DEFINITION OF TERMS
The following selected transportation terms are useful in understanding transportation operations in combat
a. Backhaul,shipping materiel to or through an area from which the materiel has previously been shipped
b. Consignee,the receiving agency, unit, depot, or person to whom the shipment unit is addressed or consigned
c. Consignor,the activity from which a shipment unit is made
d. Diversion,rerouting cargo or passengers to a new transshipment point or destination or on a different mode of transportation before arriving at the ultimate destination
e. Highway regulating point,point on the highway where the MRT records and reports arriving and departing highway movements and regulates those elements by issuing instructions for continuing the march, detours, diversions, schedules, etc
f. Highway regulation,planning, routing, scheduling, and directing actual highway use by vehicles; personnel afoot (including troops, refugees, and civilians); and animals using highway transportation facilities and equipment most effectively to meet operational requirements. This is a highway traffic division function
g. Highway traffic control,enforcing the rules of the road, traffic regulations, and road discipline, including spot direction. This is a provost marshal and MP function
h. Intertheater shipments,shipments moving into or out of the theater
i. Intratheater shipments,shipments originating and terminating within the theater
j. Line-haul,in highway transportation, a type of haul involving long trips over the road in which the portion of driving time is high in relation to the time consumed in loading and unloading. Line-hauls normally involve one trip or a portion of a trip per operating shift of 10 hours, or two trips per day
k. Local haul,in highway transportation, a type of haul characterized by short driving time in relation to the loading and unloading time. These hauls normally involve four or more trips per day
l. LOTS,loading and unloading ships without the benefit of fixed port facilities in friendly or unfriendly territory
m. Mode operations,a collective term used to indicate operations of one or more transport modes (highway, rail, water, and air)
n. Movement capability,the total capability of the shipping and receiving agencies and the transport services to effect transportation between two or more points or areas over a stated period of time
o. Movement control,planning, routing, scheduling, and controlling personnel and supply movements over LOCs; also an organization responsible for these functions
p. Movement control agency (MCA),a major functional TA control element that coordinates and administers transportation policy. This agency balances and coordinates the capabilities of shipping, transporting, and receiving activities theaterwide; maintains a close relationship with CONUS transportation activities; and technically supervises the CMCC
q. Movement control center (MCC),a functional control center at corps level (assigned to a COSCOM) that balances and coordinates the capabilities of shipping, transporting, and receiving activities to provide a responsive transportation system capable of satisfying the commander's movements requirements
r. Movements program,a command directive prepared by the transportation movement element and issued in the commander's name giving plans for future movements. It is based on the commander's overall plan and coordinated with all interested agencies. The movements program allocates the available transport mode capability to satisfy the movements requirements according to priorities the commander establishes. These priorities provide an orderly basis for resolving competition among the various users of the available transport. The movements program normally contains information on origins, destinations, weight and cube of cargo, type and number of personnel to be moved, the movement priority, and the transportation organization assigned the movement responsibility
s. Terminal,those military and commercial facilities used to load, unload, and transit handling cargo or personnel by various modes of transportation
t. Terminal operations,command and control of Army operations at water terminals (established ports, beaches, and inland waterways), air terminals (Air Force and Army), and in-transit areas
u. Throughput,shipping supplies or moving personnel from points of origin as far forward as possible, bypassing intermediate supply or personnel activities
v. MCT,coordinates all assigned movements and ensures that available resources are maximally effective and economically used. These MCTs are assigned to the corps and to EAC
w. Transshipment,transferring a load from one transport facility or vehicle to another using the same or different means of transport
x. Transportation component command (TCC),a generic phrase that describes the various transportation agencies within the US Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM),the Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC), Air Mobility Command, and Military Sealift Command,that move personnel and cargo during peace and war