A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U W

Packing note / packing list
This can be attached to a courier delivery note, or it can be part of a courier delivery note. It shows the details of what's in the packages that make up the courier consignment.

Pallets
Pallets are usually made of wood, but sometimes they are plastic or compressed cardboard. The most common pallet sizes in the UK are:1200mm x 1000mm and 1200mm x 800mm (Europallets). "Blue" pallets are 1200mm x 1000mm. They are owned by GKN / Chep, and end up being returned to them. Some courier delivery notes have check-in / check-out boxes to fill in for blue pallets. See also stillage

Part load
A courier part load is a courier consignment that only takes up part of the courier load space in a vehicle - usually used to mean an extra courier load that's being carried in addition to the main courier load.

Payment terms
Before you do a job / courier service you should agree when you will be paid. Some common payment terms are:

• 14 days from date of invoice
• 30 days from date of invoice
• 30 days from the end of the month the invoice was issued in (this is the most common, and is called '30 days net')

All courier payments terms are stated from courier date of invoice, not from courier date of job.

Phonetic alphabet
The phonetic alphabet is used to spell out words when the other person can't hear you very well - so it's useful for talking on mobile phones with dodgy reception. The standard alphabet is:
Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whisky, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.
There's a proper way to say numbers too, and if the line's really bad remember to say 'zero' (not 'oh' or 'nought'), and 'niner' for nine.

pick list / picking list
A courier pick list is what they use in a warehouse to get the items to make up a courier consignment.

POD (proof of delivery)
A courier POD can be any of the usual courier delivery documents (courier delivery note, courier consignment note, courier waybill, etc), or it can be a special courier POD document. It must show the courier delivery address, courier date and time of courier delivery, and what was delivered, as well as the recipient's name and signature.
NOTE: when you've made the courier delivery you usually have to phone in to confirm it. If the controller says "what's the coureir POD?" or "give me the courier POD" they mean "who signed for the coureir delivery and when?"

PPE (personal protective equipment)
The basic set of PPE is a hi-viz vest, hard hat, steel-toecap shoes, and gloves. If you're doing ADR work you might need goggles and chemical-resistant gloves, or other specialist equipment.

Pplm and ppm
pplm is 'pence per loaded mile' which is the amount you charge for courier for each mile from the courier pickup address to the courier drop adress. ppm is 'pence per mile' which usually means the same as pplm but sometimes is used to mean pence per mile for round trip mileage.

Proforma invoice
An invoice prepared by the exporter prior to shipping the goods, informing the buyer of the goods to be sent, their value and other key specifications.

Proposal
See RFP