Week 5 Questions: Direct Service And Indirect Service In Global Transportation

WEEK 5 QUESTIONS
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Direct service and indirect service in global transportation
In the global freight flows there is direct and indirect service, and when moving the freight the distance between the origin and destination are different in the two services. Direct services are beneficial when moving freight across land borders where there are short distances, and there is a need for speed and safety. There is immediate point-to-point flow of goods in direct services in global transportation (Coyle, Novack &Gibson, 2015). For instance, Amazon shipping from Corpus Cristi to Houston is direct services from one Texas City to another over short distances. On the other hand, indirect service is beneficial when moving freight across long distances between continents, where there are various stops, transfer of freight and when it is difficult to access the facilities. Indirect service is preferred when handling large freights and it is less costly, and a more efficient approach. For instance, transportation from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to the U.S. is indirect service as it requires various modes transportation.
Benefits and drawbacks of intermodal transportation for international freight
Intermodal transportation refers to the transportation of freight or shipment using various modes of transportation where the handling of the freight does not change from one mode to the other. Better information systems have made it possible to track freight moving through the supply chain and this improves efficiency (Coyle, Novack and Gibson, 2015). There are advantages to this approach since it reduces shipment handling while there is lower risk of damage and losses. There is also swift freight transportation like using the truck- air and truck-water forms of transportation for carriers like FedEx. For instance, movement of iPhones from China to California a...