We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » The unsung heroes of end-of-the-line logistics
big picture

The unsung heroes of end-of-the-line logistics

August 10, 2010
Peter Bradley
No Comments

More often than not when we think about freight logistics and physical distribution, the images that come to mind are ocean container ships, 18-wheelers on interstate highways, or trains hauling double-stacked containers across the continent. But getting goods to the end of the line often requires something quite different.

A few weeks ago, I had the good fortune to spend a few days on Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts. During our last day on the island, we spent a leisurely lunch at the Lookout Tavern overlooking the Steamship Authority's loading dock in Oak Bluffs.

I imagine that when most people think of the ferries that move between the mainland and the island, they picture the large passenger vessels crowded with tourists that are often featured in films and news stories on Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket. But while sitting on the restaurant porch, I particularly enjoyed watching the process of loading one of the smaller freight vessels that serve the island.

The Steamship Authority, which operates the ferries that serve Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket and bills itself as "the lifeline to the Islands," has a couple of vessels that specialize in carrying trucks.

What I found intriguing was the various skill levels demonstrated by the truck drivers in backing onto the vessel (not to mention the skilled ferry pilot who backed effortlessly into the dock). While the large ferries open at both ends and allow drivers to pull straight on and straight off, these smaller freight ferries require the large rigs to back up a narrow ramp onto the shifting deck. One driver, handling double trailers, took a good 10 minutes and several attempts to get in position to move up the ramp safely. He was followed by a UPS 18-wheeler, whose driver maneuvered up the ramp as naturally as an auto driver might back into a space at the mall. Impressive.

The freight vessels (for some reason the Steamship Authority puts "freight" in quotes on its website) will also take cars, and I had backed my undersized Civic onto one of these on the way over. I found that challenging enough, so my hat is off to the drivers who regularly maneuver their tractor-trailers or straight trucks safely on board.

This process goes on several times a day and is part of a long-lived routine that ensures the Islands' businesses have the food, drink, clothing, building materials, and tourist tchotchkes they need. And, of course, there are hundreds or even thousands of locations around the nation that present comparable logistics challenges—islands, mountain communities, towns in the hinterlands—all part of a network of carriers and workers that deliver the goods and make this an endlessly interesting business.

Transportation Trucking Maritime & Ocean
  • Related Articles

    "End of the Line" not top-of-the-line

    Heroes of the Supply Chain

    The Logistics Matters podcast: Yossi Sheffi on the future of logistics; growing demand for warehouse automation; the next generations of supply chain pros | Season 1 Episode 28

Peterbradley
Peter Bradley is an award-winning career journalist with more than three decades of experience in both newspapers and national business magazines. His credentials include seven years as the transportation and supply chain editor at Purchasing Magazine and six years as the chief editor of Logistics Management.

Recent Articles by Peter Bradley

From temp to management: interview with Diane Garforth

Watching over intermodal's interests: interview with Joni Casey

Building resilience into the supply chain: interview with Yossi Sheffi

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Cold chain giant Lineage Logistics buys its own rail operator

  • For container lines and ports, what a difference a year makes

  • Outlook 2021: What’s in store for logistics supply chain?

  • Capacity challenges will continue in 2021

  • Cushman & Wakefield Brokers Sale of 170 Acres plus Lease for 1MSF Build-to-Suit for Home Improvement Retailer in Commerce City, CO.

Now Playing on DCV-TV

2mw 01 11 21 thumb

Ocean Sector Shaping the Next Shipageddon

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
If you're a shipper, it's never good when a rep for an ocean carrier tells you, "You better sit down before you read this." We've been seeing astoundingly high increases in the ocean sector and they seem to have staying power. While the ocean carriers used blank sailings last year to tip the balance of supply and...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Proven Benefits: A Compendium of Slotting Optimization Success Snapshots

  • Bridging Information Gaps in Dock and Yard Operations

  • How Intelligent Sensor Solutions Turn Data Into Action

  • Order picking Solutions: Understanding Your Options

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing