Post-carriage
Post-carriage is a part of a multi-stage transport chain. As on-carriage is called the transport of goods by the receiving forwarder from the main means of transport, which has taken over the main run of the transport, to the destination at the final consignee of the shipment. Transportation of goods from the consignor to the main means of transport is called pre-carriage. The on-carriage is thus the last operation, the last mile, in the transport chain.
Carriage onward by truck
Logistics on-carriage is usually carried out by truck, which is used by the recipient freight forwarder to flexibly deliver the shipment to the recipient. In some cases, the on-carriage is also possible by ship or rail. However, this presupposes that the consignee has an appropriately equipped dock or a direct connection to the rail network. The major part of the on-carriage is carried out by truck.
Efficient planning of the on-carriage
If the on-carriage can be undertaken by the freight forwarder as a full load to the consignee, this can be planned and handled quite easily. However, the on-carriage is usually a sub-operation of the groupage shipment, so optimized planning for order processing is necessary here. The individual shipments must then first be assembled appropriately in the recipient freight forwarder’s envelope. Effective route planning and loading space optimization are also required here to make the best possible use of loading capacities. Possible shifts in the lead or even main run of the transport add to the complexity.
Logistical challenges for the on-carriage
Digitalization / Logistics 4.0, electronic integration holds enormous potential for the transporting industry, but also poses special challenges for the organization of logistics processes and the handling of the on-carriage. The volume of goods flows has risen sharply as a result, and more tours have to be planned in the on-carriage, as well as more recipients served on the planned routes. Compared to the delivery of goods in the corporate environment, the delivery of goods to end consumers is even more demanding.