Transport mode – mean by which passengers and/or goods can be transported.

The transport mode will depend on the product in question, the country you are doing
business with, and the strategies of the company.

- for both passengers and goods road rail maritime (sea) air inland waterways
- for passengers only passenger car bus tram metro coach
- for goods only pipelines

Units of transport Measurement

Tonne–kilometre Tkm: measure the transport of one tonne of goods (including packaging and
tare weights of intermodal transport units) by a given transport mode over one kilometre.

Passenger–kilometre pKm measure of one passenger transport by a defined mode of

transport over one kilometre

Characteristics of the mode of transport

Road Rail Sea Air
Speed High Medium Low Very high
Cost Medium Medium Low High
Capacity Low High Very High Low
Security Medium High High Very High

Transport – modal split in EU: Air and maritime cover only intra-EU
transport (transport to/from countries of the EU) and exclude extra-EU transport.

Distance, modal choice, and transport cost

- different transportation modes have different cost functions.

- road has a lower cost function for short distances.

Road transport most used for the carriage of goods within EU. Simple and fast.
Carriage is performed with refrigeration trucks, trailer, tanks, tarpaulin trucks, as well as
special units for the transport of cargo and goods. Also buses and passenger cars, used for
transporting people – which is the so-called passenger road transport.
National road transport – between two places (loading and a place of
unloading) located in the same country irrespective of the country in which the road motor
vehicle is registered.

International transport –between a place of loading or unloading in the

reporting country and a place of loading or unloading in another country.

Road cabotage transport – denotes road transport within a country other

than the registration country, performed by a road motor vehicle registered in the reporting
country. governed by Regulation (EC) 1072/2009 as of 14 May 2010. To improve efficiency of
road freight transport by reducing empty trips after the unloading of international transport
operations. Article 8 of the Regulation says that every hauler is entitled to perform up to three
cabotage operations within a seven day period starting the day after the unloading of the
international transport.

Road transit transport –through a country between two places (a place of

loading and a place of unloading) both located in another country or in other countries
provided that the total journey within the country is by road and that there is no loading and
unloading in that country.

Cross-trade road transport – performed by a road motor vehicle

registered in one country between a place of loading in a second country and a place of
unloading in a third country.

Paved road surfaced with crushed stone with hydrocarbon binder or bituminized
agents, with concrete or with cobblestone.

Unpaved road stabilized base not surfaced with crushed stone, hydrocarbon binder
or bituminized agents, concrete, or cobblestone.

Road numbers improve traffic safety, because driver decision making at the strategic and
tactical level is enhanced.

Types of Roads
 National roads
 Provincial roads
 County roads
 Municipal road: located within the administrative boundaries of cities.
 Non-municipal roads: located outside the administrative boundaries of cities.

Advantages Vs Disadvantages
Advantages Disadvantages
 it can operate to any point  due to the low volume of goods
connected to the road network; transported with each trip, it is more
 only transport mode capable of polluting
offering” door to door” service;  traffic on roads and highways is
 speed; increasingly congested.
 medium cost. Congestion – level at which transportation
 system performance is no longer acceptable
due to traffic interference.

Road vehicles – regulations

In Europe, heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches must comply with certain rules on weights
and dimensions for road safety reasons and to avoid damaging roads, bridges and tunnels.

Directive (EU) Directive (EU) 2015/719 of 29 April 2015 amending Council Directive
96/53/EC.

Length Width
 All vehicles – 2,55 m
 Superstructures of conditioned vehicles – 2,60m

Height
Maximum all vehicles 4m

Load capacity Maximum weight of goods permissible by the competent authority of

the country of registration of the vehicle.

Load volume Maximum volume available in the vehicle m3 for the carriage of goods.
Gross vehicle weight Total of the weight of the vehicle (or combination of
vehicles) including its load when stationary and ready for the road declared permissible by the
competent authority of the country of registration. This includes the weight of the driver and
the maximum number of persons permitted to be carried.

Floor area within vehicle body Maximum floor area within the vehicle
body m2 available for the carriage of goods.

Lorry/truck Road tractor Trailer

Semi– trailer

Articulated vehicle
Road Train Swap Body
Logging trailer
 Multiaxial trailer Dry freight trailer
Auto hauler

Rail Transport meet the demand for transport services with the use of railway
infrastructure. Mode most dependent on infrastructure. Requires expensive railway networks
for travel and access.

Rail Infrastructure
 Truck – pair of rails over which rail borne vehicles can run.
 Track gauge – Distance between a pair of rails measured between the inside edges of
the rail heads.
 Electrified track – track provided with an overhead catenary or a conductor rail to
permit electric traction.
 Pantograph – a device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric
trains or trams

Rail characteristics
 transport bulk goods.
 low prices on medium and long-distance supplies.
 specialized rolling stock designed to transport cargo of varying susceptibility transport.
 possibility for supplying other modes of transport carriers.
 extensive rail network of well-adapted to the location of the main supply markets and
outlets.
 most ecological form of transport

Advantages Disadvantages
- range and spatial distribution of railway - the long lead time for delivery of goods.
networks, characterised by good adjustment - inability to door-to-door.
to the location of production and - inequality in railway networks and transport
settlements. points spatial distribution.
- a large density of railway networks and point - lack of clear structural and organizational
of transport. solutions in state-owned and private
- very good adaptation for the carriage of operators’ relations.
cargo of diverse transport susceptibility.
Sea (maritime) transport is the carriage by ships for commercial purposes,
passengers and cargo by sea water. Shipping is regarded as the most universal form of
transport because of the opportunity to carry virtually every type of cargo. Maritime transport
primarily handles bulk cargo transport in international exchange.

 Catalyst for economic development and prosperity;

 Enables trade and contacts between nations;
 Ensures the security of supply of energy, food and commodities and provides the main
vehicle for European imports and exports to the rest of the world.

Commercial shipping:

 Liner shipping, offers transport services on regular routes;

 Charter shipping, which is used by companies under contact, and which provides
services on fixed routes;
 Private shipping, which is a part of the logistics system in company.

Deadweight of a ship is the displacement in tonnes of a ship without cargo, fuel, lubricating
oil, ballast water, fresh water and drinking water in the tanks, usable supplies as well as
passengers, crew and their possessions. The difference in tonnes between the displacement of
a ship on summer load-line in water with a specific gravity of 1,025 and the total weight of the
ship.

Ro-Ro ship General cargo ship Gas Carriers

Container ship Tankers Bulk carriers Barzan

ship

Sea transport characteristics:

 The ability to transport bulk cargo on the widest range of transport susceptibility;
 Global reach of supported transport routes;
 The most favourable prices for long distance transport;
 Low speed of vessels, and low frequency and punctuality of maritime links;
 Relatively low security of humidity sensitive cargo;
 Longer supply or transshipment times;
 The need to use the delivery/pick-up services in connection with the low spatial
availability of seaports;
  Somali pirates.

Advantages Disadvantages
- Low cost; - slow
- Capable of transporting large
volumes of merchandise.

Inland water transport is the carriage of people and cargo using inland water
bodies and canals. Many inland waterways are multipurpose, providing drainage, irrigation,
water supply, and generation of hydroelectric power as well as navigation.

 Plays an important role for the transport of goods in Europe;

 More than 35,000 kilometres of waterways connect hundreds of cities and industrial
regions;
 While 20 out of 27 Member States have inland waterways, 12 of which have an
interconnected waterway network, the modal share of river transport accounts for 6%
of the total inland transport in the European Union;
 In 2006, almost 140 billion ton kilometres of freight were transported by inland
waterways in the Union;
 Fluvial transport plays a vital role in transport through the European North-west. In the
hinterland of the largest seaports of the EU, the modal share of inland waterway
transport can reach up to 43%.

Types of ports

 Conventional inland ports (ship-to shore transshipment; prevailingly Lift-on Lift-off

(Lo-Lo, vertical) transshipment technologies for dry cargoes including containers);
 River-Sea ports (water transshipment services both to inland and river-sea vessels);
 Deep-Sea ports (interface for all inland modes and maritime shipping);
 Specialised inland ports (e.g. special services such handling of chemical goods, RoRo
terminal).

Inland water transport characteristics:

 Ability to transport bulk cargo of low value;

 Low carriage costs in the transport of large consignments of cargo on large and
medium distances;
 Long delivery time, which depends on the weather and climate,;
 Poor spatial availability of river ports;
 Relatively low safety of humidity sensitive cargo, longer delivery and transshipment
times;
 The irregularity of deliveries due to influence of natural factors.

The European system of international waterways consists of four main arteries: the North-
South corridor, Rhine corridor, East-West and South-East, and all these corridors are
interlinked.
Air transport is the fastest growing mode of transport in the world, but it requires
large capital outlay and highly skilled staff. Only rich countries are able to afford its
development and continuously progressive modernization.

Air transport characteristics:

 Ability to carriage of a relatively small batch of products with a specific natural,

technical and economic susceptibility;
 The most advantageous time offer, particularly for longer routes;
 A very high degree of safety of cargo, particularly those sensitive to journey times,
humidity or shock;
 The need to use additional delivery services in connection with the relatively low
spatial availability of airports;
 High costs.

Air transport disadvantages:

 A small carrying capacity of the aircraft, thereby reduction the volume of cargo carried;
 Adverse spatial distribution of the airport network, a consequence – increasing
delivery times in the relationship door-to-door;
 A high level of freight rates, despite a strong decrease in unit costs for large distances.

The basic disadvantage of air transport is small capacity of means of transport. Aircraft
payload is variable, it depends on the distance, which has to overcome without refuelling
stop.

Mode of Typical usage Advantages Disadvantages

transport
Road . Door-to-door Most flexible for door-to-door, . Limited to continental
. Ideal for mixed cargo cheap transport
. Typically used for first . Urban congestion
and final leg . Damage to roads
Rail For domestic, Ideal for heavy goods and long . Connection to rail system
continental and inter- distances required
continental transport Environmental-friendly . Complete trains require large
volume (thus low frequency),
otherwise handling in yards
(low transport speed)
Air To ensure fast Fast and safe . Expensive
transport . Limits for size and weight
. Typically as part of
multimodal transport
Sea Bulk shipments, where . Ideal for bulky and heavy . Inflexible routes
long lead time is ok goods . Long lead time
. Highly standardized sea . Inflexible timetables (ship will
containers worldwide not wait for missing container)
. Less costly than air for inter-
continental transports