long-distance goods transportation

Long-Distance Route Planning

Long-distance goods transportation is divided based on the type of transport to be used, depending on whether it’s by land, sea, or air.

Goods transportation is an activity that involves the movement of goods from one place to another for a specific purpose. We refer to short-distance goods transportation if the trips are up to 600 km and long-distance goods transportation if they exceed 600 km.

This type of long-distance goods transportation is typically used for transporting high-value goods, as it is usually done by road due to its ease of combining different options to save time and costs.

For example, instead of transporting by rail, you can do it by road, since about 700 km can be done in 24 hours. If a double driving (a very common possibility in long distance road transport) is carried out, in about 24 hours about 1000 or 1200 km can be done and in 48 hours 2000 or 2500 km can be done, that is, if we want to make a trip from Barcelona to Munich it would take approximately, including the breaks stipulated by law, from 28 to 30 hours to reach the destination. On the other hand, if double driving is used, the trip could take between 18 and 20 hours to reach the destination, with the breaks stipulated by law.

What should we take into account when transporting goods over long distances?

If we talk about transporting heavy goods, it is more economical to do it by trucks and trailers, because if it is done by rail transport or air transport can be more expensive due to its weight and the high times of the first and the high costs of the second.

It is more convenient to use road transport for long distance transport of heavy goods.

If you want to make long-distance goods transportation faster, you can opt for air transportation. However, the only drawback is that it involves a lot of documentation, which can often delay the process and make it more expensive. Despite its speed, it’s not one of the most commonly used methods due to this inconvenience.

The most commonly used method for long-distance goods transportation today, known for its speed and reliability, is road transportation. It involves less documentation and allows you to quickly arrange the trip and get on the road.

What vehicles are typically used in long distance freight transport?

According to the Ministry of Transportation, Mobility and Urban Agenda, the length of vehicles that can be used in transportation is as follows:

The maximum length of rigid trucks is 12 meters, excluding coaches and buses.

The maximum length of road trains is 18.75 meters measured parallel to the longitudinal axis of the road train, between the outermost points located furthest in front of the loading area behind the cab and furthest behind the trailer of the vehicle combination, shall be 16.40 meters. On the other hand, the maximum distance, measured parallel to the longitudinal axis of the road train, between the outermost points furthest forward of the loading area behind the cab and furthest rearward of the trailer of the vehicle combination, minus the distance between the rear of the motor vehicle and the front of the trailer shall be 15.65 meters.

The maximum length of articulated vehicles may not exceed 12 meters between the coupling pin and the rear of the semi-trailer. And the distance between the coupling pin and any point on the front of the semitrailer may not exceed 2.04 meters.

The maximum length of road trains specialized in vehicle transport can be increased to 20.55 meters by using a rear load carrier specifically authorized for this task. The rear support may not protrude in relation to the load. The load may protrude from the rear as long as the last axle of the vehicle being transported rests on the trailer structure. The load may not protrude in front of the towing vehicle.