Pros and Cons of road transport
Road transportation is, for many businesses and suppliers, still the most beneficial means of transporting goods. Thousands of trucks loaded with full shipping containers are on their way driving to their final location every day. What are the benefits of road transport and when does it not have to be the most subservient way of freight shipping?
Source: www.blogdocaminhoneiro.com
Pros
Cheapest means of transport
Road transportation is the cheapest way of freight shipping. It requires less initial investment because the trucks themselves are way cheaper than boats or planes. Truck transportation also does not need to build that big of infrastructure like the other methods of transportation. You don’t need any huge ports or railways.
Another advantage that saves money by road transportation is lower packaging costs. If we compare it to other means of cargo transport, it does not need complicated packing. Therefore, the consumption of the materials is way lower. With recent price rises, every penny counts.
Best for short distances
If you need to deliver shipping containers—full of perishable goods for example —over short distances, road transport would be the best choice for you. Using road transport is the cheapest and most effective way to get the cargo to the final destination on time. Using other transport methods does not have the pay off for you. The investment in delivery may be higher than the gain.
Higher flexibility
Through road transport, you can adapt the routes and timings to the needs of logistics. It does not need elaborate planning with transport schedules and designated routes – also many new logistics technologies make the planning even easier. Furthermore, road transport offers you basically unlimited options in which you can plan your trucks with containers. You can adjust your delivery times and be more efficient than with pre-fixed options.
Road transport is also not limited to what content the containers are allowed to carry. For example, dangerous, flammable, and toxic products can’t be shipped via aircraft, but trucks have no limitations in that matter.
Cons
Accident rate
For road transport, the rate of accidents is way higher than for the other means of transport. Also, the risks are at a greater level. The logistics and transportation companies are trying to reduce these risks by pouring a huge amount of money into the development of security, newer trucks, and training their truck drivers more.
Traffic obstacles
Another factor affecting whether the transport of containers will go through smoothly and on time is the traffic. Road transport is naturally heavily dependent on the road itself. So, if the trucks are stuck in traffic jams for hours, it’s probably not as effective as other means can be. If the delivery way leads the truck driver via a road in poor condition, the shipment can gain at least some delay.
Not suitable for longer distances
As we mention the beneficial use of road transport for short distances, naturally it bears a con with it. The con is that it’s not suitable for longer distances and heavy cargo. A heavily loaded truck can be tough to handle and can also go over weight limits. Breaking those limits can lead to very expensive fines that no company wants to face.
Weather reliant
A huge influence on road transport is the variability of weather, which could strongly affect the delivery time and more importantly the safety of the driver. If the truck driver has to deal with extreme conditions, strong winds, or thunderstorms, the road is not safe to drive on and can even be impassable. It can endanger the driver, other drivers on the road, or even the goods in the shipping containers.
Plan your road transport efficiently
If you operate with shipping containers via trucks in your logistics on a daily basis, you need to plan its loading perfectly. With loading apps like EasyCargo, you can not only save precious time but also many of your resources. Save money and plan easily with EasyCargo.
