Course Title: CARGO OPERATIONS AND FLEET MANAGEMENT

Course Code : NMHL 52106

Level: Year 2, Semester 1

Course Credits: Contact Hours 60, CREDIT UNITS 4

Course Description

This course unit provides a firm foundation to the understanding of the basic concepts, principles
and practices in Cargo operations and fleet management. It covers a broad range of key logistics
issues, applications and systems that are vital in the present competitive business environment.
The course is practical oriented with emphasis on theory and its practical applications in both the
public and private sectors. It is geared towards understanding the specifics and management of
the fleet and cargo operations.

Course Objectives

1. To expose students to the best practices in cargo operations and fleet management.
2. To equip students with knowledge and develop their capacity for effective cargo operations
and fleet management.
3. To enhance the knowledge and skills of students to enable them work in transport, Logistics
and Supply Chain Management Environment.
4. To equip students with practical knowledge and best business practices in cargo operations
and fleet management
5. To enable students Adopt efficient journey planning techniques to reduce mileage, minimize
exposure to congestion and make more efficient use of company transport

Expected Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, participants should be able to:

1. Understand and apply the best practices in cargo operations and fleet management in
order to achieve organizational competitiveness and profitability.
2. Demonstrate ability to make positive contribution to the success of an enterprise by
managing the activities in cargo operations and fleet.
3. Appreciate the role of cargo operations and fleet management as a vital function in the
affairs of NGO management and Humanitarian Logistics.

Introduction

1. OVERVIEW OF CARGO OPERATIONS AND FLEET MANAGEMENT (4Hours)

 Meaning of cargo
 Types of cargo (dry cargo, liquid and gas cargo, dangerous cargo)
 The concept of fleet management
 Meaning of fleet management

 Different types of fleet

2. CARGO OPERATIONS

Maritime cargo operations (13 Hours)

 General principles of handling, stowage and carriage of cargo

 Safe Handling, Stowage and Securing Of Cargo
 Container port-cargo handling
 Regulations Governing Carriage Of Cargo And Cargo Gear
 Safe Carriage of IMO Dangerous Cargo
 Cargo Care:
 Documents associated with Cargo and Cargo Gear

Air cargo operations (10 Hours)

 General guidelines for cargo handling (IATA)

 General provisions for air cargo operations
 Design and facilities required for air cargo warehouses/complexes associated with
the airport
 Documentation and cargo management at the air port
 Entry and departure of cargo
 Security measures and facilitations relating to cargo and other goods at the airport
 Safe transport of hazardous goods by air
 Classification of hazardous goods
 Limitation on the transportation of hazardous good by air
 Packaging
 Labeling and marking
 Shipper’s and operator’s responsibility
  Manpower Training
 Hazardous goods accident and incident reporting

Cargo consolidation and containerization (6 Hours)

 Meaning of cargo consolidation

 Benefits of cargo consolidation
 Meaning of containerization
 Types of containers used in shipping

 Relevance of containerization

3. ASPECTS OF FLEET MANAGEMENT

Identifying fleet needs (3 Hours)

 Determinants of fleet needs

 Vehicle selection criteria
 Choosing a fleet (Assessing the options)
Vehicle Management (3 Hours)

 Fleet management systems (technologies in application, types of instruments, relevance)

 General guidelines on proper handling
 Vehicle inspection
 Vehicle maintenance, safety and protection
 Principles of vehicle management policy (UNFPA)

Health, Safety & Security (3 Hours)

 Complying with Legislature and security requirements

 Vehicle Usage
 Vehicle usage policy

Developing a sustainable fleet management strategy (3 Hours)

 Principles of sustainable fleet management

 The sustainable fleet management process

Vehicles and the environment (6 Hours)

 Air quality
 Climate change and carbon emissions
 Vehicle and fuel technology
  Future technologies
 Comparing the technologies

Managing mileage and fuel (3 Hours)

 Step 1: Monitoring and setting targets

 Step 2: Managing and reducing mileage
 Step 3: Managing and improving fuel efficiency

Major fleet management issues in conflict-affected countries (case study of Sudan, Somalia
and Congo) (6 Hours)

 The transport sector in Africa: significance, trends and emerging issues

 Actions taken and progress made
 Challenges and constraints
 Lessons learnt and the way forward
 Case studies

Teaching and Learning Methods

Lectures, Group discussion, Class presentations, Simulation, Role plays, Individual presentations
and Case Studies

Assessment and Grading Systems

Course work constitutes 40% and written examination 60%. The course work is made up of
various components that include student presentations and take home assignments.
The course will be graded out of maximum of 100 marks and assigned appropriate letter grades
and grade point averages as shown below:

Average Mark (%) Grading Cumulative Grade Remarks

Letter Point average
80-100 A 5.0 Distinction
75-79 B+ 4.5 Very good
70-74 B 4 Good
65-69 C+ 3.5 Good
60-64 C 3 Fair
55-59 D+ 2.5 Fair
50-54 D 2 Pass
00-49 F 0 Fail
The pass mark for this course is 50%

REFERENCES
Directorate of airspace and aerodrome regulations, 2015: Air cargo operations, operating
regulation, 2015

David .J. House: Cargo work for marine operations (formerly Kemp & Young’s Cargo Work)
Seventh Edition 2005 First published by Butterworth-Heinemann 1990

Transport for London, Sustainable fleet management guide (TfL) website at

tfl.gov.uk/businessoffers

KRISTIJAN ROGIC, Ph.D., 2008 Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Methodology Of

Introducing Fleet Management System

J. Susman: Introduction to Transport systems, Artech House, London, 2000.

J. de D. Ortuzar, L. G. Wilumsen: Modelling Transport, John Wiley & Sons ltd., Chichester,
1994.

Commercial Veichle Fleet management and Information Systems, Summary of Case studies,
Cambridge Systematics, Cambridge, 1997.

A. Langevin, D. Riopel: Logistics Systems-Design and Optimisation, Springer, Montreal, 2005.

CARGO OPERATIONS Learner’s Guide Book 1 © Department of Training and Workforce

Development 2016