Geography

Line-haul

The long-distance leg between two operating points: terminal to terminal, warehouse to warehouse. The high-volume middle of a freight move, distinct from the local pickup and delivery legs at either end.

Where this fits

Logistics gets named by the geography of the move. First Meter covers the pickup leg, Middle Mile covers transfers between operating points, Last Mile covers the route to the recipient, Last Yard covers the final handoff. Each band has its own constraints, cost shape, and capacity profile.

Related terms

First Meter: The pickup leg of a delivery: store, restaurant, warehouse, or hub. Where the delivery actually starts, before any handoff to a carrier. Nash uses First Meter rather than first mile because the pickup point is rarely a mile away from anything; it's usually meters.
Middle Mile: The transfer leg between operating points: DC to store, hub to hub, terminal to terminal. Bigger vehicles, fewer stops, tighter time windows.
Last Mile: The final delivery leg, from a fulfillment point to the customer's door. The most expensive, most variable, and most customer-visible leg in any logistics chain.
Last Yard: The final feet of the delivery: building entry, floor, doorstep, locker, age check. Where a successful drop becomes a failed one if the operation hasn't planned for it.