A comprehensive summary of our Transportation Mode Series, which examines the pros and cons of the most popular ways to ship freight: rail, truck, ship, barge and plane
So, you've got a batch of computer parts in Asia that need to be delivered to an assembly plant in New Jersey in 24 hours. What transportation mode do you choose?
Or, what if you need to ship 10,000 tons of bulk grain from St. Louis to New Orleans? Is rail the best option? Or barge?
Weighing the pros and cons of various modes can be overwhelming, especially when you need a reliable solution that makes the most sense for your business. If you need help deciding which transportation mode is the best for shipping your freight, this comprehensive view of the benefits and drawbacks of the most popular transportation modes — truck, rail, ship/barge and plane — can help. Don't miss the printable infographic or video.
Truck Transport
Truck shipping is the most common mode of transport in the U.S. and provides quick delivery of shipments traveling short distances. While utilizing truck shipping will allow you to reach just about any location, your carrying capacity may be limited by the truck's size and weight restrictions.
Rail Shipping
Rail shipping is great for moving very large volumes over long distances, making it one of the most cost-effective and fuel-efficient transportation modes. However, if you do not have tracks at your facility, you may need to coordinate with trucks for first and last mile transport.
Water Transport
Water transport is environmentally responsible, fuel efficient and has the ability to carry massive amounts of goods of just about any size or weight. But if you are looking for quick delivery, ship transportation may not fit the bill, with shipments taking up to a month to arrive at their destination.
Air Transportation
Air transportation is fast, easy to track and is accessible to just about any location with an airport nearby — but plane shipping comes with a high price tag and low carrying capacity.
Need a little more information to make a decision? Answer a few questions about your freight and an expert will be in touch.
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VIDEO: Shipping Mode Comparison: Truck, Rail, Air & Water
FAQs
Transport by rail, ship or plane always requires a certain lead and follow-up time. With a truck, on the other hand, the goods can be delivered directly to the customer without any further handling. Due to its flexibility, the truck is also well suited as part of an intermodal transport.
What is an advantage of truck freight over rail freight? ›
Speed: Advantage to Trucking
When comparing the speed of rail vs trucking shipping, the advantage goes to trucking. Extensive highways allow trucks to (usually) follow a shorter path between two points and deliver their cargo faster. Trucks are also generally easier to load and unload.
What is the biggest disadvantage of shipping freight by water? ›
Disadvantages of shipping goods by sea freight
- shipping by sea can be slower than other transport modes and bad weather can add further delays.
- routes and timetables are usually inflexible.
- tracking your goods' progress is difficult.
- you have to pay port duties and taxes.
As a result, although rail transport has advantages such as high carrying capacity, economy, reliability and environmental impact, it also has some disadvantages such as limited flexibility, operating costs, necessity of intermodal connections and delivery time.
What are the disadvantages of truck shipping? ›
Trucks are limited in the size and weight of single items they can ship due to trailer restrictions. One of the biggest concerns with truck transportation is environmental concerns. Trucks are one of the least environmentally sustainable ways to ship products.
Is it cheaper to ship by rail or truck? ›
COST. If you're hauling goods crosstown or even intrastate, trucking may be the better bargain. It's also a good consideration if your volume doesn't even fill one rail car. However, for longer journeys—especially those over 600 miles—shipping by rail is the far more cost-effective option.
Is rail more efficient than trucks? ›
Railroads are roughly four times more fuel efficient than trucks. Shipping freight via rail limits greenhouse gas emissions and increases fuel efficiency, reducing the transportation carbon footprint. In fact, moving freight by rail instead of truck lowers greenhouse gas emissions by 75%.
What are the benefits of rail freight? ›
Rail is sustainable – compared with trucks, it produces only about one-fifth of the emissions per kilometer traveled and ton transported. At the same time, due to its largeer cargo capacity, it is efficient, mostly punctual, and ideal for intermodal use in combination with road freight.
What are the disadvantages of air and water transport? ›
Drawbacks of Air Transport
- Expensive Mode of Transportation. You may find air transport less suitable for low-value goods because of the high expenses. ...
- Weather Dependency. Air transport is usually affected by weather conditions. ...
- Environmental Impact. ...
- Infrastructure and Accessibility. ...
- Noise and Air Pollution.
Air Freight vs Ocean Freight - Which Is Reliable and Safe? Air freight! There's very minimal handling - once the goods are loaded to the aircraft, there's no chance to open it until it reaches the destination. Piracy and robbery is still a major concern!
Environmental impact
In general, sea freight tends to have a lower carbon footprint per ton of cargo transported compared to air freight. This is because airplanes release more greenhouse gases during transport. Flights, on average, emit 500 grams of carbon dioxide/metric tons of cargo per kilometer of transportation.
What are two disadvantages of rail? ›
There are risks and disadvantages of transporting your goods by rail including:
- routes and timetables available can be inflexible, especially in remote regions.
- rail transport can be more expensive than road transport.
- mechanical failure or industrial action can disrupt services.
Freight Shipping by Train vs. Truck: Advantages and Disadvantages
- Railways consume up to 9x less energy per tonne-kilometer traveled than trucks.
- Trains can be up to 5x more fuel-efficient than trucks.
- Can carry much more freight at the same time.
- Cheaper for long-distance.
- Emit 75% fewer GHG emissions.
Individuals who travel regularly possess adventurous spirits that yearn for new experiences to learn new things. Despite having numerous benefits, traveling has disadvantages too. It is costly, exposes individuals to the risk of contracting diseases, and causes excessive fatigue.
What are the 4 modes of transportation? ›
Air, Road, Sea and Rail. These are the four major modes of transport (or types) in the logistics industry. Which method you use will depend on what you're shipping, where you're shipping from and where you're shipping to. Even then, more than one method may be suitable.
