You have been travelling around the world for months, and now you are on your way back home. You have landed at the airport and collected your luggage. You are mentally and physically tired, and the long wait for your chauffeur at the terminal is only going to frustrate you more.

You keep on looking at your phone to see if there are any missed calls or messages by chauffeur service provider, to inform you that there will be a delay in picking you up from the airport.

After waiting for an hour, you hire a taxi from the airport, and rush back home. As soon as you reach home, you get a call from the chauffeur that the cab is waiting at the airport. Such things happen with people quite often. Thus, you need to avoid making some common mistakes while hiring an airport transportation service.

Mistakes made while hiring airport transportation services:

• Not booking chauffeur service in advance: Not booking chauffeur service in advance could get in trouble. There are chances of not finding cabs in the peak hours, and you will have no choice but travel on your own. Not to forget the luggage that you will have to pull with you.
• Booking with unreliable service providers: Before making your bookings online, try to research a bit about the company, and then make an informed choice. Make sure that you book your cabs only with the companies that are known for their professionalism. You wouldn’t want any hassles in the last part of your travel.

Tips for choosing airport transfer service

• Choose a company that you are already familiar with. If you don’t know any reliable car rental company, then check on the net for reviews.
• Select companies having online booking system, so that you can book your travel anytime from anywhere. Before booking your ride online, don’t forget to read the company’s customer feedbacks.
• Go with a company using modern technologies such as proper navigation and traffic notification system.
• Try to learn about the quality of vehicles used by the company. You can also choose vehicles with various luxury features for a more comfortable ride.
• Lastly, don’t forget to check original car and driving license documents, before sitting in your airport ride.

Services provided by reputed airport transportation companies

Professional drivers: Reputed limo companies hire only educated and experienced drivers. Their drivers will know all the routes very well, and they also know which routes can be taken to avoid rush hour traffic and bad roads. Pollution and traffic are the major problem everyone faces while travelling, but these professional drivers choose the shortest possible routes to drive you to your destination on time.

Personalized service: Companies always try to develop long term business relationships with their customers, which is why they provide personalized services. Their drivers are well mannered, and they drive their passengers across the city with all due courteousness. They also help customers with their luggage.

Avoid mistakes while choosing your limo services in order to enjoy a safe, stress-free, and comfortable ride.

All transportation companies need an operating authority issued by the former Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) which is now maintained by the Department of Transportation (DOT). You as a trucker also need this operating authority. For commercial trucking and commercial truckers it is an unavoidable permit or authority. When you carry commodities over different state lines, you need this authority along with truck Insurance and Cargo Insurance. While getting the it check with your home state rules and regulations. Your home state may have some regulation regarding loading and unloading of the items. For truckers an ICC authority means you have a permit to carry different items and goods within state and interstate.

Now instead of the ICC, ICC authority applications are handled by two agencies under the USDOT. To get this authority, you do not need any experience; you just need to apply for it. ICC operating authority decides which companies are permitted as truckers/carriers. It also decides the service that these companies will offer and the charges that they can take from the customers.

ICC authority means Operating authority. ICC refers to Interstate Commerce Commission. ICC authority now means federal operating authority that looks after the rules governing transport companies for hire across the different state lines.

ICC authority is a term used to mean a legal permission or a business license. This is granted by a federal or state transportation governing agency. This permit or license is needed by the for hire transportation agency or the truckers.

According to the law, if you are a trucker, you should have a ICC operating authority. If you are operating without it, then you are really taking a big risk.

It is better not to operate till you get the authority. When you, as a trucker, operate within a specific commercial zone then you can operate without such authority but if you plan on going beyond this zone then make sure that you have the authority to.

Truck Insurance Group, a truck insurance agency has a certified specialist that will answer your question and assist you with all your commercial truck insurance needs.

It is needless to say that food plays an indispensable role in human’s life, and with the well development of our material basis, people have a higher requirement on food supply. However, how many people realize the importance of food packaging? Generally, food packaging has three advantages: protection, promotion, and transportation. This article will demonstrate to you what these advantages take effect and how we benefit from food packaging.

Prevent food from spoiling

Food safety is the top priority and only those within the quality period do no harm to our health. Therefore, we apply food packaging materials and technology to prevent food from biological, physical, or chemical variation, from its manufacture till selling to consumers. Take “Tetra Pak” as an example. It counts for a high market share of drinks packaging thanks to its high technology that uses paper, aluminum, and plastics as barrier of air and lights. It can greatly extend the food guarantee period. Good and proper packaging will no doubt keep food fresh and nice to enjoy.

Ease the transportation

We can find types of food packaging forms such as bottles, bags, cans, boxes, etc. Why do we make these different containers? That is because it considerably eases the difficulty of transportation, and prevents food from getting in touch directly with air, water, or pollution. Normally, people use bottles for liquid good and bags for bulk food.

Promote the products

In addition to using eco-friendly materials and suitable packaging forms, food packaging design is important as well. It can help promote your product and increase your sales performance. The elements of its design mainly include color, wording, and pattern. A successful design makes full use of these elements according to the product’s performance, feature, and shape, thus attracting consumers to buy. Here are two cases to share.

In terms of color, we take into ground that red stands for passion and love while gold stands for loyalty and luxury. There are two boxes of same chocolate in almost the same packaging design except for the ribbon: one is tied in a gold bow, while the other decorated with a red ribbon flower. The sales result online came out that the second item is more welcomed and won a better selling during the Valentine’s period. The seller knows well people’s conventional thinking way towards color and succeeded in promote the seasonal product.

With regard to wording, it also has a critical influence on food packaging design. Besides the basic and required product information, companies can print distinctive words like slogans to incentive purchasing. For instance, a bag of food with its outer package boldly printed “capacity increased with same price” would be sold quite well. Don’t ignore the magic of these words; it can grasp people’s subtle psychological reaction to discount.

From the cases above we can find good and nice food packaging design could become an efficient advertising method at a lower cost.

The importance of food packaging is obvious and it benefits both the manufactures and customers. However, we never agree on over packaging. Over package is a kind of resource waste and not friendly to our environment.

I get many inquiries about how to calculate the carbon footprint of truck transportation. The problem is a fairly simple one to calculate. However, there is one variable that presents a problem. Fuel consumption. Fuel consumption is not constant. It depends on many factors like: age of truck, the general maintenance of the truck, the aerodynamic factor for the truck, if it was travelling up hill, or down hill, if it was a windy day, etc, etc. If your comfortable with an estimate: 6 miles per gallon is a good estimate of what a truck uses on average. Now, the rest is hard data…

Example #1: FULL TRUCKLOAD

Full Truck load

Fuel Consumption: 6 Miles per Gallon

Miles travelled: 1000

Carbon per US Gallon of Diesel: 2.77 KG

= 1000miles/6mpg x 2.77KG per gallon

(please disregard the intermixing of imperial and metric. The transportation industry is still in imperial while the rest of us are on metric!)

= 461.68 KG is the Carbon Footprint of this shipment.

If you’re looking for a formula = 0.46 KG per mile travelled (based on a 44,000lb truckload).

Example #2 LTL:

LTL

Full Truckload = 44,000 lbs

Fuel Consumption = 6mpg

Miles = 1000

Shipment = 10,000 lbs

Carbon per US Gallon of Diesel = 2.77 KG

We know the total Carbon Footprint on this truckload is 461.68 KG from the previous calculation and that a full truck carries 44,000 lbs. So, 461.68 / 44,000 = 0.0105 per pound. Multiply by 10,000 lbs = 104.93 KG of Carbon for this LTL shipment.

If you’re looking for a formula = 0.0105KG per pound/1000 miles = 0.00001 Kgs per pound/mile

=0.00001x POUNDS x MILES

Note: Because LTL densities can be different you will have to change the formula based on how much of your product fits in a truck. For example: if you were shipping pillows and a whole truckload of pillows weighed only 10,000 lbs. You would have to adjust the calculation I just did above accordingly.

Commuting from one place to another is an important and unavoidable part of every person’s daily life. We often have to travel from one place to another for personal or official reasons. Modes of transportation like buses and trains do not always run according to our preferences and usually are overcrowded. Hiring a taxi service is the best for people looking for a hassle free travel. It is one of the most convenient and affordable ways to travel from one place to another for people who don’t know how to drive a car.

A professional taxi service can come to your rescue either when you don’t own a vehicle or when it is not convenient to take your own vehicle. Here are some important benefits of using a taxi service for your transportation needs:

Round the Clock Service – Companies providing taxi services operate 24/7. This means that you can call them any time of the day. All you need to do is place a call to the company and give them your location, a taxi will reach your desired location in a very short time.

Professional Drivers – Taxi companies hire drivers who are professional and experienced. They are familiar with the city routes and the traffic patterns. Hiring a taxi service saves you from spending time in learning the routes to reach your destination.

Affordable – Taxi can be considered as the most affordable and economic form of transportation with regards to the ease and comfort it offers.

Flexibility – Taxi services are very flexible as compared to public transportation. They offer you the advantage of travelling wherever you want and whenever you want. Also like buses and trains, they don’t stop frequently to pick and drop other passengers.

Variety of Options – Taxi companies offer you a range of vehicle options to choose from. You can find vehicles ranging from standard passenger vehicles to luxury vehicles like a limousine. You can pick a vehicle based on your needs and budget.

Saves Time – Hiring a taxi service saves your time and energy, since you don’t have to go around looking for transportation options. A taxi will arrive at your doorstep in a few minutes after you place a call to the company. If you use public transport, you will have to walk to the desired location and wait for the bus to arrive. Also, it will stop at various places to pick and drop passengers, which will increase your travelling time by a considerable amount.

You can also hire a taxi service for airport and hotel transportation.

Bicycles are one of the most popular forms of transportation in modern cities today. Particularly in some parts of China and in Dutch countries, bicycles are used as a primary form of transportation. Aside from being an economic and environment-friendly form of transportation for adults and adolescent students, the bicycle is also popular among children as toys. In the United States, school children ride their bikes to school. Kids and toddlers learn their first attempt at independence and autonomy in bike riding. Nowadays, bicycling activities and health fitness activities that involve bicycling are also coming up and are being recognized as new forms of sports, attesting to the fact that indeed, the bicycle has not lost its functional appeal to human activities.

What most people do not know is that the modern bicycle has developed over some period of time. Humans are now enjoying the transportation, recreational and health benefits of the bicycle due to some very relevant inventions and innovations thereafter which resulted to the modern bicycle – most commonly called now as the bike – that we have today.

Documented history of the modern bicycle goes back to the early 19th century with the invention of the “velocipedes” or human-powered vehicles. These velocipedes are used and moved using the rider’s legs and feet. One of the foremost examples of the velocipede is the pushbike or the “draisines” which was introduced in France by German Baron Karl von Drais in 1818. The draisines, much like the modern bike, had two aligned tires that were connected by a wooden seat where the rider sits on as he or she pushes along with his or her feet.

Innovation on the draisines came around 1839 with Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan. MacMillan added a mechanical handle to the end wheel. This addition in design and structure brought the velocipede much closer to the modern bicycle that we have today. Between 1950s-1960s, further innovations were made on the bicycle. Two frenchmen, Ernest Michaux and Pierre Lallement added a new dimension to the bicycle design by increasing the diameter of the front wheel and attaching pedals to it. Aside from the front pedals features, this bike was now made of a steel frame that was mounted on wooden wheels wrapped with metal or iron tires. But because the tires were not proportionate to the frame and to its hind wheels, this design was made to fail; and albeit the metal and iron tires the wheels sturdier, its heavy and unequal weight made it harder to move around. No wonder this new bicycle was named the “boneshaker”.

The 1885 innovation on the new bicycle remedied some of the problems in design and function of the “Boneshaker”. J.K. Starley, Shergold and Lawson reduced the diameter of the front wheel. They also moved the seat farther back from the front wheels and attached the chain drive so that the rider need not pedal on the front wheels. This made the “Dwarf” safer for the rider, not to mention more balanced and easier to ride on.

Further relevant innovations came around the 1880 and the 1890s, adding new features of design to the bicycle making it more comfortable to use and with applied physics, this ultimately made the bicycle one of the best loved form of transportation, sports and recreation that we have today.

When it comes to starting a non-emergency medical transportation business it is important that you choose a suitable name. Many entrepreneurs overlook the importance that a name can play in the development of a brand. The right name can help you to make a great first impression on people in your market and it can help you to build long term relationships and reputation.

Don’t make the mistake of leaving this important decision to the last minute like other business owners do. Put some thought into coming up with a great name that will serve your ambulette business well as you develop and grow over the years.

Here are a list of points that you may consider as you go about the process of naming your non-emergency medical transportation business (NEMT business).

Relevance and Professionalism

A great name should be relevant to what your business does. Rather than having something obscure that leaves people guessing, you may as well use the words ‘medical’ and ‘transportation’ in the title. This will immediately communicate to people exactly what it is that you do.

You could even use other words that further define your services. It can be a good idea to avoid getting too specific though as you may change your business model further down the line and cater to a different section of the market.

The qualities that people will look for in a medical transportation business are of course professionalism and reliability. Your name should instill confidence in people and let them know that you are indeed a reliable operation that is committed to running a safe and reliable ambulette service. For this reason, many small business owners use their own surname or first name as a part of their business name.

Be Unique, Original and Memorable

While the word ‘transportation’ will hardly be unique in the industry you can combine it with other words to create something new and original that will stand out. Take a look at what other local non-emergency medical transportation companies have done with their names and make sure that your name clearly distinguishes your business from theirs.

A great name should be memorable. As well as giving people a good first impression it should be easy enough, and catchy enough so that it stands out in their minds over the long term. Create a list of names and then run them by some of your friends and colleagues to find out which ones have a positive impact on them. Ask them about the names again several days later and see which ones they are able to remember.

Legal Considerations

There are also important legal considerations to think about when it comes to choosing a name. You absolutely must ensure that the name that you select is not already in use by another business in the same industry. Run a names search through the database at your county clerks office and do a thorough check online to make sure that your selection will not cause you to encounter legal issues further down the road.

Practical and Functional

Good choices for names will typically be short and practical. A short name is easier to remember and more practical when it comes to using it on business cards or using it to answer the phone. Don’t mess around with words that are difficult to spell or pronounce.

You may also consider a name that works well as an acronym. For example, ‘Sacramento Transportation Services’ could be called STS for short.

Remember that you will want to get a website set up at some point. Before you finalize your choice and register a name for your business you should also snap up any relevant domain names.

Brainstorming for Ideas

To help you come up with some name ideas put a big list of relevant words together. These words could be related to your location, your industry, your market or the services that you offer. You could also come up with words related to reliability and friendliness that describe your service. Emotional sounding words can also have a strong impact.

As well as your own thoughts you can also ask other people for their opinions. Look over some of the names that other medical transportation businesses around the world are using for ideas. Names in use by businesses in the transportation and medical industries may also provide some inspiration.

Some entrepreneurs even hire branding or marketing consultants to help them come up with the right name and brand image before they go into business. It could be a good idea to seek professional help if you really feel that you are not up to this important task.

A Name to Be Proud Of

Perhaps most importantly, the owner of the business has to love its name. You ideally need a name that you can feel proud to be associated with. The right choice should inspire you, help you to focus on developing the business and make you want to work hard to grow your brand name.

Once you have started your business it is not easy to backtrack and make changes to your name. if you do so then you will come up against many expenses relating to alterations to paperwork and printed promotional materials. Changing your business name is one of the best ways to confuse and isolate your customers unless the process is carefully managed.

For the above reasons it is essential that you ensure that you have a great name for your non-emergency medical transportation business right from the start. Give this important decision the time and attention that is deserves.

India is at the cusp of revolutionizing the way we travel! Hyperloop is the new buzzword that has got every Indian excited and tingling with anticipation.

For the uninitiated, it all began in the summer of 2013 with Elon Reeve Musk (Founder – SpaceX, CEO – Tesla & Neuralink, and Chairman – SolarCity & OpenAl) writing a whitepaper where he conceptualized a disruptive transportation technology. He envisioned a pod like structure ensconced within a vacuum steel tube, covering long distances at supersonic speeds (estimated at almost 1200 kmph) using passive magnetic levitation system as its driving force. Musk explained that this mode of transportation would make commuting faster, safer, economical and environmentally friendly.

Musk was magnanimous to invite professionals to further develop his concept and take it to its ultimate fruition. Jumping the bandwagon were two US based companies – HyperloopOne and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT). Both the companies invited engineers from across the globe to be a part of the technology development and implementation process. Hyperloop One has successfully completed a full-scale test in the Nevada desert on the 12th of May 2017. However, both companies are only the technology providers and will require full support in terms of construction, infrastructure development and maintenance.

India with its ever increasing population, rapid urbanization, and being one of the fastest growing economies on the planet, could be the perfect launch-pad for the Hyperloop mass transportation system. These companies have shown keen interest in the development and implementation of the technology in India, albeit their approach has been very different. HTT submitted a proposal to the Transport Ministry in December 2016 and is already in talks with five Indian states for raising funds and connecting major Indian cities with a high speed network. HyperloopOne, on the other hand, invited proposals from world over asking engineers to come-up with an action plan to make the Hyperloop project feasible in their respective countries. The company has committed to collaborating with the winners on the proposed route and assured technology transfer. However the onus of Government approvals, land acquisition, capital expenditure and technology development, would lie with the participants. Amongst the semi-finalists are five teams from India, who showcased their proposals in the ‘Vision of India’ event graced by prominent dignitaries representing the Government of India.

Despite the flurry of action, none of the proposals have seen any active initiation by the concerned authorities. Whether the Hyperloop system will soon become a reality or remain a distant dream is something that only time can tell. However, the Hyperloop technology has redefined the way we envision our future mass transportation system. The road network of tomorrow – be it Hyperloop or Bullet-trains, will certainly be coveted technologies that will make commuting faster, safer and savvier.

Disclaimer: All information covered in the above article is readily available on public domain.

If you are shifting large amounts of personal or business cargo internationally, then you can use a freight forwarder or clearing agent. You will definitely not be stressed if you use these services. A clearing agent and freight forwarder can help you in transportation of your cargo and ensure that the cargo reaches its destination safely. However, while you may assume that freight forwarders and clearing agents are the same, there is a difference between the two.

When you are moving cargo to an international destination, you will have to fulfill certain customs formalities. This is where a clearing agent can help you as most agents have a good relationship with customs authorities. Any documentation related to the clearing of goods through the customs and transportation of the goods will be handled by the clearing agent. When a clearing agent handles your cargo, you will not be hassled by the paperwork. Also, you will not have to worry about paying duty and VAT as these fees will be handled by the agent.

A forwarder could be a company or a self-employed person who looks after exports. Usually a forwarder is often referred to as third party logistics provider. The forwarder is responsible for organizing the entire process of transportation for the cargo before it is packed. Invariably, the freight forwarder will take the cargo to his warehouse and store it there before it is transported. The transportation is organized based on what the customer wants. Usually, the customer has to inform the forwarder where the cargo needs to be shipped and the forwarder will look for the best and most cost effective route. The freight forwarder usually handles shipments that are sent either by sea, but he can also handle air shipments.

So, while transportation needs and customs are handled by a freight forwarder, customs and documentation are handled by an agent. This is the basic difference between a forwarder and an agent.

The freight industry has a unique lexicon, much of it rooted in a long transportation history. The vocabulary can be a bit overwhelming and confusing to a newcomer.

We’ll explore some of the most often-used terms here:

Abatement – A discount allowed for damage or overcharge

Accessorial – Some service that is not considered ‘standard’ and will incur additional fees. This can include inside delivery, insurance, lift gate service, and other services

Bill of Lading (BOL) – Essential shipping documents which state relevant names and addresses, places of origin and destination, description of the shipped goods, instructions for payment and other relevant information

Booking – Arranging for the transportation of freight by a carrier

Boxcar – A closed rail freight car

Carrier – The transportation entity which agrees to move freight by rail, truck, sea, air or any combination of these modes

Cartage – Local (as opposed to interstate or international) freight hauling on trucks

Claim – A demand made upon carrier for payment due to damage or other loss as a result of carrier’s negligence in transporting

Classification – Assigned rating for particular type of product, generally identifying the size, value and inherent difficulties in transporting that product. The correct class is imperative for an accurate freight quote

Consignee – The person or company to which the freight is shipped

Consignor – The person or company identified as the shipper of freight

Container – A large metal box resembling a truck trailer body that can be shipped via vessel or rail and then attached to a trailer chassis for further transport, containers come in many sizes and types

Deadhead – When a truck delivers a load and then completes one leg of a trip without any cargo

Declared Value – A shipper can sometimes receive a lower rate if it declares a lower than actual value for a shipment, this can be risky in the event of a loss

Density – The weight of cargo per cubic foot, this measurement is important to an accurate freight quote

Double Drop – An open deck trailer with a raised section in the front and rear and a lower section in the middle which can be used to transport unusually tall cargo

Drayage – Local hauling of cargo by truck Same as Cartage

Dry Van – Refers to a 53′ trailer which can be heated or vented but is not refrigerated

Exception -When a shipment is received by a carrier (usually at their terminal), the carrier notes any actual or suspected damage to the cargo prior to transport

Freight – Used in several different manners, can refer to the actual cargo or to the charges assessed to a shipper by a carrier for hauling that cargo

Gross Weight – Cumulative weight of cargo, packaging and freight car or container

HAZ MAT – Hazardous Material

Intermodal – Use of multiple modes of transportation to move containers of cargo – can include sea, rail, road and air freight transport

LTL or Less Than Truckload – Shipment in which cargo is not large enough to require an entire truck by itself, LTL shipments are generally in the 100 lbs to 20,000 lbs range

N.M.F.C. – National Motor Freight Classification (see Classification above)

Piggyback – An intermodal transport arrangement in which loaded truck trailers are placed on a rail car and moved to a destination

PRO Number – The tracking number assigned by the carrier to a specific shipment

Proof of Delivery – Receipt of delivery for a shipment

Pup – A short trailer used together with another short trailer to create a twin or tandem trailer

Quotation or quote – An offer to provide freight carriage at a specific price based upon certain shipment information and terms

Reefer – Refrigerated container or trailer

Stack-train – A specialty rail car which can carry containers stacked two high

Step Deck – An open trailer with a standard flatbed section at the front and a dropped section in the rear, used to transport taller cargo

Tare Weight – The weight of the empty railcar or empty container in rail, sea or intermodal shipments

Tariff – A publication establishing the rates and requirements of a specific transportation company

Terminal – An area in which freight is organized and prepared for loading and dispatch to final destination, cargo will often go to a carrier’s terminal after it is picked up and then placed in another container or trailer for transport to its destination, Inter modal cargo is often unloaded to a terminal before being organized and placed for final delivery

TL – Truckload freight (where the amount of cargo is sufficient to fill an entire trailer or container

Tractor – The power unit used to pull a trailer

Trailer – The portion of the truck in which the freight is loaded and hauled

Ventilated Trailer – A trailer with small openings in walls to allow air to outside air to circulate through when doors are closed

Warehousing -Storage of cargo

While this list may seem long, there are hundreds of other industry terms and catch-phrases that you might run across. Whether you are a novice or experienced shipper, you may hear a new term from time to time. Don’t hesitate to contact us to find out what any freight-related word means at any time.