Ground Transportation

We explain what land transportation is, its history, types and characteristics. Also, advantages and disadvantages of other transports.

What is land transportation?

Land transportation is the set of means of transportation that operate using land vehicles, that is, vehicles that move on the solid surface of the Earth. Most of them involve vehicles equipped with wheels, either moving on rails or freely on the surface.

Vehicles for land transportation can be very diverse in their locomotion system, their transportation capacity or the nature of their cargo. Broadly speaking, we could classify them into:

• Motorized vehicles. That is, those that have an engine, generally internal combustion, based on fossil fuels (gasoline, natural gas, etc.). They can be cargo (trucks, vans, etc.) or passengers (cars, buses, motorcycles, etc.).
• Vehicles on rails. Motorized or electric, incapable of moving outside the path laid out by the tracks. They are generally massive, and can carry cargo and passengers at the same time, such as trains, trams or subways.
• Blood-powered vehicles. That is, driven by animals or by human effort, such as bicycles, carts, etc.

See also:

• Water transport
• Rail transport
• Multimodal transport

History and evolution of land transportation

The history of land transportation has uncertain origins, but it was born from the need to move people or goods in a more massive way, over greater distances and/or at greater speeds than can be done on foot.

In that sense, The first versions of this transport had to do with animals: camels, horses, donkeys, cows, llamas… any animal robust enough to carry a human being on its back or to pull a cart, was ideal. Obviously, for this the invention of the wheel was a key antecedent.

The great empires and civilizations of antiquity always sought good means of communication, such as extensive road networks. For example, they were necessary for the internal control of the Roman Empire.

Even today, these connections are necessary for the development of contemporary nations, since with passable roads and railways it is possible to circulate goods, tools, materials and people to where they are needed, something key to the survival of commerce.

This panorama changed drastically with the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, especially due to the invention of the steam engine. The railway became a symbol of progresssince it allowed rapid and massive transportation over enormous distances. Thus, railways unified extensive countries such as the United States, Argentina, Mexico or Russia.

At the end of the 19th century, new transportation mechanisms emerged thanks to the discovery of oil. and its refined derivatives such as gasoline. Thus, for example, the internal combustion engine was invented. Consequently, a whole new generation of vehicles was born throughout the 20th century, for personal, mass and even war use.

Already in the 21st century, new technologies and the Digital Revolution at the end of the century allowed the emergence of more refined forms of land transportation, such as subways and high-speed trains.

Features of land transport

Land transportation is, as its name indicates, the default for moving on land. In that sense, always depends on geographical and meteorological conditions from where you are, at a certain point on the continental surface.

It often requires paved and conditioned paths, known as highways, as well as tunnels and bridges that allow crossing valleys, depressions, mountains, etc. In its entirety, this infrastructure makes up the roads of a country or a region.

Land transportation is one of the favorite methods of transporting goods and passengers throughout the world, which is incorporated into cities. allows the existence of urban transport: buses, cars, motorcycles and in some cases trams, trains or subways, which transport citizens from one point to another in the city on a daily basis.

Types of land transport

Broadly speaking, there are two types of land transport:

• Road transport. That is, one that uses wheeled vehicles capable of roaming freely on the earth's surface, although preferably on paved roads or roads, such as buses, cars or even bicycles, carts and motorcycles.
• Rail transport. That is, those vehicles incapable of traveling except on predetermined paths, such as train, tram or subway tracks, often stopping at stations or fixed stops along the route.

Advantages of land transportation

Land transportation is perhaps the most advantageous over short distances, generally combining economics, practicality and speed. This versatility also allows you to satisfy collective or individual passenger transportation needsFor example, a bus or a car.

On the other hand, can be used for cargo transportation of all kinds (in trucks, railways or rolling containers, for example), including heavy machinery, raw materials or delicate or dangerous products.

Disadvantages of land transportation

Since its movement occurs on the surface of the continents, land transport is always faced with geographical accidents and topographical, such as crossing rivers, cliffs or crossing mountains. Therefore, it implies, on the one hand, the need for investment in infrastructure, and on the other, a series of inevitable dangers.

On the other hand, the driving of most of these means of land transportation falls on a single driver, on whose responsibility and expertise the well-being of the cargo or passengers depends, unlike other forms of transportation in which there is a complete team. managing the vehicle.

Air transport

air transport is given thanks to vehicles capable of flying. These are airplanes, light aircraft and similar transport, mainly intended for the transportation of passengers, but can be adapted for the movement of cargo, in specialized airplanes. It is the most recent form of transportation, the most expensive and the one that involves the most cutting-edge technology.

Maritime transport

Maritime transport is that which It is carried out by water vehicles capable of crossing the oceans and seas, like ships and various types of ships.

This type of transport is essential for commercial exchange between continents or between islands and the mainland. In that sense, it is the support of the globalized economy, such as cargo ships, oil tankers and vacation cruises, for example.

Continue in: Maritime transport

References

• “Land transport” in Wikipedia.
• “Advantages of land, air and sea transportation” in SerTrans, transportation services.
• “Land transport, advantages and disadvantages” in ALL SCANDCARGO, International Transports.
• “Land Transportation” at Encyclopedia.com.
• “Transportation” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.