General cargo

General cargo refers to individual goods or consignments that are small enough not to fill the entire cargo space of a vehicle or container. It is therefore a single shipment packed in boxes, pallets or parcels. General cargo is typically transported as a single shipment, often in combination with other shipments if the transport is organized via groupage.

In contrast, groupage refers to the transportation process in which several general cargo shipments from different shippers are combined into one larger load. These bundled shipments are then transported together in one means of transport to maximize efficiency and cost savings.

Summarized: General cargo is the individual goods or consignment, while consolidated cargo is the organized transport of several general cargo items in a single vehicle.