Shipping is a major industry today, and many carrier companies are ready and willing to deliver all sorts of freight for companies and individual people alike. Often, semi trucks will handle freight delivery for clients, and they can go nearly anywhere. Trains, meanwhile, can deliver many tons of freight all at once. But what about delivering cargo to remote areas, or islands? Air and ocean cargo is ideal for delivering to the Caribbean islands, for example, from Cuba to Haiti and the Dominican Republic to Jamaica and more. American air cargo planes may fly to and from that region constantly, and Dominican shipping may rely heavily on it. When it comes to looking up air delivery options in the Dominican Republic, a client may look up “dominicana shipping by air” or “dominicana shipping naval” to find some options. And often, it may be that person’s purchasing agent who will look up “dominicana shipping” and find a proper airline or ship to deliver the cargo on time. What is there to know about air freight? And what does a purchasing agent do, anyway?
All About Air and Ship Freight
Ocean cargo shipping and air freight delivery is a robust industry today, since there are many parts of the world that trains and trucks cannot easily reach. Some airlines may deliver cargo only nationally, and others may make international flights, so a person ordering a delivery may have to choose the correct option. Plenty of good are being delivered by air; the numbers show that back in 2012, the worldwide aviation freight delivery industry shipped $6.4 trillion worth of cargo. That number might be even higher today. Many of these planes are dedicated entirely to delivering cargo, though passenger planes are also known to carry cargo in them. Overall, estimates say that 30% of the entire world’s cargo (by value) is shipped via planes and jets.
Why use these vehicles? For one, as mentioned earlier, they can access any area that has an airport and landing strip for them to use, such as islands. Jets can fly right over any body of water, and they can also fly right over mountain ranges and other obstacles that might disrupt land-based travel. Not only that, but planes are simply much faster than any truck or train is. Planes can fly at hundreds of miles per hour over any terrain type whatsoever, and they are responsible for the quickest delivery options out there. Some buyers order items and demand to receive them within two days, or even order an “overnight”, or 24-hour, delivery. That sort of delivery speed is only possible through airplanes, and their crews may prioritize such items and load them into a plane right away. Goods might be delivered to the airport by truck, then loaded onto a plane. Once that plane lands at its destination, trucks can accept the plane’s cargo and deliver it the rest of the way.
Ships are often used to deliver massive amounts of cargo around the world, often in steel shipping containers. They deliver more cargo than even airplanes, at the cost of being slower and needing a port once they arrive. But smaller cargo ships can be used to deliver goods to islands if airplanes are not being used for the job.
Purchasing Agents
Figuring out freight shipping logistics may be among many purchasing agent duties. For those not aware, a purchasing agent is a skilled professional who will make a purchase and order items on behalf of their client, and these agents may enter something online such as “dominicana shipping” or “overnight planes to haiti” to order items, for example. These purchasing agents may take careful stock of what items (and in what quantity) their client needs, and know when to order them. The purchasing agent is also tasked with choosing from among many different suppliers and shippers alike, and finding ones who offer the best deal and at the best price. A purchasing agent may coordinate closely with any shippers and carriers involved, and make sure that the item(s) will be delivered on time. That agent may receive tracking updates about where a vehicle is and whether it has arrived at certain checkpoints. This makes it easier to estimate package arrival times.