Branches of transport in logistics

Transport is a very broad topic, which can be significantly narrowed down by dividing it into several individual variants thanks to the concept of branches of transport. The general concept of transport refers to the possibility of transporting people, objects, and cargoes by specialized means to their destination. This process is possible in the variant of air, road, rail and sea, and shipping. In addition, there is also the concept of mixed transport in logistics operations, which is divided into several types. 

What are the branches of transportation in the world?

Each branch of transport has its own advantages and disadvantages, so there is no single variant in the world that meets all the needs of each private customer and business. Specific advantages and disadvantages make the use of individual branches only in the case of specific goods or time expectations.

Air transport

Air transport is currently one of the most popular worldwide, as it combines the advantages of all others. It is also characterized by a much higher price of service and the logistical operation itself. This branch of transport uses, among other things, an air fleet, which allows for the instant realization of logistic operations, as well as hubs, operated by the courier company or external companies. This type of branch of transport is used only for the longest distances, and its greatest advantage is the shortest possible execution time.

Rail and sea transport

Railroad and sea transport is also a very popular branch of transport. Railroad transport can be used for very long distances, but only between countries that are well connected. The low price of this type of transport is used by entrepreneurs counting on the lowest costs of service, with a slightly longer realization time than in the case of air transport. Sea transport, in turn, is carried out mainly between countries without a direct land connection and is characterized by the longest execution time, but also by the lowest price and the smallest impact on the environment. It is worth knowing that a single ship can transport thousands of tons of cargo from all over the world. However, massiveness goes hand in hand with the need for reloading of the goods. A variant of sea transport is inland waterway transport, in which rivers with a sufficiently wide channel are used.

Land transport

The most popular branch of transport in Poland is land transport, which uses only land-based means of transport, such as trucks and cars, as well as single-track vehicles, including motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles. The greatest advantage of this branch of transport is the high availability and low cost of delivering cargo over short distances, such as within a single country. This is the most common form of cargo delivery between private customers and between a company and a private customer.

Mixed transport - essential and most complicated

Mixed transport, also known as multimodal transport, is the combination of several modes of transport within one supply chain. Mostly this variant is used for interstate transport. Especially often, all other branches of transport are combined with land transport, which is used, among other things, to deliver cargo directly to the place of collection. Without mixed transport, forwarding companies would have big problems with the proper realization of orders, as a result of which many companies have means of transport from all branches.

The multitude of available branches of transport makes it possible for each company or consumer to find the optimal variant, which works best in a given case. Does speed count? Air transport has no equal. Do you want the lowest price and minimum impact on the environment? Then inland waterways, sea, and rail are excellent choices. On the other hand, the advantages of land transport will usually benefit companies and consumers from the same country.