Freight and cargo are terms that are used when referring to transporting goods from one place to another.
The terms are often used by people who deal in business across borders. When dealing in imports and exports, you will meet the terms quite often hence need to know the differences.
The two terms are used interchangeably by people although they have different meanings. The difference comes in with the means of transport used to transport the goods.
So, what is the main difference between freight and cargo? Freight is used to refer to goods being transported overland by either trains or trucks while cargo is used to refer to goods being transport by air or sea such as airplanes or ships.
For more information about the differences between freight and cargo in tabular form, continue reading the article. You will also get to learn of the similarities between the two.
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Comparison Table (Freight vs Cargo)
Basic Terms | Freight | Cargo |
Definition | It used to refer to goods transported on land. | It is used to refer to goods transported by air or sea. |
Means of transport | Goods are transported by trains or trucks. | Goods are transported by airplane or ship. |
Money charged | Refers to money charged on the goods being transported. | Refers to the goods being transported. |
Name of means of transport | They are referred to as freight trains or freight trucks. | They are referred to as cargo planes or cargo ships. |
Name of the product | Sometimes product being transported is referred to as freight. | Always the product being transported is referred to as cargo. |
Quantity of goods | It transports small quantities of goods. | It transports large quantities of goods. |
What is Freight?
Freight is a term used to refer to goods being transported on land. The goods are either transported by trains or trucks.
The trains or trucks that transport the goods are referred to as freight trucks or freight trains. They move goods on land from one place to another.
Freight is a load on a semi-trailer. Freight may be used to describe goods being transported. Any product being transported is sometimes called freight.
All air cargo excluding mail is referred to as freight. The money charged by the carrier of the locomotive goods for transporting goods is referred to as freight charges.
The word freight is used to refer to product being transported, money charged, amount payable for the goods or merchandise.
Freight is goods carried by small vehicles like trucks in comparison to cargo which is carried by large transporting bodies.
What is Cargo?
Cargo refers to goods transported over the seas or by air. The goods are transported by planes or ships. They are large volumes of goods.
It is the container that is loaded on a ship or a plane. The means of locomotion is referred to as either cargo plane or cargo ship.
Mail is referred to as cargo. Other air cargo can be called freight. Cargo does not refer to the money charged on the goods; it refers to the goods themselves.
Any product being transported is always referred to as cargo. Cargoes are transported over large water bodies and they move from one continent to another.
The ships and planes are designed to carry large quantities of goods across the world. It is a word used when discussing international shipping.
Main Difference between Freight and Cargo
- Freight is used to refer to goods transported on the land while cargos refer to goods transported over the sea or by air.
- Freight refers to goods transported by train or trucks while cargo refers to goods transported by ship or airplane.
- Freight refers to a small number of goods being transported while cargo refers to a large number of goods being transported.
- Freight refers to the amount of money charged on the goods being transported while cargo refers to the goods themselves.
- Freight is sometimes used to refer to products being transported while cargo is always used to refer to products being transported.
Similarities between Freight and Cargo
- Both terms are used to refer to goods on transit.
- Freight is also known as cargo apart from the mail.
Conclusion
Freight and cargo are the two terms used when referring to goods being transported. When dealing in imports and exports the terms are used often hence used interchangeably.
However, the two terms are different from each other. The main difference between freight and cargo is the means of locomotive used. Freight is goods transported over the land by either train or truck while cargo is goods transported over the sea or by air by either plane or ships.
More Sources and References:
- https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/fpd/education.asp
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freight_transport
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo