We explain what cargo transportation is, its history, types and characteristics. Also, its advantages, disadvantages and examples.
What is cargo transportation?
Cargo transportation It is the type of transport responsible for moving goods and merchandise from one place of origin to another place of destination, so that they reach their destination in good condition and within a specific pre-established period of time.
Generally, these are large shipments of heavy, valuable or voluminous materials, the transportation of which requires special conditions. In this it is distinguished from passenger transport.
Cargo transportation is one of the most common activities within the contemporary globalized economy, using land, air and water vehicles, in simple or combined modalities (multimodal). All of this both in a supplier-client and client-supplier sense.
See also: Globalization
History of freight transportation
The exchange of merchandise between nations, even those that were at great distances from each other, is as old as humanity itself. At first this transport was carried out using beasts of burden.that is, donkeys, camels or other animals that supported the weight of the merchandise on their backs.
The disadvantage of “blood” transportation was that it allowed small quantities to be transported at a time, and thus it was necessary to have long lines of animals. In the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution brought new forms of transportation who made this type of exchange easier, thanks to the steam engine.
The steam engine was used in the two most revolutionary inventions in the field: the railway and the steamshipwhich reduced distances within and outside nations in a very significant way. Thus began a wide range of commercial international transportation services.
Features of cargo transportation
Freight transportation is distinguished from other forms of transportation, such as passenger transportation, in the fact that transports goods, generally voluminous or numerous.
Therefore, it requires large spaces (such as vaults or containers), and not comfortable or aesthetic facilities (as occurs with passenger transportation). Raw materials, vehicles and tools, machinery parts, chemical compounds or even consumer products are usually transported in this way.
Types of cargo transportation
Cargo transportation can occur in four different ways:
- Maritime transport. As its name indicates, it is carried out using maritime vehicles, that is, crossing the sea: cargo ships and other similar vessels.
- Road transport. It refers to the use of land vehicles such as trucks and wheeled transporters, capable of going from one point to another in a country or region as long as there are passable roads. These trucks can be single, trailer or tractor-trailers.
- Rail transport. In this case, it refers to transportation by the various types of existing trains, that is, land transportation that does not involve roads but tracks. Trains can reach high speeds and travel long distances, as long as there are railroad tracks laid out at their destination.
- Air transport. As its name indicates, in this case aerial vehicles are used, that is, the different types of cargo aircraft that exist in operation. In this case, the amount of transportable material, however, is noticeably less than in the rest of the previous types.
Advantages of freight transportation
The advantages of freight transportation have to do with its ability to move large amounts of goods over long distances: a much more efficient, economical and direct service than through small vehicles on numerous trips.
Cargo vehicles not only have a large storage capacity, but also a greater fuel capacity. Thus, they can undertake long and sustained trips with less need to refuel.
Disadvantages of freight transportation
Although cargo transportation is ideal for moving merchandise, on the other hand It is not convenient when transporting peopleminimum goods or other types of cargo.
More than anything because its facilities are not comfortable and, being large in size, They are not profitable for shipping a few goods. In addition, large merchandise transporters are cumbersome, difficult to maneuver and polluting, which is why they require constant replacement and inspections.
Examples of freight transportation
Some examples of cargo transportation are:
- Boats fuel or oil tankers, usually from oil or petrochemical corporations.
- The army of trucks of merchandise or raw materials, which cross the expressways of the United States connecting the east coast and the west coast.
- The airplanes Cargo Hercules used by some armies to transport soldiers and combat vehicles from one region to another.
Continue with: Water transportation
References
- “Transport” in Wikipedia.
- “Origins and evolution of international freight transport” in MoldTrans.
- “What is cargo transportation: characteristics and functions” in Mudanzas Mundivan.
- “Freight Transport” in Wikipedia (English).
- “Freight” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.