About the Transportation Industry

The transportation industry moves people and goods between locations by air, water, rail and road. Sub-industries in this field include:

• Trucking: Vehicles transport cargo on roadways for short and mid-range distances.
• Marine: Ships move passengers and cargo across water, including seaports, terminals and carriers.
• Air delivery: Airplanes complete expedited deliveries of small loads across long distances.
• Freight rail: Trains carry high volumes of heavy cargo across long distances through a rail network.

Transportation is competitive, and success in this industry means efficiently facilitating the flow of goods through the global consumer market. The industry has changed significantly over the centuries due to technological developments that make moving cargo easier and faster. Transportation industry trends include:

• Changing international trade due to free trade agreements and infrastructure development
• More work-from-home jobs that eliminate the need for personal transportation
• Increasing presence of environmentally friendly transportation options, like electric cars and carpooling

Challenges in the Transportation Industry

Transportation is a crucial economic sector because it enables the exchange of goods domestically and internationally. Due to developments such as air freight and international shipping lines, transportation has created a global market that makes it possible to purchase and trade goods anywhere in the world.

The transportation industry depends on company earnings and the costs of transportation services. Factors such as legal regulations, fuel costs, labor costs, geopolitics and service demands all impact company earnings, which in turn affect transportation.

Some challenges in the transportation industry include:

• Complex logistics and shipping: The international trade market makes it difficult to oversee the supply chain and evaluate the trade flows that will impact supply and demand. Transportation companies need to integrate the supply chain to gain full oversight.
• Environmentally friendly operation: The transportation industry faces significant pressure to reduce its carbon footprint. Federal, state and local governments have many laws to reduce emissions, such as anti-idling. For transportation companies, costs are involved with compliance, often at the risk of profits.
• Employee health and safety: The nature of transportation work can harm workers’ health. Operator fatigue from working long hours and dangerous road conditions may cause accidents and fatalities. Obesity and mental health conditions are also common among truck drivers.
• Legal adherence: Legislation that affects the transportation industry is frequently changed, and transportation companies often struggle to adapt to these modifications. They need accurate information about the new laws, plus relevant resources to implement the change. Transportation companies may also be unsure how to implement changes and train employees to follow new protocols. Failure to comply results in severe penalties.

Transportation Industry Standards Supported by NQA

The ISO standards for the transportation industry include:

• ISO 9001: Transportation operations need quality controls to be successful. ISO 9001 is the internationally recognized and most widely used quality management systems standard. It outlines a framework and set of principles for managing an organization in a way that is satisfactory for customers, staff and stakeholders. With this management guideline, transportation companies can take advantage of effective processes to deliver effective service. By getting certified to ISO 9001, transportation businesses prove to their customers that they strive to provide excellent services every time.
• ISO 14001: ISO 14001 is an international, globally recognized standard for environmental management systems. It is a principle management system that specifies how to create and maintain an environmental management structure. This level of oversight allows transportation companies to control their environmental facets, resulting in legal compliance and a lower environmental impact. Certification to ISO 14001 also shows you recognize your environmental influence and are working to reduce it.
• ISO 45001:ISO 45001 is an occupational health and safety standard that protects workers and customers from accidents and illnesses. Certification to this standard creates a healthy environment by controlling factors that could harm individuals’ physical and mental well-being.
• ISO 50001: ISO 50001 is an energy management standard that helps transportation companies optimize their energy efficiency using a framework. Reduced energy consumption results in a lower carbon footprint, decreased operating costs and better efficiency. Certification to ISO 50001 demonstrates dedication to meeting regulatory and legislative requirements and continuously improving energy management practices. It can also be a step toward compliance with the Energy Saving Opportunities Scheme (ESOS) UK legislation.
• ISO 22301: ISO 22301 is the international standard for business continuity management, designed to help companies prevent emergencies and effectively recover from unexpected challenges. The standard outlines a framework for creating and managing this system and applies to many kinds of emergencies. Certification to ISO 22301 shows you can quickly overcome any incidents to provide seamless, quality services.
• IATF 16949: IATF 16949 is an international standard for automotive quality management systems. It is similar to ISO 9001 and has additional requirements tailored to the automotive industry. This standard allows transportation companies to create a quality management system that expedites supply chain processes. Benefits of being certified to IATF 16949 include continuous improvements, reduced waste, lower product variation and defect prevention.
• ISO 27001: ISO 27001 is the standard for information security management systems. It employs a process approach for creating, implementing, using and maintaining these systems. Transportation companies can use the framework outlined in this standard to ensure their data is confidential and honest, protecting information about the brand, employees and customers. This standard is also an excellent defense against cyberattacks, data breaches and vandalism. ISO 27001 does not cover General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Benefits of Transportation ISO Certification

Transportation companies benefit from certification to ISO standards in quality services, environmental impact management and future planning. Getting certified to ISO standards for the transportation industry will help your business overcome this sector’s common challenges. Benefits of certification include:

• Deliver products and services efficiently: By establishing quality measures, your company will operate more efficiently when making deliveries.
• Enhance supply chain management: Transportation industry standards streamline business processes, resulting in quality parts and improved, safe and reliable services.
• Reduce the environmental impact in your supply chain: Certification to environmental standards such as ISO 14001 helps you recognize how all phases of the supply chain impact the environment. When you understand this, you can create controls that can reduce any negative environmental influence.
• Improve your security risk management: Preparedness for security risks means your transportation company will be more resilient to minimize damage and serve customers as usual.
• Ensure safety and reliability: Certification to ISO standards streamlines your supply and logistics chain to create reliable products and services your customers can count on.
• Meet industry regulations: The transportation industry has many regulations that companies must follow. ISO standards for the transportation industry help businesses achieve compliance.

Why Work with NQA for Transportation Industry Standards?

NQA is a leading certification body with offices in the United States, the United Kingdom and China. We have years of experience working with transportation clients, including Metroline, and companies from many other industries. We have issued over 50,000 certificates in 90 countries.

Our goal is to provide accredited certification services that will help you improve your performance, products and services and ensure these improvements continue in the future. Your transportation company will meet supportively the certification’s demands.

Working with NQA will provide you with:

• Comprehensive services: Our services include certification with global coverage to promote efficiency in your transportation business.
• Professional and accurate guidance: Our experts will explain the technical requirements and stages of the certification process for transportation industry standards. We will also help your company adjust to the latest standard developments.
• Transparent pricing: You will have access to the best technical support for transportation ISO certification. Our services are available for a competitive price with no hidden fees.
• Improvement opportunities: We will conduct an assessment of your compliance to ISO standards for the transportation industry, plus your improvement opportunities.
• A worldwide expert network: Our experts know the latest technical information and standard changes to help you understand new developments.
• Your preferred technical training: Online, in-house and classroom courses allow you to gain technical skills in your preferred format.

Get a Quote for ISO Certification Today

Improve your products and services and streamline your operations through transportation ISO certification. NQA performs auditing for transportation industry standards. Certifications will help you improve your organization and meet industry requirements for efficiency, sustainability and health and safety.

Request a quote on our website today to start the auditing process. Learn more about the benefits of certification and ask any questions you may have through our online contact form.