Editing Logistics (section)

=== Transportation ===
{{Main|Cargo}}
Consolidating small shipments into large shipments can help to save transportation costs. There are three methods to do this: facility consolidation, multi-stop consolidation, and temporal consolidation. Facility consolidation uses the [[economics of scale]] by transporting small shipments over short distances and large shipments over long distances. Multi-stop consolidation makes multiple stops to consolidate small shipments in the case of [[less-than-truckload shipping]]. Temporal consolidation adjusts the shipping schedules forwards or backward so as to make a single large shipment rather than several small shipments over time.<ref name="Ghiani 2004"/>

Cargo can be consolidated into pallets or containers. There are five basic modes of transport, namely, ship, rail, truck, air, and pipeline operated by different [[common carrier|carrier]]. These shipping methods can be combined in various ways such as [[intermodal freight transport|intermodal transport]] (no handling), [[multimodal transport]], and [[combined transport]] (minimal road transport). A shipper chooses a carrier by taking into account the total cost of shipment and transit time. Air is the most expensive type of transport, followed by truck, rail, pipeline, and ship.<ref name="Ghiani 2004"/>

Cargo can be organized in different [[shipment categories]]. [[Unit loads]] are usually assembled into higher standardized units such as: [[ISO containers]], [[swap bodies]] or [[semi-trailers]]. Especially for very long distances, product transportation will likely benefit from using different transportation means:  When moving cargo, typical constraints are maximum weight and [[volume]].

Operators involved in transportation include: all train, road vehicles, boats, airplanes companies, [[couriers]], [[freight forwarders]] and [[multi-modal transport operators]].

Merchandise being transported internationally is usually subject to the [[Incoterms]] standards issued by the [[International Chamber of Commerce]].