Importance of Transportation to a Firms Supply Chain Operations Assignment

Importance of Transportation to a Firms Supply Chain Operations - Assignment Example How do truckload operations differ from less-than-truckload operations?As learned, truckload operations (TL) differ from less-than-truckload operations (LTL) in terms of the range of shipments. For TL, they carry shipments that are noted to be greater than 10,000 pounds and where the exact weight requirements actually depend on the product. On the other hand, for LTL they carry shipments where the weight ranges from 150 to 10,000 pounds. As evident, TL operations are not feasible through manual operations due to the weight specifications. LTL, as the term implies, do not fill ta truck but these operations could carry shipments of diverse customers all at the same time. Finally, LTL shipments were noted to be routed through terminals, as contrasted with TL operations that require direct shipment to the consignees’ destinations from the shippers’ locations.13. What are freight forwarders? Â  How do they function? Â  What services do they perform?Freight forwarders were revealed to act as agents and consolidators of freight. Accordingly, freight forwarders function through facilitating the following operations: (1) consolidate shipments in behalf of small shippers; (2) purchase transportation in volume rates; and (3) charge shippers a rate that range between the volume and non-volume rates. As such, the services that freight forwarders perform are: (1) pick-up and delivery services; (2) handle both domestic and international shipments; (3) handle both surface and air shipments;