation is published. Obtainable from TSO (but not over the counter).

Omnibus Term for a passenger vehicle. First introduced in the French city of Nantes in the early 1820s, and brought to Paris by Stanislaus Baudry in 1828. George Shillibeer, a London carriage builder with interests in Paris, opened the first service in Britain, in London on 4 July 1829, where it was an immediate success.

OMO or O-M-O One-man operation. Buses operating with a driver only (ie no conductor) who is also responsible for collecting fares and issuing tickets. Political correctness would suggest that this term should be replaced by OPO, one-person operation.

On-board computer Alternative term for in-cab computer*.

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OPERATING CENTRE

On-hand balance The quantity of an item shown in the inventory records as being physically in stock. (Source: ILT Supply-Chain Inventory Management SIG)

On-line Computer term meaning that work is carried out (usually on a remote terminal) while directly connected to main/central processing unit (CPU*).

One-way rental Form of short-term rental of car/truck/trailer on basis that it will be left at the other end of the journey (ie not brought back to point of original hire). Commonly used when hiring cars for airport trips.

OoG Out of gauge. Refers to freight whose dimensions exceed those of the vehicle or container into which they are, or are to be, loaded.

OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Body that controls crude oil prices, etc.

Open access EU directive that railway systems must be open to access by private (ie competing) operators.

Open account trading Method of payment for exported goods whereby buyer settles in arrears, usually periodically – normally used only where satisfactory trading record exists or when dealing with reliable companies.

Open book costing System of costing whereby the service provider makes all his costs visible to the client – ie transparency.

Open cover A cargo insurance agreement covering all shipments made by the assured during a stated period of time. Usually subject to a cancellation clause and a limit on the value insured in any one ship.

Open-ended lease Lease for hire of goods (usually vehicles) where date of termination is not specified leaving facility to negotiate when required. Normally pre-established termination charges are incorporated in lease document so lessee can determine most economical time to terminate depending on use of asset/market value, etc.

Opening stock The stock of an item at the beginning of an inventory accounting period of time. (Source: ILT Supply-Chain Inventory Management SIG)

Operating centre In connection with ‘O’ licensing*, the place (specified in the licence) which is approved for the parking of vehicles when not in use (ie where vehicles are ‘kept’). It contravenes licence conditions to use any other place for parking without prior approval of LA* (ie by making variation application/placing newspaper adverts, etc).

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OPERATING COSTS

Operating costs The costs incurred in operating vehicles or other transport modes. Usually includes both fixed and variable costs and overheads.

Operating system Term for basic system which allows a computer to function. On small computers (ie PCs*) this is commonly designated MSDOS or Windows. Apple has its own MAC Operating System – OS. Important to ensure that programs (ie software) used are compatible with operating system.

OPRAF Office of Passenger Rail Franchising. Originally responsible for franchising of passenger rail services. Its duties are now subsumed by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA*). See also ATOC.

OPS Occupational pension scheme. A pension for workers provided by their employer, normally with a contribution from the employee.

Optical analyser Regarding tachographs, equipment used to examine/ analyse chart recordings under magnification.

Opti-cruise Electronically-controlled automatic gear change system. Product of Scania.

Optimal asset deployment Critical review of and efficient deployment of assets – crucial to the optimization of the total supply chain.

Order lead time (1) The time the customer waits between ordering and receiving a product, or the time it takes a distributor to receive and administer an order and make delivery of a product.

Order lead time (2) The total internal processing time necessary to transform a replenishment quantity into an order and for the transmission of that order to the recipient. (Source: ILT Supply-Chain Inventory

Management SIG)

Order picker Person employed to ‘pick’ goods from stock in accordance with customer’s order/picking list* ready for load assembly*. Also mechanical equipment designed to do the same job automatically when programmed.

Order picking The task of selecting goods/items from store to order (eg in accordance with a picking list).

Order point inventory system An inventory control system for independent demand items where a reorder requirement is generated and sent to a supplier when the on-hand inventory balance reaches a specified level.

(Source: ILT Supply-Chain Inventory Management SIG)

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OVERBOOKING

Order processing Part of distribution function whereby customer orders are received, checked (to ensure goods available and customer has credit, etc) and assembled into vehicle loads/routes, etc ready for order picking and load assembly. Usually carried out by computer.

Organic growth In transport and logistics the means by which firms grow and achieve their strategic goals through development of their own business, as opposed to growth via the acquisition of other businesses or by forming trading partnerships/strategic alliances/joint ventures.

ORR Office of the Rail Regulator. The Rail Regulator is an independent statutory officer appointed by government under the Railways Act 1933. His focus is on the monopoly and dominant elements of Britain’s railways, principally Railtrack*, and he regulates in the public interest, balancing these duties and functions. He is particularly concerned with regulating economic aspects of Railtrack’s operation, especially its access charges.

OSD Open shelter deck. The sheltered deck on a ship is above the main deck and is used for carrying light cargo. The OSD is an open-type sheltered deck.

OTIF On time, in full. Distribution concept for delivery of orders as and when required.

OTS On-the-Spot. DTLR*/Highways Agency* joint project by the TRL* to visit road accidents while vehicles are still in situ in order to achieve greater understanding of accident causation and the development of effective counter measures.

Outbound logistics Activities connected with the movement of goods outwards as opposed to inwards. See also Logistics and Inbound logistics.

Outsourcing System whereby use is made of outside sources (eg transport/ warehousing or full-scale logistics service) replacing in-house facilities*. See also Third party.

Outstations Branches, depots or sub-depots of an organization situated some distance from the main operating centre. For example, as with bus and coach depots and haulage sub-depots. Airlines often refer to outstations in respect of facilities (eg for aircraft maintenance) located at the extremities of their long-haul routes.

Overbooking Ploy adopted by passenger airlines to ensure as many seats on flights are filled as possible, achieved by selling more tickets than the number of seats available on the basis that a number of ticket holders always fail to turn up (show) for the flight.

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