Transfer of raw material and finished goods can be done through roads, railways, airways, sea routes, canals and high capacity pipelines. The selection of a particular medium depends on the nature of the product and its shelf life. Perishable goods like flowers, fruits and vegetables need a faster medium of transportation like air and road. Ships are used to transport items like metal, crude oil etc.

The reduction of transportation costs is calculated by selecting the shortest distance between two points and the time taken to travel. Goods are now tagged with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to keep track of their location. Even trucks are fitted with GPRS systems to help drivers find the destination in time.

Logistics companies use transportation software to make the most efficient use of their existing fleet of trucks, ships, and cargo planes. They also help other companies by providing them with technical expertise and customized systems that improve efficiency. Transportation is important especially for large multinational companies. Products of these companies traverse large distances over land, sea and air to reach their place of consumption.

With the growth and acceleration of the global economy, the freight transportation industry faces greater challenges and demands. Extensive research on transportation and logistics is carried out on a regular basis. A new research is studying the natural ability of ants to find the shortest route between two points. Institutions like the American Society of Transportation and Logistics help companies improve their supply chain and reduce their transportation costs.

Finding and keeping good people to work in warehouses, driving trucks or in logistics is a unique problem in that there is a generational component to the problem.

Recently I presented at SMC3 an education provider for the trucking and logistics industry. SMC3 provides many resources and solutions for its members and partners. In the keynote I talked about the unique factors that attract Generations X and Y to the industry and also about the key leadership strategies that keeps them around.

Firstly from an attraction point of view Generation X and Y are spending more time on You Tube and searching for employer videos that show the culture of the company. They are also looking to You Tube to see happy employees on video promoting the virtues of the company they work for.

Social media is the new recruiting tool, tweets, Linked In and Facebook are turning out to be hot spots to mention new job openings, post videos on job opportunities and to build a positive buzz about the industry.

The specific things that Generation X and Y are looking for with an employer are having a career path, having flexible working hours, leaders who are focused on training and growing their people, succession plans and strategic planning that is aligned with vision and people’s goals.

The good news about the transportation and logistics industry is that there are huge opportunities for moving around within the industry. There may be limited upward mobility opportunities in a warehouse environment however there are other opportunities within the industry. Leaders need to be looking at keeping good people within the industry even if that means having to let go of a great person and having to train new people.

Leaders who are focused on succession plan and aligned strategy will have more luck with retention than leaders who expect employees just to be happy to have a job. The truth is the generational attitude differences are causing conflict and unmatched expectations within the industry.

For example a Gen Y may not have the same attitude about their job that a Baby Boomer has but that is because they have much more choice today. For the average Baby Boomer who graduated and got a job they have a ‘work hard’ mentality that they expect everyone else to have. A Gen Y on the other hand has multiple job choices and wants and expects more job satisfaction. They want to have a life and work must fit into their life. Many Baby Boomers may have had a ‘work, work, work and then you die’ attitude.

We must remember that Gen Y’s are the children of the Baby Boomers. In many ways we have protected and kept our Gen Y’s from having to work the way we have had to. A lot of Gen Y’s are willing to work hard but they want to do it on their terms, in their preferred hours and with the help of technology.

When I spoke with the organizing committee prior to the SMC3 event they said that they are responding to the changing attitudes of Gen Y. For instance they are re-routing long haul trucking routes so that truckers can be home every three days instead of being away for a week at a time. This is a perfect example of adapting to the desires of Gen Y. Interestingly enough Gen X wants this as well as they are in their family years and many Baby Boomers who have worked on the road for years are happy about the re-routing changes.

Traditional industries need to look at diversifying their talent and looking at the business in a new way. A recent article in USA Today January 2012 it stated that there are over 248,000 female military personnel looking for work in the US.

Many of these women have driven heavy machinery while deployed, are used to being away for periods of time and are looking to do work that pays them well but provides them with flexibility. It seems to me that these female vets would find some of the jobs in the trucking, warehouse and logistics industry quite appealing.

One of the key components of retaining good people once you attract them is to provide ongoing training. The US Conference board says that we will be struggling in a war for talent in a big way by 2015. Many Baby Boomers are going to be retiring or transitioning out of their long-standing career. This means that the need for skilled and trained workers is the biggest threat to all industries in the immediate future.

Leaders need to look at training as a strategic initiative that protects the talent that they hire. In the transportation and logistics industry there are a variety of training options such as SMC3, WERC and MSSC all of which provide on line training options and classroom options.

Finally, Generations X and Y as well as Boomers all want to work for a company that has vision, focus and strategy that is aligned with vision. The four components of aligning leadership to strategy are:
1. Set vision and strategy- which is a logical action
2. Engage and create excitement- which is an emotional action
3. Timeline, skill development and accountability- which is a logical action
4. Energy, commitment and visibility- an emotional action

Every strong strategic plan appeals to both the logical and the emotional to increase levels of buy in and integration within the organization.

It is an exciting time for the transportation and logistics industry- it is a fast-paced, technological and multi-generational industry. The opportunity to lead change is here and visionary leaders will be making progressive changes that appeal to all of the generations.

The transport and logistics companies have taken over the transport industry. The main reason for this is that these companies are well experienced in handling these tasks and they cut down the overall transportation costs and save lot of money. They are well versed with the pros and cons of the transport system. Moreover these companies provide their customers with transportation logistics services. The logistics services include the management of the goods and also involve other services like material handling, transportation, inventory and warehousing. These companies very effectively handle the storage and flow of materials from their point of origin to their destination point.

The transport and logistics companies have extensive knowledge and expertise in dealing with these tasks. They know all the routes and hence can provide the best transport solutions for your business. They carry out the entire shipment tasks in coordinated manner so that there is less complication and all the shipments are carried out on time. They ensure that all the orders are delivered on time. If you outsource your transportation work to these companies then you can cut down the costs to a large extent and can use that money on other operations of your business.

The transport and logistics company free you from the burden of the daunting task of shipping your materials. Big companies largely depend upon this sector for the transportation of their materials. The smaller companies can profit even more from these companies as they rule out the need for hiring staffs and other aspects of transport. These companies are cost effective, manage the delivery tasks in well coordinated manner and provide logistics services which ensure that your products reach their destination within shortest span of time. So outsource your transport tasks to the transport and logistics company and get benefited by their services.

I know what you’re thinking – that’s a little too generic – right? Not really. Let me explain how I define great customer service:

1. Anticipate. Great customer service in the transportation and logistics industry is about beating your clients to their own thoughts. Whether it’s a need, want, or complaint – you have to communicate with your client before they communicate with you. If you can anticipate your clients’ thoughts and feelings and communicate their concerns before they do, they will feel respected. They will have received great customer service as a result.

2. Be grateful. Clients pay your bills. Every time they purchase a product or service they are giving you a part of their hard earned money. That money represents time and energy – the very stuff of life. They can invest their money at a lot of different companies, but they have chosen to invest it with you. Take every opportunity to let them know you appreciate them. Send a quick e-mail, leave a nice voicemail, take them out for dinner, or write a handwritten note and stick it in your company Christmas card. Do something at least once a quarter. Let your clients know how much you appreciate their business.

3. Plan your work and work your plan. Most clients’ frustrations come from unmet expectations. Do your best to plan for every contingency, communicate your plan well, and then follow through. When I first started in the logistics industry, I remember the company I was working for missing a narrow window to pick up a shipment from a Las Vegas trade show. It got pushed. The client was furious because the convention charged them four times as much to ship it back to them. Not only that, but we had lost valuable trust with client and we had to work very hard to build back that trust. You simply can’t afford to backslide with clients. Plan your work, work your plan, and watch your clients become your brand ambassadors.

4. Say “Yes” as much as you can (but know ahead of time when you have to say “no”). Clients love to hear you say “yes” as much as possible. As long as you can do it you should. Fulfilling a special request makes a client feel important, respected, and well served. Don’t think of special requests as a negative, rather think of them as a big curveball to knock out of the park. Your clients will love you when you do. On the other hand, there are instances when you must say “no.” In those instances, you should have an explanation ready for them. The solution can be a potential upsell for you or added value for your client. I never think of clients’ requests as problematic. Problems only arise when you’re not prepared. Never put yourself in a position to begrudge your clients because you said “yes” when you should have said “no”. Rather, find an equitable solution that you can both feel good about.

Although there are obviously many tenets to great customer service, these are the top 4 things that I consistently find myself talking about in the office.

We are nothing without great customers, and ensuring great customer service should be a no-brainer. We are in an industry where client relationships can be the greatest single competitive advantage we have. We can’t afford not to anticipate, be grateful, plan our work and work our plan, or go out of our way to make the client happy whenever feasible.

Juan Arango is the owner of 1 Trade Logistics in Dallas / Fort Worth, TX. 1 Trade Logistics is a premier, full-service transportation and logistics company based in Dallas / Fort Worth, TX that provides expedited freight forwarding,logistics management, supply chain solutions, and an international courier service. 1 Trade Logistics is a member of the World Cargo Alliance (WCA), carries a Minority/Women Business Enterprise (M/WBE) and TSA Certification, and is fully licensed through the FMC, IATA, and NVOCC to name a few. They recently were named as a Top 500 US Hispanic Business with $6M in revenue for 2012. Learn more about their transportation and logistics services in Dallas / Fort Worth at http://1tradelogistics.com.

Before you start transportation and logistics business, you must be aware of the current scenario of the industry, its demand, its profits and its importance and role in the other industries. In short you must know the pros and cons of the transportation logistics. But above all you must first know that what actually is transportation and logistics. The concept of both the terms is very simple. The former basically refers to the distribution of goods. It may be the distribution of finished products or it may be the distribution of raw materials. While logistics is basically the use of transportation softwares to cut down the costs of transportation.

Anyone who is thinking of getting into this industrial sector must be smart enough to use the resources in a wise manner. There are many ways of transport. The various transport ways include roads, canals, airways, railways and river and sea routes. You can choose any modes of transportation depending upon the nature of the products. After you have established a well set business of transportation and logistics, be sure that it is going to flourish. Industries do need the help of good transport system in order to get their products delivered. While companies may have their own transport facilities still most of them prefer to take the help of the logistics system.

The acceleration of the global economy is at its peak. In such situations, the transportation and logistics industry is presented with even bigger challenges as this particular industry has huge demand. A transport company is considered to be good if it can deliver the goods at minimum time and minimal damage to the products. Industries prefer the logistics companies as they can reduce the costs of freight transport. In order to keep up with the growing industrialization one must be updated about all the changes taking place in this particular sector as there are many new routes coming up. So get regular updates on transportation and logistics and keep growing.