Section 1: Freight Shipping Basics
1. Railway freight transportation is categorized into full truckload, less than truckload, and containerized shipping.
Goods requiring transportation by one or more trucks due to weight, volume, or shape should be shipped as full loads; those not meeting full load conditions should be shipped as less-than-truckload (LTL); and those that meet container transport conditions can be shipped as containers. For LTL shipments, each item must have a volume of at least 0.02 cubic meters (except for items weighing more than 10 kilograms), and no batch should exceed 300 items.
2. The following goods are not permitted to be shipped on a piece-by-piece basis:
A. Goods requiring refrigerated, insulated, or heated transportation.
B. Regulations for dangerous goods to be handled as a complete vehicle.
C. Offending goods that are prone to contaminate other products.
Bees
Items that are difficult to count in quantity.
Live animals not in containers
Goods exceeding 2 tons in weight, 3 cubic meters in volume, or 9 meters in length (excluding those confirmed by the origin station not to affect the handling operations at the transfer and destination stations).
3. Common names, codes, and uses of rail freight vehicles
(1) Open-top (C): Suitable for transporting goods that are not afraid of moisture, such as those that can be covered with tarpaulins after loading; also suitable for goods that are sensitive to moisture.
(2) Tarpaulin Covered Wagon (P): Used for transporting valuable goods that are prone to moisture damage.
(3) Flat Car (N): Primarily used for transporting rail tracks, cars, tractors, and long, heavy cargo.
(4) Refrigerated Trucks (B): Primarily used for transporting perishable goods.
(5) Livestock Vehicles (J): Used for transporting cattle, pigs, and other livestock.
(6) Tanker (G): Specifically designed for loading liquid cargo.
Basic Requirements for Shipping Goods:
1. If the shipper has too many items in a single shipment, they cannot list them individually on the bill of lading or ship household goods, or if there are two or more types of goods in the same package, a three-part item list must be provided.
2. Shippers are fully responsible for the accuracy of the information they provide on the cargo manifest and item list. Additionally, they must pay a penalty for non-compliance, including the concealment or incorrect reporting of item names and weights.
3. Shippers of perishable goods must fill in the name of the goods in the "Description of Goods" section of the waybill, indicate its serial number and thermal state, and note the permitted transportation duration for perishable goods in the "Shipper's Remarks" section. When shipping perishable goods requiring quarantine transport, a quarantine certificate must be provided in accordance with national regulations.
4. Shippers transporting hazardous goods must provide the "Railway Hazardous Goods Shipper Qualification Certificate," the ID card of the person in charge, and the qualification certificate for the training of railway hazardous goods transportation.
When shipping hazardous goods, the name and identification number of the item from the Hazardous Goods List should be filled in the "Goods Name" section of the consignment note, and a red stamp indicating the category should be marked in the upper right corner of the note. For hazardous goods not listed in the Hazardous Goods List, the shipper must submit a technical description of the hazardous goods for review and approval by the relevant department at or above the county level before shipment. The station shall apply for the relevant approval procedures in accordance with the regulations.
Shippers transporting hazardous materials such as flammable, explosive, toxic, corrosive, or radioactive substances must comply with national regulations on the transportation of hazardous items. They should ensure proper packaging of the hazardous materials, affix danger signs and labels, and submit written materials to the carrier detailing the names, properties, and precautionary measures of the hazardous items.
5. Shippers must clearly and durably mark each piece of LCL (Less than Container Load) cargo. One mark should be affixed or nailed at each end of the item. If packaging is not suitable for affixing or nailing, use a tie挂 method. For luggage and moving goods, in addition to using durable labels or markings made of fabric, wood, metal, etc., a mark (label) should also be placed inside the packaging. Shippers should, according to the nature of the goods and in accordance with national standards, properly label the packaging with transportation and storage diagram symbols. Any transportation marks or storage and transportation diagram symbols on the items that are unrelated to this batch of goods must be removed or erased by the shipper.
6. Shipment Packaging: Shipper shall use transport packaging that meets the transportation requirements, facilitates loading and unloading, and ensures the safety of the goods, based on the nature, weight, type of transportation, distance of transportation, climate, and truck loading conditions. Packaging should be done according to national packaging standards or Ministry of Railways packaging standards (industry packaging standards) as applicable.
7. Goods that must be escorted by the shipper: live animals, fresh plants requiring water transport, goods requiring heated transport with fire, locomotives and track cranes, and any goods specified for escort. The shipper must have personnel escort the goods. The number of escorts, except for specified cases, should not exceed two per shipment.
Section 3: Shipment Payer's Instructions
1. After the receipt station inspects the LCL and containerized cargo, the transportation and handling fees must be paid on the same day. Full truckload cargo should be paid for on the day of transport. For cargo carried after 6 PM, payment can be made the following day. A late payment fee of 1% per day will be charged for any delays beyond the due date.
In the event that the consignor's responsibility results in the delay of payment for freight and miscellaneous charges, the carrier shall charge a late fee in accordance with regulations.
Section 4: Shipping Knowledge
Shipper shall accurately indicate the consignee's name or surname, the name, nature, weight, quantity, and destination station of the goods on the bill of lading, and be responsible for the truthfulness of the information.
2. Shippers are required to deliver the goods for transportation to the carrier according to the agreed time and requirements of the transportation contract, and to pay the specified transportation fees to the carrier.
3. For shipments requiring approval and inspection procedures, the shipper shall submit the completed documents to the carrier.
Shippers are prohibited from carrying hazardous materials within general cargo during shipment.
Shipment of goods requiring special care during transportation must be accompanied by the shipper's representative.
6. When the shipper submits the goods consignment note to the carrier for shipment, they must comply with the relevant regulations for railway cargo transportation.
7. Shippers should promptly send the cargo pick-up certificate to the consignee, who can use it to contact the destination station to collect the goods.
