Tag Archives: Transportation

How to Save on Gas – And Have Fun Doing It

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Gas prices have gone back down to reasonable levels, but in the back of everyone’s mind, there’s the fear that they may go back up to the $4.00-a-gallon range of 2008. It seems that this helped bring our economy to a screeching halt, and the thought of it happening again makes us a little more frugal. Hopefully, we’ve all become painfully aware of our dependence on foreign oil, because not only has this dependence come to shape our foreign policy, but its’ adverse effects on our environment have been well documented. If you think there’s some kind of debate about pollution or climate change, then you’re either naive, or you’ve been brainwashed by the propaganda put out by the big oil machine. I’m not here to preach on the evils of internal combustion, because I myself am a user, but it’s something to think about. Especially if you have kids.

Carpooling has been pretty well phased out in my area, but I think this is something we should reconsider. Consider the benefits of sharing a ride with a friend or neighbor. Not only could you save on gas, and reduce pollution, but we could also save on parking. We’d all benefit from less congestion on the roadways during rush hour, but more than that, I think as a society we could benefit from being a little more friendly with each other. With the internet, cable tv, and video games, we’ve all become a little more detached from the people around us. This might be what brings us together again, to discuss what’s on our minds, or current events, or the issues of our day. Who knows, you might even meet your next spouse.

But my favorite method of reducing my carbon footprint involves using two wheels instead of four. Motorcycling is a growing mode of transportation, and one that should be even more popular than it already is. Not only will we be saving on fuel by motorcycling, but parking and traffic problems will also be positively effected. In case you’ve never tried it, motorcycling is a blast. If you can remember the fun you had bicycling as a kid, imagine it being increased exponentially. The season isn’t as long as I would like it to be in my area, but there are plenty of opportunities to ride.

Many people point to the issue of safety when advised of the advantages of motorcycling, and it’s true they don’t offer the protection of an automobile, but with the proper equipment, and some experience, the risk diminishes rapidly. As more people become riders, the road gets a little safer for the others, because we get an understanding of riding, and even when we get back behind the wheel of a car, we are more aware of the riders around us. It’s a bit of a brotherhood, and we try to look out for one another.

Motorcycles come in different sizes and have different purposes, but a beginner might want to stick with something a little smaller, and less powerful, just because it will be easier to handle. With practice, the rider can move on to whatever bike they want, or just hang on to the one they’ve got. Scooters may be good place to start, since they are a little more manageable, but there’s nothing like the sense of accomplishment you feel from learning to control a motorcycle. There are training programs available, and they are well worth the low cost involved. Many programs will grant the participant a motorcycle license upon completion of the course, and this eliminates the need to go back and take the test at the DMV. When looking for a first motorcycle, you might want to consider a used model in good running condition, this way if you decide to upgrade, you won’t take such a big hit on depreciation. Just make sure you have good tires, lights, brakes, and a horn, because these features are more important than cosmetics, especially for the beginner. There’s plenty of information available, both online, and in print form, with various motorcycle magazines featuring bike and product reviews, along with riding tips, and other valuable bits of info. It pays to do a little research, and the skills you can pick up from reading can help you out on the road, which is where I hope to see you come springtime. If we all just use less gas, the price is bound to come down!

Logistics Solutions to Distribution Services

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Logistics refers to the management of flow of resources and commodities from their manufacturing depots to their point of consumption, keeping in mind the demand of local markets. The idea originally cropped up from the military sector where the need was to keep the armed troops constantly supplied with ration, arms and ammunition, as they moved forth from their base point. Logistic solutions regarding when and how to transport resources to army bases occupies an important place since without timely provisions, an army is as good as defenseless.

Nowadays logistic solutions have gained importance in various other sectors like manufacturing, import, exports, wholesaling, customs and most importantly transport businesses. The concept of logistics as a business came up due to the increasing complexities of supplying commodities to the target areas in a globalised supply chain. It essentially includes planning and implementing activity forecast for business houses regarding an efficient supply chain management based on statistics and market trends. It also provides a cost effective yet result oriented transportation strategy since transportation and delivery of goods is the key element of the logistic process. A warehouse management system forms the central kiosk of such a supply chain, controlling the receipt, storage and movement of materials within a warehouse and involving processes like transactions, shipping, receiving, picking, loading, unloading, etc. Today inventory planning, cost management and communication technology also constitutes a part of logistics solution for transportation businesses.

With distribution costs escalating higher and higher with every passing day, reaching the customer most efficiently with minimum investments is a major criteria to all the manufactures over the world. But for these, a proper market assessment for the local demand of the product in different regions is a prerequisite. Then a slotting analysis has to be done to decide upon the distribution centre design, layout and setup. There must also be a accommodation for re-slotting of distribution centres complying with the changing market statistics. All these have to be accomplished keeping an appropriate balance between cost and availability of space, easy access of transportation and reasonable labour charges. A study of transport logistics is all that is required to come up with the best available solution to the manufacturers in this respect.

Throughout the 20th century traditional methods of transport logistics has been declining, giving way to modern techniques like Just In Time (JIT) system which delivers goods directly from the suppliers to the customers end without involving the intermediary step of warehousing the products. This reduces the cost of transportation, time required to complete the task as well as he security risks involved with the process. But warehouses become an unavoidable necessity in cases that require off shoring activities. A logistic planner thus needs to consider all these factors before suggesting the best locations for warehouses. Also nowadays, the recent version of warehouse-styled retail outlets has gained enormous popularity in the market. This idea of utilising the warehouse dually as storage and distribution depots highly appeals to the modern day manufacturers because besides reducing the end cost to the buyers, it boosts the production sales ratio too. The introduction of internet and e-commerce has also left a strong impact on the development of logistic solutions in the field of warehousing distribution. Internet-based stores do not require a chain of outlets to sell their products; instead, their focus remains on a well-maintained delivery section and in this case again, warehouses serve no more than storage units.