There are several ways of transporting your goods. Products are often transported by road or rail through the land, or by cargo ship across large oceans and seas. The most common question asked by business owners is: “Which form of transportation is ideal for moving my goods?”
A freight transit is typically multimodal, integrating many means of transportation to reach its destination. They’ll most certainly go by road at the beginning and finish of the journey, but what happens in the middle? When deciding how to transport your cargo freight, there are always one or more primary modes of transport to consider, as well as the way your package will travel for the longest period.
Choosing a primary mode of transportation is a major decision that has a significant impact on elements such as delivery time, shipping cost, and risk of delay/damage, as well as environmental consequences. All these elements are taken into consideration by companies that offer logistics solutions to help products reach their destination, on time and in excellent condition. Each mode of transportation has pros and cons, which we will briefly discuss below.
Sea freight cargo shipping: A good choice for international shipping
One of the ways that packages go overseas is in a seaworthy vessel. The benefits of using sea freight for international shipping are:
Reduced carbon emissions
A good choice for international freight shipping is sea freight. It is the most carbon efficient method of transporting your goods because it uses far less energy to move than a truck for example.
International Coverage
Sea movements can sometimes be delayed by bad weather. This is one of the reasons why sea freight is considered the slower way of transporting goods, but keep in mind that what you lack in speed you make up for in reach. You can ship your cargo internationally, by sea, to any place, thanks to the port entries that can be found in each country.
Cost Efficient
For any size of cargo, sea freight is extremely cost-effective. Large volumes of packaged goods or bulk shipments can be transported by barge across long distances or short distances at a cost that is often unmatched by other modes of transportation.
Rail freight: reliable, green and fast over land
If the delivery route is on land, rail freight is an underutilized means of goods transportation. It’s remarkably fast, safe, and dependable, with fewer delays.
Dependable
Trains are generally unaffected by weather, and track capacity is closely managed by railway authorities, so there will never be a traffic jam. There is also little reason for transit pauses, as most services are direct to the destination.
Environmentally friendly
Furthermore, rail freight transit is an environmentally friendly solution for in-land cargo transportation. Why? Because it runs on electricity, allowing it to move big cargo loads over great distances while emitting very little CO2.
Highly secure
Railways and freight terminals are relatively secure areas with low levels of criminal activity, making them the safest means to convey products across the land.
Up-to-date operations
Once packed, your goods will be safe inside their container until delivery, with no need to unload/reload to transfer between road and rail; the container can be hoisted immediately from train to truck or vice versa.
Road transport: the place where it all starts and ends
The second most popular transport option for your goods is by road, and it is by far the easiest and quickest method for handling local deliveries.
Integral transport: full loads & part loads/groupage
Similar to sea freight, it can offer full loads and groupage/part loads. However, because there are more touch points on the route, the cost of container/trailer sharing may be cheaper.
Lighter documentation
Road freight requires less documentation, especially if trucks do not cross borders. The movement of products by road is also usually swift since there are a variety of transport companies with a variety of vehicle sizes available to move your cargo.
Selection of vehicles
Another advantage of road freight transport is the variety of trucks available. Aside from the physical dimensions of the trucks, there are a variety of connected choices such as flatbed, low loaders, curtain-sided trailers, tail lifts, and container lifts to name a few. So, regardless of your loading/unloading capabilities, size, or distance, there is a road freight truck for you.
The ‘best’ way of transporting your products depends on your priorities
As you can see, there are more ways of transporting your goods, one better than the other. Cost and risk should be estimated based on the type of cargo and delivery priority while taking existing delays into account.
