A delivery window is the agreed time slot within which a shipment must arrive at a specified receiving point, such as a cold store or processing plant, and it matters because receiving facilities allocate dock capacity by slot and missed windows can result in waiting-time charges and unplanned temperature exposure.
In trade practice
Carriers and hauliers should receive the delivery window at the time of booking and confirm it on the transport order. For frozen cargo, a missed window that forces a vehicle to wait with the refrigeration unit running but doors open during unloading is a cold-chain risk that should be documented. Buyers should include delivery-window requirements in their transport briefs and confirm that the carrier has communicated them to any subcontracted haulier.
In a specification
A logistics or purchase contract may specify the delivery window as a date and time range, state the notification period required if the window cannot be met, and set out any charges or remedies that apply in the event of a missed slot.