national carrier: 
A for-hire certificated air carrier that has annual operating revenues of $75 million to $1 billion; the carrier usually operates between major population centers and areas of lesser population.

National Industrial Traffic League: 
An association representing shippers' and receivers' interests in matters of transportation policy and regulation.

National Motor Bus Operators Organization: 
An industry association representing common and charter bus firms; now known as the American Bus Association.

National Railroad Corporation: 
Also known as Amtrak, the corporation established by the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970 to operate most of the United States' rail passenger service.

Negotiable BOL: 
Provides for the delivery of goods to a named enterprise or to their order (anyone they may designate), but only upon surrender of proper endorsement and the bill of lading to the carrier or the carrier's agents. Also known as an order bill of lading.

no location (No Loc): 
A received item for which the warehouse has no previously established storage slot.

node: 
A fixed point in a firm's logistics system where goods come to rest; includes plants, warehouses, supply sources, and markets.

Non Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC): 
A firm that offers the same services as an ocean carrier, but which does not own or operate a vessel. NVOCCs usually act as consolidators, accepting small shipments (LCL) and consolidating them into full container loads. They then act as a shipper, tendering the containers to ocean common carriers. They are required to file tariffs with the Federal Maritime Commission and are subject to the same laws and statutes that apply to primary common carriers.

Non-Negotiable BOL: 
Provides for the delivery of goods to a named enterprise and to no one else. Also known as a straight bill of lading.

non-vessel-owning common carrier (NVOCC): 
A firm that consolidates and disperses international containers that originate at or are bound for inland ports.

noncertificated carrier: 
A for-hire air carrier that is exempt from economic regulation.

NOS/NES: 
See Not otherwise specified/Not elsewhere specified.

Notify Party: 
The abbreviation of the name of an organization that should be notified when a shipment reaches its destination.

Not otherwise specified/Not elsewhere specified (NOS/NES): 
This term often appears in ocean or airfreight tariffs respectively. If no rate for the specific commodity shipped appears in the tariff, then a general class rate (for example: printed matter NES) will apply. Such rates usually are higher than rates for specific commodities.

NVOCC: 
See Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier.