In order for your goods to arrive at their destination quickly, safely and on time, it is important to choose the right transportation mode. To do this, it is necessary to correlate the characteristics of your goods with the advantages and disadvantages that have each type of transportation and stop your attention on the one that best meets your needs. It is not always possible to do this on your own. Therefore, it is better to contact experienced professionals who can provide effective assistance in this matter. Qualified employees of TVL company will always help customers to find the best solutions for each type of cargo.
Main types of transport for cargo transportation
When going to move your goods, it is necessary to understand what types of transport for cargo transportation can be used and why one or another transport can be the best choice for your cargo. The main types of transportation include:
- Automobile transportation, which can be considered one of the most versatile and fastest. It is widely used for the transportation of goods over short and medium distances. This concept includes various types of trucks – trucks, small and large trucks, vans and trailers. This means you can deliver your cargo from door to door, it implies flexibility in route development and logistics, infrastructure costs are relatively low.
- Rail transport is usually used when large volumes of cargo need to be transported over long distances. It is an ideal mode of transportation for oversized cargo, heavy and bulky goods such as construction materials, agricultural products, coal, metals. Its advantages include high throughput capacity, low operating costs for long distances.
- Sea transport is the main mode of transportation for international cargo transportation, especially for containerized, oil, gas, coal, grain and other goods requiring large volumes. With its help it is possible to transport large volumes of cargo, such delivery has low transportation costs for long distances.
- River transport can be the cheapest option for the transportation of goods on inland waterways, especially if you need to deliver goods over medium distances within the continent. It is an advantageous way to transport heavy and bulky goods such as construction materials and agricultural products.
- Air Transportation. It is used to move light, valuable and perishable goods (e.g. medicines, clothing, electronics). This mode of transportation is characterized by high speed but is more expensive compared to other modes of transportation.
Thus, it is obvious that each mode of transportation has its own advantages and limitations. When opting for one or another mode of transportation, consider the type of cargo, distance, urgency and cost of delivery.
Advantages and disadvantages of different modes of transportation
Every cargo owner expectantly tries to reduce the cost of its delivery and choose the cheapest transportation option for this purpose. However, it is impossible to call any of them unambiguously the cheapest. In order to determine what is the cheapest mode of transportation for cargo transportation in your case, you need to take into account the following points. So, for international transportation the cheapest options will be sea and rail transport, depending on the distance and volume of cargo. For domestic transportation for short distances and small volumes, you can choose road transport or river transport, if waterways are available.
Many factors come into play when choosing transportation for oversized cargo, including:
- weight and dimensions of the cargo;
- type of route;
- urgency of delivery;
- availability of infrastructure.
Most often, for transportation of cargo with non-standard dimensions, road transport is used for local transportation, rail and sea for long-distance transportation, and air transport for urgent, high-value cargo. It is also important to take into account the specifics of the route and the need for special permits. If you decide to choose road transportation, you will have to take into account the permissible dimensions of the cargo for road transportation. For ordinary cargo that can be transported by standard road transport, there are the following boundary parameters:
- length – up to 20 meters (for some types of transport, such as tractor-trailers, the maximum length can be 22-24 meters);
- width – up to 2.55 meters (in some countries an increase to 2.6 meters is possible).
- height – up to 4 meters;
- weight – up to 40 tons (including the weight of the vehicle and trailer) – this is the standard maximum weight for a truck with a trailer or lorry. For dump trucks and special vehicles, the limits may be different.
Evaluate the dimensions of your cargo and make sure that they do not exceed the maximum dimensions of the cargo for road transportation. If they are exceeded, the shipment will be considered oversized and will require a special permit.
Recommendations for choosing transportation for your cargo
Sending any cargo is a responsible event that requires consideration of many factors and nuances. It is often extremely difficult for a non-professional to assess and make the right decision, to draw up all the necessary documents for transportation of cargo by automobile or any transport. To determine which type of transportation is suitable for your tasks, experts with extensive experience in this area. An experienced carrier – TVL company, which is a recognized expert in the selection of transport for any type of transportation, will help you choose the best option. Always demonstrating individual approach, TVL will support the client at all stages of cargo transportation and will choose the cheapest type of transport for transportation of your goods, taking into account seasonality and specificity of the cargo.
