Land based freight systems contribute highly to the growth of businesses. Without them, those of us who import goods for our businesses would suffer a lot. In this article, we will be discussing rail and road freight systems and their benefits.

Road

Road freight is among the commonest modes of transportation. It is widely used in all the continents on planet earth. One document that has made movement of goods with this type of freight seamless across various states and countries is the single customs document. Better use a road freight software for better management.

Road freight has a number of advantages over other modes of transportation. These are:

– Local, over border, long or short haul deliveries can be made even in rural or remote areas.

– It is cost-effective

– It is a flexible service

– Offers fast and scheduled deliveries

– Cargo and truck can be tracked and traced

– It is one of the most affordable means of transport and it also offers complete door-to-door services

Though it has many benefits, truck transport has it’s limitations. It is limited somewhat as to what it can carry by the size and weight of the vehicle used, and by size and weight restrictions. Apart from that, road transport is also affected by traffic, road conditions, and weather.

Rail

Other than road, it is also important to mention rail transport. These two go hand in hand in ensuring cargo get to their respective owners in good condition and in time. Among the advantages of this mode of transport is it is considered to be environmentally friendly. Compared to road vehicles, trains burn less fuel per ton-mile. Other than that, a single train can pull as many as 100 wagons, being driven by only one driver, something that road vehicles cannot. However, you will incur some additional costs in a rail journey. Road delivery together with lift cost to transfer the containers will be needed at each end of the rail trip.

You will spend a lesser amount of money on longer journeys when using rail transport, when compared to road. On the other hand, road transport is much cheaper on shorter journeys. There are some circumstances where the cost of each mode of transport is the same or neutral. This point of neutrality is governed by a number of factors such as the type of commodity being transported and the route.

Below are some key benefits of using rail freight:

– Trains are reliable in terms of transit time and schedule

– Very efficient. One train can haul the equivalent of over four hundred trucks

– Rail transport has a higher safety rating than road