Businesses that deal with a constant flow of products that need to be delivered from a production point to the point of consumption rely on transportation and logistics companies to take care of all transportation, supply and demand services, regardless of the field of activity. This is because transporting products – particularly perishables - from one place to another can be a nightmare, especially for small businesses, which can be costly, and often poses a significant risk to a business’s reputation when its clients receive the product much later than anticipated or the products are physically damaged thus leading to a substantial cut in profit margins to a business. An experienced and reputable logistics and transportation company can help maximize profitability through combined logistical knowledge and resources for reasons ranging from cost-effectiveness to minimally-intrusive planning strategies. Depending on your particular business, Industry-specific logistics providers are the most straightforward and most convenient option for a growing company and can free up an entrepreneur's time and allow him/ her to focus more on innovating and growing their business. But what exactly are logistic company and what do they do?
Logistics providers are companies that provide, but not limited to, the following services:
What this means is that a business outsources much if not all of its logistics operations to a specialized and reliable company that knows the specifics on how to handle and care for the product being delivered. Such services include transportation modes ranging from air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline and space, which can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations. Apart from enabling trade between people, which in turn establishes civilizations, another reason why transportation and logistics management is vital for both small and large businesses is that logistics executives make individual decisions beyond the mode of transportation such as:
There are different types of freight services such as Full Truckload, Less than Truckload, Specialty Fright Services, and Third Party Logistics in the logistics business, which has seen Third Party Logistics – 3PL (service providers who offer total shipping management programs) experience a rapid growth due to the increased demand for services such as reducing lead time, inventory management, outsourcing and a host of other functions that are more focused on their skills and enhancing their relationship with their clients. Such value-added services and personal touches are what make third-party logistics service providers remain competitive regarding creating customized logistics solutions particularly where the demand is high, and there are risks with shipping errors, 3PLs can help businesses with efficiency. They also minimize risks by employing trained employees that know how to handle a product the right way, which is essential to running a successful business, improving efficiency, reducing risks, saving time and money. Less than Truckload - LTL Shipping is budget-friendly, ground freight transportation that is affordable for small business because it combines shipments from several customers where individual company products take up a sizable lot in the truck and charges are based on the weight of content shipped, and the distance traveled. Less than Truckload shipments typically weigh between 100 to 20,000 pounds and ideal when a freight shipment isn’t large enough to fit into a 48- or 53-foot trailer. This is a good option for small businesses because a logistics company only matches a shipper’s shipment by weight, density, class, distance, and with regularly scheduled shipments heading to the same destination. The shipment truck makes several stops and unpacks and re-pack goods. While this mode of transportation will take longer and the customer understands it, but it’s an option for businesses that want to save on shipping costs, gain control over shipment visibility, scheduling flexibility as well as a more cost-effective mode of transportation as a shipper only uses it only when they need it. Full truckload carrier provider or FTL is a faster mode of transportation, or freight shipping that is contracted to one customer where bulk goods fill up a truck or a partial load of shipment occupies an entire truck. With Full Truckload, items are never transferred from one truck to another, no switching and or repacking, no changing hands or housing: a customers’ high-capacity, high-volume shipment is fully parked and taken on a long/ short haul straight to its destination. This freight option is for customers, whose products are either valuable, unbalanced loads or large volume freights of exceptional mass that may require specialized equipment such as extra-long flatbeds or removable gooseneck trailers built to carry heavy and massive consignments and drivers with the know-how to get such goods to their intended destination in one piece and in as little time as possible. Intermodal Shipping Services uses two freight modes: rail and truck. This mode of transportation involves a container of goods being moved from truck to rail, then back to a truck to complete the shipping process. The reasons why shippers are making intermodal more integral to their logistics strategies is because truck capacity is often a challenge, especially with restricted hours of service on the road and customers have more access to equipment and standardized transit schedules regarding capacity, safety and reliability. Shippers also take advantage of more predictable pricing of loading and unloading goods, which, in turn, reduces handling costs. Specialty Freight Services offers unique transportation services for companies that require the Safe hazmat transportation of hazardous materials. They also meet full legal requirements to transport oversized and over dimensional loads (heavy or wide loads). Such services require specialty transportation equipment such as barges, drayage, power only, trailer shipping, auto carriers, etc. to get the job done in a safe and specialized manner. If you want to learn more about our shipping services and for a free quote please click here. Comments are closed.
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April 2021
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