Today, transport allows you to solve a significant part of the processes of cargo transportation. A competent choice of the route is the basis of the process, which allows you to reduce the waste of time and money.
What is the essence and tasks of transport logistics?
Logistics of cargo transportation (in particular, by road) is a direction that ensures the delivery of an order to a certain place within the time agreed with the client, and along an effective path, calculated in such a way as to reduce financial costs. This includes the following points:
- delivery at low cost;
- involvement of a tracking system to control the process at all its stages;
- informing about the cargo to its customer.
The main tasks of the direction: finding the optimal mode of transport, following the approved schemes and laying the best paths. This is part of the tasks of transport logistics, which are carried out by specialized firms.
What is transport logistics?
Logistics tasks include solving a lot of processes. Features of the cargo, such as dimensions, weight, directly affect the choice of transport and delivery method that is suitable for carrying capacity. Transportation is divided into road, air, sea, rail. There may be situations where a warehouse is required to house a batch prior to shipment. In this case, process planning matters.
Calculation of the estimate, which will reflect the cost of transportation, and all required documents are drawn up. The order movement route is calculated from the point of origin to the final destination. Here the task of transport logistics is to reduce the mileage of transport to a minimum, reduce the cost of delivery. Businesses use advanced navigation systems to avoid delays or fix them in time.
The transportation automation process is controlled by special TMS programs. They allow you to choose a route, change it and monitor the condition of the car. The convenience of using TMS comes down to the fact that it can be used to calculate the price of deliveries by different types of vehicles, take into account customs costs, costs for loading and unloading processes. It also allows to exclude inappropriate operation of transport and unreasonable downtime. In addition, there are tasks of creating a work schedule for objects, ranging from customs documentation to route sheets.
Thanks to planning, the process of transportation of goods movement turns into a single technological chain. Transportation is one of the main tasks of transport logistics. Planning and organization of cargo transportation, paperwork are considered additional services of transport logistics. Contractual and insurance support for delivery is another important point in logistics, since liability for the loss of goods, its consumer qualities must be recorded in the contract for the provision of services. Thus, the reduction of all risks occurs due to product insurance.
FUNCTIONS OF TRANSPORT LOGISTICS
The principles of transport logistics are based on the principle of the implementation of cargo transportation with minimal costs. In order to put into practice such goals and objectives of transport logistics, the following actions are performed:
- comprehensive study of intermediate and final delivery points;
- the features and main characteristics of the cargo are taken into account;
- the optimal transport for transportation is selected;
- a suitable carrier is selected or specialized logistics partners are involved;
- the optimal route is being developed;
- control over the condition, quality and safety during delivery;
- measures are taken for the transport and warehouse distribution of goods;
- optimization of important parameters, which include an increase in the speed of delivery, a decrease in the current volume of fuel consumption, and a decrease in the total amount of expenses.
In the course of conducting a comprehensive study of the important features of cargo, the choice of transport, as well as the formation of the route, is important. The preparation of transport depends on the quantity of products. If chemically hazardous or toxic cargo is to be transported, then this should be taken into account in the route sheet.
TYPES OF TRANSPORT LOGISTICS
Common transport logistics methods are as follows:
- Multimodal. Cargo transportation is carried out with the involvement of several types of vehicles at once with the participation of a single responsible organizer. In the role of the carrier here is a special transport, and the rest represent the side of the customers.
- Unimodal. Such deliveries are carried out on one vehicle.
- Intermodal. Cargo transportation is carried out simultaneously by several transports, provided that one operator controls the entire delivery process from the point of departure with the intersection of intermediate places directly to the final recipient. All responsibility is shared between each of the carriers, and the general agreed rates are also determined.
- Combined. More than two types of vehicles are simultaneously involved in the delivery process.
- Mixed. Two vehicles are recommended at once when transporting to the loading site on the second one. A common example is a message in the car-railway format.
