Freight Transportation

Freight transportation is the way by which freight is moved from one point to another. There are several different modes for transporting cargo.

What Are the Different Types of Freight Transportation?

Air

Air freight transportation is the fastest mode of freight transportation. Air transportation is utilized when shippers need to meet approaching deadlines. It takes a fraction of the time compared to other shipping services, making it the best option for shipments on a tight schedule. There are several downsides to shipping via air freight. It is more expensive than the other options since space and additional weight on air crafts is limited. Severe weather can have a huge impact on transit time—if the shipping destination is experiencing harsh weather conditions the service will be put on hold until the weather conditions clear up. As this is a factor out of anyone’s control, this shipping method could cause delays anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Rail

Rail freight shipping is less costly and easily accessible, especially in major cities. Rail transportation is mostly utilized for large and heavy intermodal loads. Although rail transportation offers a faster and easier loading and unloading time than road or sea ways, transit time can still be found to be rather lengthy. Thus, rail transportation is often used when there are no time constraints in regards to the items being shipped. Intermodal shipping offers large savings for freight transportation, especially closer to large rail ports. Rail shipping is usually not affected by most weather conditions, but extreme weather conditions could cause derailments or port blockages which would lead to major delays. Although these occurrences do not happen often, there is a possibility during the harsh winter season.

Road

Road freight transportation or less than truckload shipping is an inexpensive and readily available option for cargo services. The transit time for road freight transportation is lengthy, though road freight transportation is still faster than sea canal shipping. Don’t choose road transportation unless you don’t have any time constraints. Transit time is dependent on pick up and drop off locations. FreightCenter offers different routes and carriers to ensure a fully customized shipment based on a customer’s needs. Road freight transportation is usually one the most inexpensive transportation services, especially to major cities. Road cargo shipments are greatly affected by weather. In fact, road transportation is seasonably unavailable in regions that are considered severe climate areas, like in Alaska, for example, during their harsh winters. Serious weather conditions put drivers and loads at risk, which affects transit times. Some terrains also make road transportation unavailable as trucks have problems traveling in more mountainous areas.

Ocean

Ocean freight transportation is the simplest and least costly solution for shipment services. It is mostly utilized by international shippers who don’t have pressing time constraints, as shipping via sea takes a long time. An advantage of shipping through water is the availability of full, partial or larger than container services at a guaranteed low cost. FreightCenter offers various options easing the hassle of ocean transportation at guaranteed competitive prices. Waterway freight is heavily affected by weather, although it is not experienced often. Harsh weather affects the ocean, often leading into hurricanes, tropical storms or other natural disasters. When these phenomena occur, waterway transportation is unavailable.