Ocean freight route planning guide
Choosing freight routes can be very challenging and tricky, Not every situation calls for taking the quickest one. Road conditions, shelf, vehicle size and cargo capacity, and other variables are only a few of the numerous variables that affect freight.
What is freight route planning?
It is the practice of determining the most efficient means of transit or transfers over a number of stops is called route planning. Basically, the purpose of route planning is to determine the most economical path to take when relocating. Ever since this technology was introduced, route planning software has changed the way organizations operate their transport departments. The definition of route planning and its significance for logistics companies will be discussed in this article.
8 steps to choose the best freight route
1- study routes well
Regarding the transportation industry, there is a slight learning curve.you need to stay updated to working routes and their supsistud. a procedure that, when done properly, can be quite advantageous for your company and your clients.
2- creating a route map
It helps save time by determining the fastest and shortest routes between points A and B. Optimising Routes for Transportation Services: The foundation for various applications such as reverse geocoding, vendor locator, ETA prediction, and more is laid via route mapping.
3- adapt a flexible multi mode shipping
The term "multimodal" refers to the transfer of cargo between several points of origin and destination using multiple means of transportation. But in this case, a single carrier or several carriers are in charge of each mode.
4- expand your network
The most important thing to do after determining that routing goods is the best course of action for your business is to begin assembling a network of transportation suppliers. Once you've decided who you want to connect with, look into companies you'd like to meet. Visit their websites to find out more about their offerings, values, and services. Establishing a strong web presence is just as important to growing your organization as networking in order to create a profitable, international goods moving enterprise. Anyone may learn more about your business if they do some research on it before a networking event. It strengthens the legitimacy of your company.
5- track previous shipping trips
You have to keep track of all the previous freight trips you made in the past, you will learn a lot from your past actions and it would be easier for you to handle any trips the second time. Data on traffic, closed roads, and duration of stay at the delivery place can be obtained through monitoring. It also provides the customer with an order tracking feature. In this way, in the event of unanticipated circumstances, real-time data collecting enables prompt adaptability, readjustment, and route optimisation.
6- check the shelf life of your cargo
Shelf life is the maximum amount of time that items or fresh produce can be held and yet maintain a set quality for a given percentage of the goods under typical (or predetermined) distribution, storage, and display conditions. Before picking the right route you have to check first if your cargo will handle the trip, checking the shelf life of your goods shipped is a priority.
7- Perform route control on a daily basis.
Not only can a system that optimistically everyday routes save fuel and vehicle maintenance costs, but it can also help you monitor and determine the optimum routes in the event of a high volume of orders. When there is a significant fluctuation in orders during the day or week, the automatic routing computation of this kind of technology is an additional intriguing application.
8- Hire professional with experience in the field
Looking at these previous steps if you don’t have experience planning a route and find processing a plan difficult you can hire a professional to help you. Freight forwarders main job is to make freight shipping easier for you. And with years of experience dealing with different routes ACS Logistics will do all the work for you. Making sure you get the best route will save you time and money.
Why plan freight routes?
proceeding with route optimisation, it is necessary to go over every little detail several times. You have a lot to deal with, including matters like labor laws, USDOT requirements, additional costs, and other elements that come together to make your route planning efforts successful
Benefits of route planning
Because it significantly affects operational efficiency, cost savings, and customer satisfaction, route planning is essential for logistics companies. The following are some of the factors that make route planning crucial for logistical operations
1- Reducing freight Costs
By making full use of a vehicle's capacity and reducing empty miles, idling time, and fuel consumption, an automated route planning system reduces fuel consumption. When combined, these lower the total cost of transportation.
2- Helps with time management
Choosing the best route helps you save time since the customer experience and the reputation of your brand are directly impacted when things are not delivered on time or at the promised date. And arranging the most effective delivery routes is one method of ensuring on-time delivery.
3- Flexibility and fast response
Contemporary route planning software usually incorporates weather data, enabling logistics companies to make last-minute route modifications. This flexibility helps to prevent delays and maintains the delivery process's timeliness.
4- Lowering Risk
There's a chance that some routes are more prone to theft, accidents, and other dangers. Logistics companies may steer clear of dangerous areas and provide their truck drivers with safer routes by using route planning.
5- Helps Cut Down on Carbon Emissions
Planning a route makes it possible to complete more deliveries with fewer Vehicles, which reduces fuel use and CO2 emissions. This aligns the logistics organization with sustainability goals and demonstrates its environmental consciousness.
Effective route planning is essential, not just a luxury. Route planning necessitates taking into account a variety of criteria, including delivery time window and delivery location. In addition, for better planning, it is vital to research previous routes, monitor driver performance, and analyse other critical variables. Manual route planning is inefficient, expensive, and prone to human mistakes.