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Transportation Assignment 1. Calculate the distances and time between the locations mentioned on the tracking
statement. Initial location
Destination
Distance
Total time
ROGERS, MN
HAGERSTOWN, MD
1062 miles
86 hours 10 minutes
HAGERSTOWN, MD
NORTH WALES, PA
180 miles
7 hours 18 minutes
NORTH WALES, PA
VALLEY FORGE, PA
16.6 miles
6 hours 26 minutes
1258.6 miles
99 hours 54 minutes
Total
2. Identify the role that each leg of the journey plays (e.g. pick-up, line haul, delivery, etc.).
Date
Activity
Location
Role
Wednesday
10:04 am Shipment information sent to FedEx 4:00 pm Picked up
ROGERS, MN
Pick up
Thursday
1:37 am Left FedEx origin facility
ROGERS, MN
Line-haul
Sunday
3:47 pm Arrived at FedEx location
HAGERSTOWN, MD
Sunday
9:34 pm Departed FedEx location
HAGERSTOWN, MD
Monday
4:52 am At local FedEx facility
NORTH WALES, PA
Monday
7:30 am On FedEx vehicle for delivery
NORTH WALES, PA
1:56 pm Delivered
VALLEY FORGE
Line-haul
Delivery
3. Identify the mode of transportation that is likely used.
Date
Activity
Location
Mode of transportation
Wednesday 10:04 am Shipment information sent to FedEx 4:00 pm Picked up
ROGERS, MN
Motor Freight
Thursday
1:37 am Left FedEx origin facility
ROGERS, MN
Intermodal (Rail)
Sunday
3:47 pm Arrived at FedEx location
HAGERSTOWN, MD
Sunday
9:34 pm Departed FedEx location
HAGERSTOWN, MD
Monday
4:52 am At local FedEx facility
NORTH WALES, PA
Monday
7:30 am On FedEx vehicle for delivery
NORTH WALES, Motor Freight PA (Truck)
1:56 pm Delivered
VALLEY FORGE
Note
Rail is the cheapest and reasonably fast over long distances
Motor Freight (Truck) or Air Freight
4. Explain the routing between origin and destination (e.g. how much of a straight line
between origin and destination). Initial location
Destination
Distance
ROGERS, MN
HAGERSTOWN, MD
1062 miles
HAGERSTOWN, MD
NORTH WALES, PA
180 miles
NORTH WALES, PA
VALLEY FORGE, PA
16.6 miles
ROGERS, MN
VALLEY FORGE, PA
1258.6 miles
Explanation Total distance is 1258.6 miles.It is not a straight line. The route starts from Rogers to Hagerstown, moving up to the north in North Wales. Items were picked from the shipper in Rogers, MN to FedEx facility in Rogers,MN. Items were transferred in a long line haul facility in Hagerstown. In
FedEx facility in Hagerstown, shipment was sorted and sent to North Wales, PA. It is fairly a straight line from North Wakes to Valley Forge. The shipment was deconsolidated and delivered to consignee in Valley Forge, PA.
5. Analyze the efficiency of the routing (e.g. why the company likely chose this routing).
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Selection of routing of FedEx optimizes the efficiency of the process. FedEx has a local network of terminals across the country. FedEx uses several modes of transportation to the best of their advantages.
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From Roger, MN to Hagerstown, MD, with the distance of 1062 miles, rail is the cheapest and reasonably fast over long distances in terms of cost and fuel efficiency.
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FedEx has optimized the routing by combining the advantages of rail and truck as the freight can reach any spot a regular truck could reach. In reality, Intermodal freight shipments are typically much cheaper than TL.
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For short distances, using motor freight is more advantageous as it is fast and it can be found everywhere.
6. Express any areas of difficulty
Transportation cost, namely fuel cost. Improving the fuel efficiency of US vehicles is the single biggest step we can take to cut the country's oil consumption. Higher fuel price is the main contributor to the increase of transportation cost for FedEx. There are also several external factors such as the availability of vehicles for pick up and delivery. Sometimes, natural events such as storms, heavy rain,.... etc can partly affect the effectiveness of the routing. 7. Reflect on what you learned in this assignment.
This assignment enables me to acquire a profound understanding of different modes of transportation. The lessons also help me to understand that different modes of
transportation have competitive advantages and by combining them together, we can optimize the cost effectiveness as well as to distinguish when we should place an emphasis on cost or speed when it comes to consideration.