Ever wondered how your online order moves from a regional warehouse to your front door, or how raw materials travel halfway across the world to British factories? Transportation companies play a crucial role in the global supply chain by moving goods from one location to another. But what exactly do these companies do?
At Lesters Logistics, we offer a comprehensive range of 3PL services that help streamline this complex process. Let’s explore the key functions and responsibilities of transportation companies and how they keep everything moving smoothly.
What is a transport company?
Transport companies are predominantly concerned with the movement of goods. As an industry, it is a subgroup of the industrial sector according to the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS).
This means that the phrase ‘transportation companies’ is an umbrella term encompassing a range of companies and industries that are concerned with movement from point A to point B. So, there isn’t one answer to the question above – a transportation company could be anything from a local coach hire to an international courier.
Core Functions of Transportation Companies
Freight Movement
Transportation companies are responsible for the efficient movement of freight—goods or cargo—across various distances. This includes handling different types of freight such as perishable goods, electronics, and heavy machinery.
Route Planning and Optimisation
Effective route planning is essential to ensure that shipments reach their destination on time and at minimal cost. Transportation companies use advanced software and technology to optimise routes, considering traffic, weather, and other factors.
Fleet Management
Managing a fleet involves maintaining and servicing vehicles to ensure they are in good working condition. Transportation companies regularly schedule maintenance and repairs to prevent breakdowns and ensure safety.
Regulatory Compliance
Adhering to laws and regulations is critical for transportation companies. This includes ensuring that all vehicles meet safety standards, drivers comply with driving hours regulations, and all shipments are documented correctly.
Customer Service
Providing excellent customer service is key to building trust and ensuring smooth operations. Transportation companies offer support for booking, tracking shipments, and resolving issues promptly.
Warehousing and Distribution
Many transportation companies offer warehousing services where goods can be stored before being transported. They also manage the distribution of goods to various locations as required. Not sure how to choose the right warehousing and storage facility for your business? Read our article here.
Why Transportation Companies Are Essential
If you are looking to ship your goods around the country or even the world, you will probably look into two options: transporting the goods yourself or hiring a transport company to do this for you, like Lesters.
There are many benefits of choosing an outside company to help you:
|
Benefit |
How a Transportation Company Delivers It |
|
Economic impact |
Facilitates trade and fuels growth by giving businesses access to new regional and international markets. |
|
Efficiency |
Streamlines every leg of the journey, fewer touchpoints, lower costs and faster delivery times. |
|
Connectivity |
Links producers and consumers so goods are available exactly where and when they’re needed. |
|
Cost savings |
Eliminates capital outlay for trucks, drivers and compliance; lowers per‑shipment costs for you and your customers. |
|
Reliability |
Dedicated specialists manage routing, tracking and exception handling, ensuring shipments arrive on schedule and intact. |
|
Flexibility |
Scales up or down quickly to meet seasonal spikes or new product launches without adding headcount. |
|
Expertise in action |
End-to-end know-how, planning, execution, transport and storage, plus data-driven insights that improve your entire supply chain. |
Where Lesters Logistics Comes In
A 3PL provider – like Lesters Logistics – wraps all of those benefits mentioned above into one contract. Instead of juggling multiple carriers, warehouses and software subscriptions, you hand off the entire flow to a single partner who books the freight, stores your stock, picks and packs and ships every order, then feeds real‑time data back into your ERP or e‑commerce platform. That means one invoice, one KPI dashboard, and a logistics operation that can scale from ten pallets a week to a full truckload a day without changing suppliers.
Learn more about our transport and logistics service online or explore our packaging products. Alternatively, you can contact a member of our team here at Lesters Logistics to find out more about transport companies.