D. Tactics of Transportation
B. Operational Fleet Routing and Loading
Intelligent Transportation Systems
F. Modes of Transport
Extract
1. While supply chain design deals
with the flow
and stocking of goods, transportation optimization examines the
shipment
process itself. The typical transportation optimizer will search
for opportunities to aggregate
compatible orders or splitting
orders to fit
the transportation media (e.g. containers), identify
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pooling
points to consolidate
orders for long haul using larger and hence cheaper media and
routing of pick-up
and drop-off
orders to increase
backhaul. Such technologies have been generating
large savings, 10-35% reduction in freight expenses through rating
and routing of freight orders.
Extract
2. The majority of modern companies
provide transport and distribution solutions for major retailers
and manufacturers in all the regions in which they operate. They
offer both primary and secondary distribution services. Primary
distribution covers the transport of goods from the manufacturer’s
producing
facility to a distribution centre. Secondary distribution covers
the transport of goods from the distribution centre to store, and
includes planning routes and tracking deliveries, as well as
physical distribution. Transport is provided
via a mix of modes (air, sea, rail and road) to minimize overall
costs, etc., while meeting required service levels. Logistics
organizations add value at the planning stage by optimizing routes
to minimize fleet size
and mileage. This is supported
by transport optimization software and general logistics know-how.
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Extract
3. The routes derived in
transportation optimization are mainly long-haul. For short haul
deliveries, there are ready solutions that are tightly integrated
to warehouse management systems, to efficiently route fleets of
vehicles and vessels
and plan picking and loading. Stipulated
time windows for pick-ups and deliveries and vehicular weight and
spatial capacities would be respected. Time required at various
stops – in terms of fixed time to park and variable time
dependent on amount to be loaded
or
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off-loaded
– can be specified. Travel speeds along various types/zones of
roads can be stipulated for both peak
and non-peak hours. The scheduled
arrival
and departure
times for each stop can thus be worked out quite accurately.
Managers can view over the web the information
about the progress of deliveries.
Extract
4. Within the rational planning
framework, transportation has traditionally followed the sequential
four-step model procedure. Typically, such forecasts are made for
the region as a whole, for it to be divided into zones. The four
steps of the classical transportation planning system model are:
Trip
generation determines the frequency of
Trip
distribution matches
origins with destinations.
Mode
choice computes the proportion of trips between each origin and
destination
that use a particular transportation mode.
Route
assignment allocates trips between an origin and destination by a
particular mode to a route.
After
the classical model, evaluating decision criteria are applied. A
typical criterion is benefit-cost analysis.
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Extract
5. An application of automation
systems is possible with satellite navigation system, a small
computer and a digital radio in each vehicle. Every fifteen minutes
the computer transmits where the vehicle has been. The digital
radio service forwards the data
to the central office of the company. A computer system in the
central office manages the fleet in real time under control of a
team of dispatchers.
The
company tracks individual loads by using bar-coded containers and
pallets to track loads combined into a larger container. To
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origins
or destinations of trips in each zone.minimize
handling-expense, damage and waste of vehicle capacity,
optimal-sized pallets are often constructed at distribution points
to go to particular destinations.
Read the texts again and answer the following questions.
Extract 1.
What does a logistics specialist have to do to reduce expenses?
What is meant by pooling points?
Extract 2.
What is the difference between primary and secondary distribution services?
What is meant by physical distributions?
Extract 3.
What difficulties arise in long-haul transportation?
What is meant by vehicular weight and spatial capacities?
Extract 4.
What points should be considered while developing the four steps of transportation planning?
What is meant by the frequency of origins or destinations?
Extract 5.
What are the main advantages of the satellite navigation system?
What is meant by handling expenses?
Use the context to match the words with their definitions. Highlight other unfamiliar words you’d like to remember, add them to the list. Make use of a dictionary if necessary.
1. to aggregate
2. compatible
3. to split
4. to fit
5. backhaul
6. freight
7. overall
8. mileage
9. delivery
10. vessel
1. stipulated
2. to pick up
3. framework
4. sequential
5. origin
6. assignment
7. to allocate
8. spatial
9. to transmit
10. to forward
11. …
a. including everything, holistic
b. the process of bringing goods to the required place
c. a ship or long boat
d. goods that are carried by ship, train or aircraft
e. empty container coming back
f. to put things together
g. to be the right shape and size for smth
h. to divide or separate smth into groups
i. the number of miles a vehicle has travelled
j. existing together without causing a problem
a. a task, a piece of work
b. to move from one place to another
c. concerning the position, size, shape of things
d. happening logically one after another
e. limits, boundaries
f. done on agreement
g. the place from where smth begins
h. to decide where to place smth
i. to get or to collect things
j. to pass information
k. …
a) In the text, find pairs of synonyms and antonyms among highlighted words.
b) Use the words in context of your own.
word = word
word
≠
word
6. In the text, find the verbs which can collocate with the following nouns. Each of them should have at least five collocations.
to
plan
t
o
split
to track
Language Focus: Pronunciation
1. Listen to the tape and repeat the words with silent letters. Underline the letters which are not pronounced.