TRANSPORT

TRANSPORT TODAY

Types of transport

Transport is an key element in getting the goods to the final consumer. Fast, safe and efficient transport systems have allowed to the growth of trade .Firms have a choice of which form of transport to use: by road, by air, by rail, by sea

Over the last thirty years there have been many important changes related to transporting goods.

The most important modification has been the introduction of standardised packing units, such as the container, because a container can be transferred easily and transport time and the cost have been reduced. The intermodal carriage involves the use of different mean of transport: trains, aeroplane ships, truck.

Choice of transport

Many factors need to be considered before choosing an appropriate mean of transport, for examples type of good, size, weight, quality ( valuable, fragile, durable, or perishable good); urgency, distance, cost.

Good require different forms of packing depending on whether they are sent by air, or by sea; the insurance costs depending on the amount of risk involved

Larger companies usually have their own distribution department and transport to deal with the distribution of their goods (Esselunga, Bennet). Medium-sized firms often use shipping or forwarding agents(Bartolini, SDA,TNT) who takes care of all the operations involved in packing, insurance and import/export procedures.

TRANSPORT BY LAND

Main types

Road transport is the most frequent form of land transports in most countries. It is flexible, it offers door-to-door service and is not subject to a strict timetable; it is usually cheap and fast and can reach places which other forms of transport may find inaccessible. Computer and cellular phones can be used to map trips and multi-drop routes which will prevent lorries returning to base without a load. The routes can be changed at short notice. Disadvantages. Slower over long distances, the weight of each load is limited, road traffic, strikes and bad weather can cause delays; the risk of road accidents

Pipelines are important recent development in transport. The are used for transporting oil, gas, petro-chemicals and even some solids, but the cost are high

Rail transport is much less important, but are still useful for moving bulk freight over long distances, and it not subject to bad weather or traffic conditions. It is also often used to transport urgently required or dangerous items such as nuclear waste.

Disadvantages = > subject to timetable and fixed courses, cannot deliver door-to-door, strikes and manpower problems van cause delays and it is more expensive.

British transport

Britain has the worst transport system in Europe, according to a report commissioned by government. B has the most congested roads, the longest commuting times and some of highest bus and rail fares. Fuels tax is also the highest in Europe. British motorists and passengers come out worst on almost everything.

Document of carriage

The main document used in transport by road or rail is the consignment note or waybill. It acts both as a receipt for the goods and proof that there is a contract of carriage. The carrier makes three copies: one for himself, one for the consignor and the third for the consignee to be handed over on delivery of the goods, it is not negotiable.

TRANSPORT BY WATER

Main types

Sea transport is the most important form of transport in international trade. Large ships can carry different types of goods, from small consignments to bulky cargoes and containers at extremely competitive prices

There are most important types of vessel used in goods transport: roll-on roll-off ferries= > lorries of all kinds can drive in to the ship and off again the other side. Bulk carries=> carry particular types of bulk cargoes such as oil, minerals, ores, grains, meat and fruit enormous refrigerator plants can keep perishable food fresh for long periods. Liners => they are ships that sail at regular times on fixed routes. They can carry passengers, cargo or both,. Sometimes whole liners are chartered for cargo shipment under the terms of charter party. Tramp ships => they have no set times or routes , but go wherever they cant find suitable cargoes. Container ship =>they are specially built to carry containers.

Advantages : suitable for bulk goods, cheaper than air transport and can cove long distances.

Disadvantages: slower than air transport, needs other forms of transport to and from the port of destination; subject to weather condition and timetables, risk of accidents can have very serious effect on the environment.

Inland waterways: canal and river transport is rather slow and is not used very much nowadays. It has most of its traffic to road and rail transport which are considerably faster.

About 95 % of the foreign trade is carried out by sea, there are about 70 ports of commercial significance in Great Britain. The most important port for container traffic is Felixstowe, while Dover is the leading port for roll-on roll off traffic and is also the major arrival and departure port for sea passengers.

Sea transport document

The Bill of Lading (B/L) or Waybill in American English is the main document relating to transport by sea. It serves for three purposes:

It is a receipt for the goods carried, stating their condition at the moment they are loaded on boar the ship.

It serves as a legally binding contract of carriage by which the ship-owner undertakes to deliver the goods to the consignee in the same condition as he receives them. He does this in exchange for a specific sum of money, called freight, payable either in advance or on arrival

It is a document of title, that is, the person who is named as the consignee becomes the legal proprietor of the goods. It can be endorsed to a new consignee on the conditions fixed by the endorser.

There are different types of B/L

A combined transport or container B/L includes both transport by sea and by road before and after the sea journey.

A clean B/L where the ship-owner or sea captain states that the goods received on board are in apparent good order and condition .

A dirty or foul B/L contains a clause stating that the condition or packing of the goods is found to be unsatisfactory at the moment of receiving them on board

Four copies of the B/L are usually sent by the exporter to the shipping company to be checked together whit the corresponding goods. One copy is kept by captain, while the other three signed copies are given back to the supplier.

TRANSPORT BY AIR

This is the most recent means of transport and is of course the fastest, it is also particularly suitable for urgently needed and non-durable goods.

The cost of air freight may seem expensive compared to other forms of transport, but it may actually be competitive is you consider that a lot of time is saved and fewer expenses are required both for packing and insurance. The use of air transport has increased in recent years. Most international airlines have a wide network of cargo airports at their disposal in the five continents and employ a large staff of cargo specialists experienced in all phases of shipping and documentation. They cant also provide a fast, reliable door-to-door service. The air transport suffers from delays ( bad weather, strikes, technical problems border controls. The air transport contract is the air waybill or air consignment note.