Consolidation

Consolidation is the combining of several smaller shipments into one full container or unit load, so individual shippers share the cost and capacity of a box they could not fill alone. The consolidator stuffs the cargo at a container freight station, issues house bills to each shipper, and presents a single master bill to the carrier. At destination the box is stripped and the consignments are deconsolidated for delivery. The technique underpins the LCL trade and the economics of groupage.