The Transportation and Logistics Industry- An Overview
In our world, there are two industries that hold great value, but are often overlooked. They both play major roles in our everyday life and support many companies to succeed. Transportation and logistics are the core of many successful industries. The foundation of both industries includes the movement, management, packaging, and storage of product. From that definition alone, one can comprehend the number of global organizations who rely on transportation and logistics companies.
Throughout history, we’ve seen vast changed within the transportation industry. These changes have surfaced from not only technological advances, but also from the demand for instant results. For those unfamiliar with the industry, it seems simple. However, countless factors go into the delivering of goods. It starts with suppliers and through various channels, reaches the consumer or customer.
Logistics, specifically logistics management, is the more integral part of the industry. The experts in logistics center their focus around the efficiency and planning of transportation. It is near impossible to operate a logistics business without a strong and effective procedure for all transportation needs. In logistics management, it is vital to have a vast knowledge of every rule and regulation associated with the various modes of transportation.
The most common forms of transportation include freight trains, trucks, ships, and planes. These vessels move millions of goods and products every day. Cost analysis plays a huge part when companies decided which mode of transport to use. Any professional in the field should have extensive training in all options.
Besides the knowledge of big picture logistics, professionals in the field must have excellent skills in customer relations, strategic planning, leadership, and math. All of these areas are ones that logistics management employees encounter on a regular basis. Other demands of the industry include; attention to detail, analysis, and strong negotiating skills.
Debates often arise regarding the differences between the transportation and logistics industries. To clarify, transportation management company, Cerasis, gives a great analogy. “Transportation is the driver of logistics, but logistics is the race car driver in the seat of transportation.” Logistics requires an abundance of planning, while transportation is simply the means by which the plans are executed. While the are not the same, the are both equally a part of one another.
