Shipments via Road and Rail – Understanding the Scenario

Road and rail are the two biggest pillars of land transportation. Road and rail shipping is the oldest way of transportation that people are using till now. However, road shipment was introduced first in comparison to rail shipping. Once rail technology came into existence in the 18th century, it changed the way of transporting goods over a long distance. It was much speedier and efficient for long-distance transportation. Even now, as the technology is reshaping every industry so how will rail and road shipping stay behind! In this article, we will discuss everything about road and rail shipping management.

Basically, there are many different types of shipment methods –

• Air shipping 
• Train/ Rail shipping 
• Ocean shipping 
• Truckload shipping 
• Less than Truckload shipping

The article illustrates in-depth information on road and rail shipping –

Shipping via road is a kind of shipping in which goods or products get transported from one place to another by using roads. The cost which is required in road shipping is very low as compared to other modes of transportation. The operational and maintenance cost of road shipping is less than rail shipping. Different vehicles are being utilized for the cause of transporting the shipment from one place to another via road.

Some of the most used types of trucks for road shipping are –

• Refrigerated Trucks
• Flatbeds
• Box Trucks
• Liftgate trucks
• Semi-Trailer Trucks
• Jumbo Trailer trucks

Fast delivery

Your shipment will get delivered fast even before the scheduled time using the road shipment. Talking about air, rail, and water shipment then all these require too much documentation and are tedious to manage. On the other hand, road transport is a hassle-free option and supports fast delivery of products.

Affordable option

For short distances, road shipping is a cost-effective medium for transporting products. It requires less capital investment and the cost of operation and maintenance also are much less.

Door-to-door shipment

Road transport supports a complete door-to-door movement of shipments. Through road shipment, you can deliver the item directly to the destination. In the case of a rail or air shipment, it undergoes several checks and then ships to the destination. With road transport, you will be able to easily load and unload the items right to the destination.

GPS and satellite tracking

Road transport allows easy GPS and satellite tracking for the cargo movement. This keeps track of your product throughout the journey, in case of some accident or delay, you will be able to get an instant notification. So that you can take some action and save your item from getting destroyed.

Suited for long and short distance both

Road shipping is commonly used for long as well as short-haul and on the border movements. It is the best transportation that is considered safe and fast by people when it comes to saving time and affordable rates.

Expensive for longer distances

It may not be cost-effective for longer distances of shipping. It all depends on the fuel and petrol consumption that will require while traveling from one place to another. Due to some weather conditions, there might be some kind of damages to the fleet that may add extra cost to your bill.

Slow speed

For longer distances, road shipping is slower as compared to rail shipping. The reason behind slow speed may include vehicle speed which can be moderately slow and limited depending on the destination.

Natural calamities

Road shipping has certain limitations because of the road and weather conditions while moving the vehicle from one place to another. There may be any kind of natural calamity while the transportation which is not safe for your shipment. All such threats are attached to road shipping.

Not an environment-friendly option

It is not an environment-friendly option as compared to rail shipping. The vehicles that are used in road shipping consume fuel and petrol which is not good for the sake of the environment.

Limitations for the size and weight of cargo

There might be some limitations for the size and weight of cargo depending on different states. It may happen that if your shipment is too large or heavy then it becomes difficult to ship it through road transport.

Road transportation of heavy goods

If there is a need for heavy loading then it will need strong equipment like hoisting platforms and cranes for transporting goods. With the best equipment and supervision from road shipment industry experts, you will always get the right assistance. Professionals will handle all the road transport work that covers industrial and construction materials. The experts provide a full guarantee of carrying your heavy load road shipment to get it arrived safely to the destination.

Road transportation of bulk cargo

Bulk cargo is cargo that gets transported in a large number of quantities and that too without packaging and packaging. Specialized companies are well aware of the road transport technique when dealing with bulk cargo. For reducing the cargo loss, there will be a need for careful storage for both solid and liquid bulk vessels.

Road transportation of dry goods

The goods that do not require any kind of special equipment or condition for the transportation need, all such cargoes are transported in pallets or packages. The dry goods can be divided into different sections as they have their own packagings like boxes, units, and sacks.

Shipments via rail make use of trains and railroads for transporting goods. Rail vessel shipping is majorly used for shipping bulk cargo and consumer goods like paint, household products, and batteries. Rail shipments provide cost-effective and environment-friendly transportation. If we compared train shipping with road sipping then a single shipping train can carry a huge amount of cargo as compared to a single truck. Also, it is a fast medium for the transportation of goods. You can transport different commodities using railway cars which is again a cost-effective way of transporting. 

“Rail is 3 times more efficient as compared to Truck”

An eco-friendly option

Rail shipping is an eco-friendly option for transporting goods as trains do not consume much fuel as compared to road vehicles. Through rail shipping, you can save around 10-40% as compared to road shipping.

Capable of carrying huge loads

Trains can carry a lot of goods on one train as compared to road transport. Rail shipping is beneficial for large load shipping as a single double-stacked train has the capability to carry as much weight as 280 trucks can carry.

Cheaper for long-distance shipments

For long-distance ship movement, rail shipment is a cheaper option that will deliver your goods fast.

Reliable and efficient

Rail shipments are reliable as well as an efficient way of transportation. Railways keep track of the train timetable and run it accordingly. There is no hindrance to traffic in railways just like road shipping.

Safety of goods

Rail shipping ensures the full safety of your items as the train once started, stops at the destination only. On the other hand, in road transport, the driver can stop the vehicle at any point in time which may evoke the risk of goods damage.

Requires huge capital investment

Rail shipment sometimes requires extra cost for moving a container from the source point to the defined destination. It may be the construction cost or maintenance or some overhard expenses as compared to other transportation.

Less flexible option

Rail shipments run as per the set timetable and defined routes. That’s why rail shipment is a less flexible option as you can not match the exact route and timings as per your requirement.

Not a good option for fragile items

Rail shipping is unsafe for transporting fragile items. For example, glass or any other sensitive item may break due to sudden and unexpected halts and train speeding.

Not a good match for shorter distances

Talking about shorter distance transportation then rail shipping is not a good option as road transport can be a real fit for this cause.

Not a door-to-door shipping service

Railways have their own stoppage stations where trains stop and hence they are not a good option for door-to-door shipping. Unlike road transport, it provides door-to-door shipments.

• Mountain railway 
• Heavy railway
• Medium-capacity railway system 
• Heavy rail
• Plateway
• Rack railway 
• Tourist railroad and the list is long…

• Special cargoes
• Hazardous materials 
• Consumer goods
• Textile industry products 
• Vegetables and fruits 
• Hand sanitizers 
• Nuts, etc.

We had tried our best to portray every information on rail and road shipments. If you are looking to hire such services, then this article is highly recommended. There are so many things under road shipments and rail shipments that you must know before stepping into this industry. In the coming future, there will be more beneficial changes in both rail and road shipments because of the innovative technology trends.