Planning and arranging transport

M a k e a lis t of a ll the differe n t fa c t ors that would in flu e nce your choice of transport method for a
ST A RTER
shipm en t . Comple te the diagram below .

A U D IO

® i List en to the telephone dia logu e and a nsw er the qu estions.

1 What are the two different rail transport options?

2 When do they want to ship?
3 Where will the shipment go?
4 Which train option is recommended for large volume shipments?
5 What would make transport cheaper?
6 How much time will they have for loading the rail wagons?
3 8 | U N ITS Planning and arranging transport

2 Comple t e the se n t e nces with the w ords from the box. Then list e n again to check.

if you like • recommend • an alternative • could you • how much • also consider
• calling about • would be • more suitable • suggest that

1 I’ m the train options described on your website.

2 tell me a bit more about them?
3 W h a t___________________________ the best rail option for us?
4 For large volum es, I w o u ld ___________________________ using block train transport.
5 If you want to ship smaller quantities, the single-wagon option would be

6 If flexibility is important, I w o u ld you book the flexitrain block

train option.
7 As , I can suggest single-car transport, which is even more flexible.
8 In that case we s h o u ld __________________________ the other block train options.
9 time would we have for loading?
10 At least 7 hours, but we could arrange longer loading t im e s__________________________ .

M A KIN G E N Q U IRIES

When asking for information we always use polite language. We often start with a more
general request for information before we ask more specific questions. Indirect questions
such as Could you tell me how much it would cost? are more polite than direct questions e.g.
How much would it cost?

I ’d like to ask / enquire a b o u t ...

I ’m ca lling a b o u t ... (on the telephone)
I ’m writing about / with regard to ... (in an email or letter)
Could you tell me how much /many / long /often...?

A D V ISIN G T H E C U ST O M ER

Customers may need advice on transport options, freight and insurance rates, shipping and
packing details, the route, details regarding weight, dim ensions, and measurements.

For this consignm ent I would recom m end / suggest using a ir transport.
I recom m end / suggest that you ship the goo ds by road.
We /You should also consid e r a ir transport f o r ...
That d epends on your specific requirements.

O F F ERIN G A LT ER N A TIV ES

Sometimes you need to provide the customer with several alternatives before a decision can
be made.

A noth er option would be to ...

O f course it would also be possib le to ... ( inste ad ) .
Alterna tively, you / w e c o u ld ...
 UNIT 5 Planning and arranging transport | 3 9

Here are some more phrases. Sort them under the correct heading.

A C u s t o m e r e n q u iri e s B A dvice an d recom m endations C Offering alterna tives

I (would) need some information regarding...

In that case I recommend/suggest that you use/ship...
I think the best option would be to ...
If you pre fe r..., we could also arrange ...
Could you let me have some information a b o u t ...?
We can provide/arrange/ship ... if you like.
As an alternative, we can offer you ...
What would be the cheapest/fastest/safest/most convenient way/option?

Match the beginnings of the sentences ( 1- 6) w ith the endings (a-f).

1 1 would need some information

2 Could you let me know
3 In that case 1suggest that you
4 For a consignment this size 1
5 Of course it would also be
6 We can also arrange transport n
a would recommend rail transport,
b by courier if you prefer,
c regarding loading times,
d what the transit times are?
e possible to ship by express service instead,
f use the cheaper sea freight option.
40 i j N IT 5 Planning and arranging transport

5 Work with a partner. Follow the st e ps below and practise m aking enquiries and giv ing advice.
Use phrases from t h is unit.

A B

Tell B what you would like to enquire about.

Ask A to be more specific.

Give B some details of your shipment.

Recommend one or two options.

Tell B you are not sure you want this option.

Offer another alternative.

Ask B about order/cancellation deadlines. Answer B’s question. Tell B you w ill give him/
/ her a quotation within the next hour.

Thank B for help. ^

A U D IO

/ 6 Listen to a sh ip p ing agent d escribing one of the con tainers available. Complete the m issing
d e ta ils and label the draw ing with the words from the box.

height • payload • length • tare weight • width • gross weight

Type of container: 40 ft open top

1 _________________ : 4,030 kg
2 _________________ : 32,500 kg
3 m axim um __________________: 28,470 kg
E
<N Internal measurements:
f? 4 _________________ : 12.02 m
<N
5 _________________ :2 .3 5 m
6 _________________ : 2.32 m

7 Listen again and note the non-metric m easurements the age n t mentions.

1 tare weight:
2 internal length:
3 internal height:
 U N ITS Planning and arranging transport |

8 Rewrite the sentences.

Example: The container is 6 metres long.

The length o f the con t a iner is six metres. (Or: The con t a iner 's length is 6> metres. )

1 The package weighs 45 kg.

2 This seagoing vessel is about 30 m wide.
3 The case we need to ship is 1 m long, 50 cm wide and 35 cm high.
4 Its depth is nearly 3 cm.
5 The ship’s length is more than 65 m.
6 The open container’s door height is 7 ft 10in.

9 W ha t do th ese abbreviations stand for?

1 ft
2 kg
3 01
4 cm
5 lb
6 cu yd
7 m2
8 1”
9 pt
10 gal

1 0 Put the words from above in fo the correct column in the table. Complete the table w ith other
m easures and w eights you can t h in k of,

metric non-metric

length y ard ( yd )

weight gram ( g )

surface sguare millim etre ( mm2)

volume

capacity f lu id ounce ( fl oz )
4 2 j UNIT 5 Planning and arranging transport

11 Describe the m easurements and w eight of a con tainer to your partner. Use phrases from
th is unit. i
I T O H T J I l i V Partner A
P artn ers
File 05, p.71
File 13, p. 72

T A L K IN G A B O U T N U M B E RS , S IZ E , W E IG H T , A N D D IM E N SIO N S

Numbers
When dealing with consignm ent de tails it is often necessary to talk about numbers.

We write a comma to show thousands (but we don’t say it!):

235,000 two hundred and thirty-five thousand

We use a point to show decimals:

2.5 one point five

We use the word and after hundreds:

185 one hundred and eighty-five

When arranging transport, we need to give de tails about the size and weight of the
consignm ent to be shipped.
Size
Our consignment is 3 by 2 by 2.5 metres.
This box measures 2 by 1.5 by 2.5 metres.
Its measurements are 20 by 85 by 60 centimetres.

Weight
The empty container weighs 5,000 kg.
The net / tare /gross weight o f the container is ... kg/ tons.
The container’s maximum payload is ...

Dimensions
The box is 40 cm high / long/ wide /deep.
Its/The height / length / width /depth is 40 cm.

Remember:
This container is almost six metres/feet long (not six metre/foot \)
But: It’s a twenty-foot container, (not feett)

® 1 2 Listen to the dialogue between a forw arder and a customer a sk in g for a sh ip p ing quotation.
Then sa y whether the sta tem en ts are true 0 or fa lse [Xjaccording to the dialogue.

1 Karla Hanssen needs a quotation for air freight to the United Arab Emirates. □
2 They want to ship cooling units to Abu Dhabi. □
The consignm ent consists of 18 boxes. □
□
3
They want to ship from Sweden.

□
4
The units should be picked up on August 6th.

□
5
6 Martin w ill call back within the next two hours.
 U N ITS Planning and arranging transport | 4 3

1 3 Listen again and complete the m issing d e t a ils in the online quotation form.

Quotation form

Company name:
Contact: Karla Hanssen
Tel No: 0046 890265030
Fax No: 0046 890265039
Email address: khanssen @ coolair.se

Shipping information
Point of origin:
3
Destination:
Method of transport: Air
Number of units/items:
5
Pick-up date:
6
Delivery date:

Freight information
Volume (m3): 30.31 m3
7
Total weight (kg):
Dimensions (cm): 170 cm high, 145 cm wide and 82 cm deep
8
Type and nature of goods:

Special requirements
Hazardous: 9

Other: must arrive by 10

1 Zj. Work with a partner. W rit e an email ask ing for a quotation. Include the inform a tion from the
order form above.

RE Q U ESTIN G A Q U O T A TIO N

We/i need a quotation for a shipm ent to ...

Please quote for (the supply/transport o f ) ...
Please send us a quotation f o r ...
Please quote your lowest prices f o r ...
Your quotation should include detailed information on freight and insurance rates,
delivery terms, delivery date, and terms of payment.
 4 4 [ U N ITS Planning and arranging transport

1 5 Put the w ords in the righ t order.

1 a shipment / send / us / a quotation / please / for / to Madras

2 state / delivery date / please / in your quotation / your earliest
3 let us / could / the following / please / have a quotation / including / details / you ?
4 a part truck load / shipping rates / what / your / for / to Birmingham / are ?
5 on sailing times / your quotation / detailed information / should / and insurance rates / also
include
6 the following consignment / please / for / of / quote / the transport

O U TPU T
In this w eek’s issue o f our GLOBAL TRADE magazine
we offer some expert advice on how to successfully ship
goods abroad from Hank Wilcox. As the export manager
fo r Jonston Cosmetics, Hank oversees the distribution o f
cosmetic products to more than 40 countries worldwide.
Overseas trade and logistics issues play a major role in
the company's business.

How do you successfully manage shipping
logistics at Jonston Cosmetics?
I think it’s m ost im portant to w ork w ith good
freight forw arders. So before we actually choose
a freight forw arder, w e check w hether their
service level com es up to o ur standards.
W hat exactly does that mean?
W ell, it m eans that we only w ant to w ork with
forw arders w ho m eet certain requirem ents.
O ne thing th a t’s really im portant is reliability.
W e need to be 100 per cent sure that our
consignm ents are delivered to the custom er at
the right tim e. W e also expect a high level o f
com m unication and co-operation betw een the
forw arder and ourselves. A nd our forw arders
m ust be able to provide flexible transport
solutions at short notice.
And what about transport costs?
The price is also im portant obviously, but as I
said, there are other things to consider such as
quality o f service, handling o f paperw ork and
advice. W e usually ask for four quotations for
each shipm ent.
W hat about all the documentation required in
overseas trade?
W e have a team o f experienced logistics people
w ho discuss the best possible freight options
w ith the custom er and handle all the paperw ork.
D ocum entation is really very im portant,
especially if things go wrong. So we always
make sure we have copies and duplicates o f every
docum ent in case som ething is lost.
Consignments can easily be damaged in
transit. Are your customers aware of that?
Y es, w e alw ays advise our custom ers on the
risks and offer them the m ost suitable insurance
for their consignm ents. U nfortunately, handling
dam age is quite com m on so it’s alw ays a good
idea to insure a consignm ent. A nd insurance is
less expensive than m ost people w ould expect; it
usually costs betw een one and tw o p er cent o f the
co nsignm ent’s value.

O V ER TO Y O U

1 Do you have any experience in dealing with freight forwarders?

2 Does the text mention everything a ‘good’ forwarder should be able to do? Can you add
other aspects?
2 If you had to choose a forwarder, what criteria would be most important for you?
4 In what case would you recommend freight insurance?