The Role Of Transportation In Logistics

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The Role of Transportation in Logistics In the age of globalization it is very crucial for businesses to remain effective, efficient and competitive while meeting the growing demands of their customers in limited time and at the lowest possible costs. Transportation is the system which allows businesses to do this by transferring goods and services over distances to bridge the gap between a buyer and a seller. According to Coyle, Bardi and Langley (2003), “Transportation is the physical thread connecting the company’s geographically dispersed operations. More specifically, transportation adds value to the company by creating time and place utility; the value added is the physical movement of goods to the place desired and at the time desired.” Transportation for many companies is very crucial because it is the bridge which connects their supply sources which may be located in a different country to that of their manufacturing location miles away from their supply sources to finally the customers which may be located in several countries or even worldwide. Therefore transportation has a global impact and also is vitally important to the economies of most countries. According to Coyle, Bardi and Langley (2003), “The total dollars spent in the United States to move freight reveal the importance of transportation to the economy. In 1999, the United States spent an estimated $544 billion to move freight or 9.9 percent of the GDP. This total expenditure included shipper costs of $5 billion for loading and unloading freight cars and for operating and controlling the transportation function.” The Basic Modes of Transportation It is very important for every company that transports products to choose the right mode of transportation for its specific business since this choice directly affects the operations of

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