Did you know that maritime shipping accounts for up to 40 percent of the international shipping value of the United States of America as of 2021? Businesses are more reliant on shipping than ever before as economies become more global with each passing year. Finding ways to transport cargo allows you to get the resources you need while getting your products to new markets.
If you plan on using cargo transportation services for your business then it’s important that you understand the different shipment options that you can use to get your goods from Point A to Point B. The good news is that you’ve found the perfect guide to learning all about how to transport cargo from your warehouse to the doorstep of your customers.
Keep reading to learn more today!
Road Transportation
One of the most common ways to transport cargo in the United States is through road transportation. The U.S. has a robust system of highways and roads that semi-trucks can use to haul cargo from one state or one coast to another. Road transportation is the most common way of transporting cargo and it has seen extensive use ever since the invention of the wheel.
As technology and infrastructure continue to push forward, road transportation remains a great way to transport cargo to the places where you need it to go. It offers a great deal of versatility compared to air shipping and maritime shipping. This is due to trucks having many different routes that they can take.
It is the go-to option if you are sending smaller shipments over shorter distances. It’s a great fit if you have small or medium-sized loads that you’re trying to ship to your customers. The only downside to using road transportation for your cargo is the fact that there are factors like road conditions and weather that could impact shipping times.
Maritime Transportation
Shipping cargo by ship over waterways has been an integral part of human civilization for thousands of years. Society continues to move toward a global economy, and maritime shipping is a major part of that movement. More than 90 percent of global trade happens using cargo ships and cargo transportation services.
Think of a major body of water and odds are that it is used for shipping goods and resources. It’s a viable form of transporting cargo since it is cost-effective. This is especially true when it comes to using rivers to ship goods.
Many of the shipping routes that are in use today have been used for hundreds of years. Shipping companies are always looking for new shipping routes that they can use to make their processes more efficient.
The main disadvantage of using maritime shipping is the fact that it takes a lot of time. From a time standpoint, maritime shipping is the least efficient option that you can use for ways to transport cargo. The benefit is that you can ship a lot more goods with this method than with your other shipping options.
One thing to consider is the impact that cargo ships have on the environment. They tend to produce a ton of carbon emissions that have a harmful impact on the air quality in the atmosphere.
Air Transportation
Air transportation is another great option that is worth exploring if you’re in need of transport cargo services. Air transport is the newest form of transporting goods from one place to another. It allows you to send or receive shipments in shorter amounts of time.
Cargo planes are becoming more and more important to getting goods and resources from one side of the globe to the other in record time. It’s a great option because the technology continues to improve and there are no limits to the routes that the pilot can take.
The efficiency that air shipping provides is causing more companies to invest in this shipment option. Major companies like Amazon look at air transportation for goods as the way of the future since it gets products to customers at a much quicker rate. This keeps customers coming back since they value the convenience that they get with this form of transporting cargo.
More people are trusting the reliability of this form of shipping. The downside to air shipping is that it is the most expensive option that you can choose to send or receive goods. There are also limits on the volume and weight of the goods that you can ship with a single flight.
Rail Transportation
Rail transportation is an effective way of shipping large amounts of goods across a landmass or continent. It didn’t take long for the value of the railway to expand across the world. It is an efficient and easy way of bringing new goods and products to different towns and regions.
The modern world uses railways to ship the heaviest goods and resources since there is almost no weight limit with shipping via trains. It’s also great because railways tend to work their way into heavily populated areas where goods are in high demand. It’s a great option if you’re planning on shipping your goods across the country or the continent.
A drawback of rail transportation is the fact that it doesn’t offer the same level of flexibility as road transportation. You’re limited to the areas where the train tracks go. You won’t have many options for diverging from the railway. You’ll need help from a trucking company once the goods are unloaded at the train station or rail hub.
Now You’re Ready to Transport Cargo
Understanding the different methods that are available to transport cargo is important if you’re running a business and trying to get your products to customers around the globe. Road and maritime transport are the most common, and they’ve been in use for thousands of years. Transporting cargo by air is the quickest but most expensive option that you can use.
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