Road transport: advantages and disadvantages
Current situation and prospects of the
transport of goods by road
Road freight transport is a more than consolidated sector due to the logistic needs we have always needed. It is true that with the advent of e-commerce, it has gained special relevance in the management of both domestic and international shipments. In this article we will try to shed some light on the advantages and disadvantages of road transport.
Consolidated growth in the sector
According to data from the DBK Observatory of sectorial studies, the transport of
transport of machinery by road
is experiencing an expansive stage in Spain and Portugal, closing 2016 with an estimated growth of 2.1%.
This data only reaffirms the sector’s good shape and confirms the positive growth trend that began in 2014, with annual increases of around 2%.
According to the forecasts, we are to be congratulated and this annual growth is expected to continue beyond 2017, thus generating great stability and encouraging prospects for all road transport professionals. But like everything else, there are advantages and disadvantages to transportation.
Contribution to economic recovery
The data also reveal that it is precisely the activities of the road transport and logistics sector that are contributing most to the general recovery of the economy in Spain, largely as a result of the boom in e-commerce. In fact, the sum of the three has made it possible for parcel delivery to register a growth of almost 21% in 2015, precisely thanks to online shopping.
Logistics challenges in land road transport
All growth implies not only an opportunity, but also a challenge to be faced. The primary challenge for road freight transport is adapting to and embracing technological advances. A report from the Spanish Association of Digital Economy indicates that just 30% of parcel delivery companies attain a “B” or “A” in technology adoption.
Information has always been power, and the transportation sector is no exception. In this sense, GPS vehicle tracking tools have enabled an evolutionary leap in transportation since they have made it possible to improve work performance, achieving greater efficiency with a considerable reduction in costs. The implementation of fleet management tools and other specialized software will be a critical factor for logistics companies in the new competitive environment, allowing them to have structured and updated information in real time to achieve a more agile and efficient service, and a better use of the vehicle fleet.
Advantages and disadvantages of transportation
Like everything in life, there are pros and cons to any type of transportation service. In the following, we will try to list the most significant advantages and disadvantages of transportation.
Advantages of road transportation
Having reviewed the current situation, it is worthwhile to analyze the main advantages offered by road freight transport:
1. It is the most widely used medium
Worldwide, the most popular method of transportation is road transport, largely due to an extensive network of national and international highways that connect even the most remote points of the geography. The fact that some places do not have a seaport, air port or railway station undoubtedly also favors the supremacy of land transport by road.
2. It is the most economical way
It is the cheapest means of transport, partly because road transport vehicles do not require as high an outlay as other means, so the company does not have to maintain an infrastructure that is too large to commit a high volume of its own resources.
3. It is the most direct service
When door-to-door pick-up and delivery is required, road transport is the ideal way to carry it out, since it does not require a combination with other means of transport, and the journey is made directly from the origin to the destination.
4. It is the most flexible
Its capacity to adapt to schedules and volumes makes it perfect to meet the customer’s needs, either in terms of deadlines or quantity of packages, and in the latter case it is possible to contract groupage transport.
5. Allows the transport of dangerous goods
Existing restrictions on the handling and movement of dangerous and special goods make road transport the ideal candidate, which in this respect is more suitable for this purpose than other means such as sea or air transport.
6. Facilitates merchandise traceability
The implementation of new technological tools and GPS tracking, favor the easy localization and tracking of the merchandise throughout the entire movement. This avoids shrinkage and losses.
Disadvantages of road transportation
Despite the great advantages offered by this type of transport, however, it also has some disadvantages:
1. It has a high accident rate
It is the transport with the highest accident rate, as shown by the accident statistics on the roads. In this regard, air transport is the medium with the lowest rate. To reduce it, the road transport industry is investing heavily in safety, designing and renewing the vehicle fleet to make them more reliable and safe, and training drivers to closely monitor safety measures at the wheel.
2. It is the most polluting after the airplane
The emissions released by road transport vehicles and the noise pollution they produce are the highest compared to the other modes. However, it is important to note that the sector is making an important effort to reduce pollutants, with advances in more efficient engines, the use of biofuels and the use of recycled materials.
3. Carries a smaller volume of cargo
Trucks and trailers have a much smaller capacity than, for example, ships, which can hold thousands of tons of goods in their holds. Progress is also being made in this area, with the emergence of megatrucks with dimensions of 25.25 meters in length, which makes them 1.3 times longer than conventional trailers, and a load capacity of some 60 tons.
4. It is subject to traffic restrictions
Road delays and heavy traffic are sometimes responsible for delays in the delivery of goods. In this area, the sector is determined to turn it around, implementing technology to provide real-time information on traffic incidents in order to find an alternative route.
Means of transportation: Advantages and disadvantages
There are many advantages and disadvantages of transportation networks depending on the means used to transport the goods.
Air transportation
It is a method of transportation that offers advantages such as speed, security, ease of procedures and wide coverage. On the other hand, the disadvantages are its high cost, its load-bearing capacity, external factors such as the climate and the fact that not all products are suitable.
Maritime transportation
One of the main advantages of this transport service is its loading capacity, the security it offers, the ease of transporting any product and the fact that it is not very expensive, which is very viable for international transport in the European Union. Their disadvantages are that the procedures are very “cumbersome” and lengthy, the delivery time is longer and they are very dependent on external factors such as the weather.
3.Road transportation
The advantages and disadvantages of road transport are as follows: Its advantages are the ease of processing, its different modalities thanks to the different types of vehicles, its wide coverage and its low cost. Its disadvantages are its poor security and its more or less long waiting time.
Poor safety can be combated with safe vehicle maintenance that includes technical and administrative actions to keep vehicles in optimal conditions with optimal revisions so as not to pose a risk to the health of the worker or the goods being transported.
Rail transport
In addition to freight transport, rail transport is mainly used for public passenger transport. One of the disadvantages of public transport is that when shared with rail transport, it is necessary to take into account the shared use and the long wait on platforms with a large number of passengers.
Its advantages as freight transport are the following: high transport capacity and low cost. And the disadvantages we face are its coverage, it is not very secure, it is very slow, especially if we plan to deal with it in international trade, and its infrastructure is not very adequate.
As we have seen, there are advantages and disadvantages of transportation, but in short, we can rely on land transport of goods is a safe bet for the many positive factors it brings. Nowadays there are an infinite number of road freight companies and the decision to hire one or the other is often complicated. It is necessary to analyze well what they offer you, to value the trajectory they have and the number of clients they work with.
In Transvolando we are specialized in road transport of goods by road, both parcels and machinery, large products and special road transports.
special transports by road
. To take advantage of the benefits of this service from a company with extensive experience, please contact us at 674 346 912.
