Delivery is the process of transporting goods. Most goods are delivered through a transportation network. Cargo (physical goods) are
primarily delivered via roads and railroads on land, shipping lanes on the sea and airline networks in the air. Certain specialized
goods may be delivered via other networks, such as pipelines for liquid goods, power grids for electrical power and computer networks
such as the Internet or broadcast networks for electronic information.
The general process of delivering goods is known as distribution. The study of effective processes for delivery and disposition of
goods and personnel is called logistics. Firms that specialize in delivering commercial goods from point of production or storage
to point of sale are generally known as distributors, while those that specialize in the delivery of goods from point of sale to
the consumer are known as delivery services. Postal, courier and relocation services also deliver goods for commercial and private interests.
Most consumer goods are delivered from a point of production (factory or farm) through one or more points of storage (warehouses)
to a point of sale (retail store), where the consumer buys the good and is responsible for its transportation to point of consumption.
There are many variations on this model for specific types of goods and modes of sale. Products sold via catalogue or the
Internet may be delivered directly from the manufacturer or warehouse to the consumer's home, or to an automated delivery booth.
Small manufacturers may deliver their products directly to retail stores without warehousing. Some manufacturers maintain factory
outlets which serve as both warehouse and retail store, selling products directly to consumers at wholesale prices (although
many retail stores falsely advertise as factory outlets). Building, construction, landscaping and like materials are generally
delivered to the consumer by a contractor as part of another service. Some highly perishable or hazardous goods, such as
radioisotopes used in medical imaging, are delivered directly from manufacturer to consumer. Home delivery is often available
for fast food and other convenience products, e.g. pizza delivery. Sometimes home delivery of supermarket goods is possible.
A milk float is a small battery electric vehicle (BEV), specifically designed for the delivery of fresh milk.
Vehicles are often specialized to deliver different types of goods. On land, semi-trailers are outfitted with various trailers
such as box trailers, flatbeds, car carriers, tanks and other specialized trailers, while railroad trains include similarly
specialized cars. Armored cars, dump trucks and concrete mixers are examples of vehicles specialized for delivery of specific
types of goods. On the sea, merchant ships come in various forms, such as cargo ships, oil tankers and fishing boats. Freight
aircraft are used to deliver cargo.
Often, passenger vehicles are used for delivery of goods. These include busses, vans, pick-ups, cars (e.g, for mail or
pizza delivery), motorcycles and bicycles (e.g, for newspaper delivery). A significant amount of freight is carried in
the cargo holds of passenger ships and aircraft. Everyday travelers, known as a casual courier, can also be used to deliver goods.
Delivery to remote, primitive or inhospitable areas may be accomplished using small aircraft, snowmobiles, horse-drawn
vehicles, dog sleds, pack animals, on foot, or by a variety of other transport methods.
Some products are delivered to consumers on a periodic schedule. At the beginning of the 20th century, perishable farm
items such as milk, eggs and ice, were delivered weekly to customers by local farms. With the advent of home refrigeration
and better distribution methods, these products are today largely delivered through the same retail distribution systems as
other food products. Some products, most notably heating fuels, are still delivered periodically.
Long after the ice man and milkman were a thing of the past, cultural references to affairs between housewives and
delivery men lingered. A recurrent cartoon theme was that of a family whose children resembled a visiting milkman.
This also explains the following lines of Jeannie C. Riley's 1968 hit song Harper Valley PTA:
A transport network, or transportation network in American English, is typically a network of roads, streets, pipes,
aqueducts, power lines, or nearly any structure which permits either vehicular movement or flow of some commodity.
A transport network is used for transport network analysis to determine the flow of vehicles (or people) through it
within the field of transport engineering, typically using mathematical graph theory. It may combine different modes
of transport, for example, walking and car to model multi-modal journeys.
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