unit 7 transport management

Question 1

describe policy instruments that governments use to influence the performance
of the freight transport industry

Answer 1

Legislation.This can take place at three levels:
1. Through the laws that govern the conduct of all legal subjects.
2. Government can also impose general industrial and business legislation in order to
deal with market imperfections and failures.
3. Legislation can be aimed at controlling and directing activities in the transport
sector which include suppliers and users of transport including economic and
technical regulation.
Direct supply
Due to the cost involved, government and state providers can provide a range of
transport services.
Fiscal measures
Through government’s fiscal powers the cost of different modes of transport and
services in certain areas or over certain routes can be increased or reduced by
imposing certain taxation or through granting certain subsidies.
Monetary measures
Monitoring measures deals with the amount of money available for transport. Govern- ment can control this by adjusting the interest rates and through applying certain credit control measures.
Moral appeal and persuasion
Through educational messages and the rendering of advice on transport issues government can also get involved in transport, for example the “Arrive alive” campaign.
Policy relating to strategic commodities
The freight transport sector is one of the major users of energy, especially petroleum products. Government policies relating to this can have major influence on the transport in the country.
Provision of information
Government can provide transport information at various levels, for instance they can provide technical advice to transport operators and they can also provide general information to assist with decision-making in the transport environment.

Question 2

discuss the consideration of efficiency and effectiveness when choosing
things 11 transport and professional carriers;

Answer 2

efficiency considerations: Volume of traffic.
* Back hall issues.
* The possibility of great labor specialization.
* Admin and management issues.
* Capital investment requirements
effectiveness issues
* suitability;
* accessibility;
* security;
* transit Times;
* reliability; and
* flexibility.

Question 3

discuss traffic consolidation

Answer 3

Transferring goods from small to large vehicles for the part of the journey that is common to all (refer to page 416, Figure 17.1. Consolidation of traffic to eliminate separate trips along a common route

Question 4

discuss guidelines for the efficient routing and scheduling of long distance
trips and of collection and delivery trips

Answer 4

Continuous-flow.
Maximum unit size
The largest size that all vehicles can carry and that the equipment can handle securely is the optimum size.
Maximum vehicle size
Maximum mass carrying capacity in relation to total vehicle mass
Adaption of vehicle to traffic
Traffic volumes vary from hour to hour and day to day. The size of the vehicle should be adapted to match the traffic volume fluctuations.
Standardisation
Economies of scope can be achieved when vehicles, equipment and facilities are standardised
Compatible unit load equipment
Equipment used to load or off-load goods onto and from a vehicle should be compatible with the vehicle.
Maximum utilisation of inputs
This refers to the periods when a vehicle moves with the load versus the time the vehicle remains idle without a load.
Clustering the service points as densely as possible
Try to keep distances between stops short.
Clustering the service points according to daily deliveries
Start with service point when determining routes
Start with the service point the furtherest from the terminal and assigned the largest available vehicle.