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Freight operations

Milk Run

One vehicle collecting from or delivering to several points on a fixed circuit, on a repeating schedule.

Also calledMilk run logistics

A milk run sends one vehicle round a set sequence of stops on a regular timetable, collecting small quantities from several suppliers or dropping at several customers, rather than running a separate vehicle to each. The name comes from doorstep milk delivery, which worked exactly this way.

It is standard practice in automotive and manufacturing inbound logistics, where a plant needs frequent small deliveries from many nearby suppliers to keep line-side inventory low. Running a dedicated vehicle per supplier would be unaffordable; a milk run makes high-frequency, low-quantity supply viable.

The design questions are sequence and frequency. Too few runs and inventory builds at the plant; too many and the vehicles run empty. The circuit also has to be stable enough for suppliers to prepare against a known pickup time, which means milk runs are planned assets rather than daily optimisations.

Same category

Freight operations

The movement patterns and service models behind road freight.

3PL (Third-Party Logistics)

An outsourced provider that executes logistics — transport, warehousing, fulfilment — on a company's behalf.

4PL (Fourth-Party Logistics)

An orchestrator that manages a company's whole logistics network, including its other providers.

Backhaul

Freight carried on the return leg, converting an otherwise empty run into revenue.

Cross Docking

Transferring goods straight from inbound to outbound vehicles with little or no storage in between.

Empty Running

Kilometres driven with no load — pure cost, and the largest avoidable waste in road freight.

First Mile

The initial leg — moving goods from the seller or plant into the transport network.

FTL (Full Truckload)

A shipment that occupies an entire vehicle, moving direct from origin to destination.

Last Mile Delivery

The final leg to the recipient's door — the most expensive segment per parcel and the only one the customer sees.

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