The use of transport types

A transport type is a code that refers to transport conditions and transport properties.

You can use transport types for the following purposes:

• To ensure that items are transported by means of transport with appropriate transport conditions. For example, frozen foodstuffs must be transported in cold storage trucks, airplanes with cold storage compartments, and so on. To achieve this, you must add a relevant user-defined transport type code to items that require cold storage. You must also add this transport types to the transport means groups to which the means of transport belong that will transport the item.
• To determine the costs of transportation for items. A transport type can be used as selection criteria for freight rate books. If a freight order line has an item with a transport type that matches the transport type associated with a freight rate book, the freight rate book is used to determine the transportation costs of the freight order line. For further information on transport rating, see Calculation of estimated freight costs.
• To determine the planning group of the freight order lines to which they are allocated. A transport type can be used as a selection criterion of a plan matrix. For further information, see Plan matrices and matrix definitions.

To make this work, you must link transport types to the following data entities:

• Combination codes

  You can add a combination code to a transport type. As a result, the transport type is only available for items with the same combination code as the one defined for the transport type.

• Transport means groups

  For further information, see The use of transport means groups.

• Items

  If you link a transport type to items, you ensure that the load building engine only combines order lines with items with identical transport types. You can link transport types to items in the Items - Freight Management (fmfmd1100m000) session.

• Matrix definitions and plan matrices

  A transport type can be used as a matrix attribute to determine the planning group for freight order lines to which the transport type is allocated. If a transport type is used as a matrix attribute in a plan matrix, freight order lines with matching transport types are grouped into the planning group specified in the plan matrix.