Freight transportation makes a significant commitment to the world economy. Circulating goods help create added value and promote trade development. The United States is the leading commercial center with the most powerful economy on the planet. Thus, inland transportation USA has the ability to lead the worldwide economy.

About Inland Transportation USA

Inland Transportation USA is the delivery of goods within the country by various means of transportation. Thanks to the diverse geographical characteristics, the USA can meet the requirements of  shipping by many different methods such as:

• Long-distance truck transportation
• Rail transportation
• Inland ocean freight
• Inland Transportation USA by air

Depending on the requirements of time, cost, product characteristics and weight, the shipper will choose appropriate shipping methods. Each method will have its own advantages and disadvantages. Let’s learn about inland transportation USA to choose the most suitable mode of transport to deliver your goods.

Inland Transportation USA by Road

For domestic goods transportation by road, the most common is containers, in addition, other types of transport vehicles such as trucks, vans or tank trucks can be used. Inland Transportation USA by road was born a long time ago and was first used to move cargo. The road vehicle system is increasingly advanced and optimized for road transportation.

Advantages

• The form of shipping is flexible since it can move cargo directly from warehouse to warehouse, from manufacturer to consumer, and in all kinds of weather.
• Road transport mainly uses motorbikes and trucks, so it is very versatile in the process of transporting goods, regardless of time and there is no specific time limit, just needs to be agreed upon by the parties. Shipping times are subject to change.
• The vehicle, amount of cargo, and route are all your decisions.
• Highly adaptable to terrain conditions, with high economic efficiency over short and medium distances.
• Therefore, this method helps to save costs and labor, except in the case of long-distance transportation, which may incur additional costs.

Defect

• Long-distance transportation frequently has to pay extra road surcharges, such as toll booths, fuel fees,…
• Road transportation also contains a number of risks, such as traffic accidents and traffic congestion, which have a substantial impact on the delivery time of goods.
• Limited in size and volume, products cannot be transported by sea or rail in huge quantities.

Door-to-door

Door to door is understood as “from the consignment warehouse to the customer’s house”. Accordingly, the door to door service will include the transportation of goods to the implementation of necessary paperwork, customs procedures, customs clearance procedures, … to export goods to foreign countries or import goods into the country.

Inland Transportation USA by Rail

In order to reduce the load on the road, shippers gradually switched to choosing the Inland Transportation USA by rail.

Advantages

• Goods are gathered at the station before being loaded on the train, saving transportation costs compared to the process of transporting goods to the port and then loading on the ship.
• Time: Transport by rail is specialized, only stopping at main stations, all vehicles must stop when the train passes, so the transit time is fast and accurate.
• Risks: Due to the separate track, the risk of accidents is very small. Limiting the impact of natural disasters, storms or droughts, the transportation process takes place continuously.

Disadvantages

• The type of cargo transported is limited, usually dry goods, ores – minerals…
• Due to the fixed route in terms of time and schedule, the shipper cannot change or adjust the destination addresses
• Domestic transportation by rail is not suitable for goods with small volumes, combined because the train only stops at the main station and the time is fast, so the loading and unloading is limited.

Inland Transportation USA by Sea

Sea transport involves using vehicles and maritime infrastructure. Normally, the main means of transport are boats, vehicles that play the role of loading and unloading goods are cranes. Marine infrastructure systems serving the transportation of goods are seaports, and transshipment ports for ships and warehouses.

Products are mainly transported by ocean

Except for the items on the list of prohibited import and export of that country, most goods can be transported by sea. This is probably one of the advantages of this type of transport compared to road and air. Normally, the following items will be prioritized for shipping by sea:

• Goods with physico-chemical properties, especially chemicals, chemical solutions, substances that are easy to absorb moisture. Besides, there are other types of volatile dust such as powder,…
•  Goods that are easily affected by the environment, easily affected by humidity and temperature such as tobacco, tea, spices, …
• Other goods such as construction materials, machinery, industrial materials, etc.

Advantages

It is no coincidence that ocean shipping has an outstanding advantage over road and air transport. This is also the method chosen by many businesses when transporting commodities. Let’s take a look at some of the main advantages!

• Diversified cargo: Any form of goods can be transported across the ocean. The development of enormous ships was done to aid in the movement of cargo. These ships can travel easily due to the enormous ocean.
• Large volume of transport: ocean shipping is the only form of transportation appropriate for enormous, bulky, and oversized products. 
• There is no restriction on transportation support tools and the number of vehicles.
• Low cost: Reasonable shipping costs, much cheaper than air freight.
• The problem of collision during transportation is also limited, safe for goods. Sea transport routes are less constrained than road transport.
• Creating favorable conditions for economic exchanges with countries around the world. This expands trade between areas and enhances economic development of the country.

Disadvantages

• Natural factors have a significant impact on ocean shipping.  Bad weather will affect the speed of the ship so the transit time is also longer
• The transportation time to the destination is rather long because the boat’s speed is quite slow. The increased speed is still somewhat constrained.
• Contamination of the ocean: The marine environment may be impacted owing to ship mishaps, harmed ships, or sailors’ consciousness.
• Shipping cannot be delivered door-to-door. Due to the large size of the ships, the goods can only be transported to the port and then used by road to deliver the goods to the consumers.

Inland Transportation USA by Air

Air Freight is the use of aircraft to transport goods. This is the method by which goods are transported by specialized cargo aircraft (Cargo Aircraft, or Freighter), or carried in the belly of passenger aircraft (Passenger Plane).

Goods are prohibited on airplane:

• Explosives such as bombs, mines, detonators, fireworks, fireworks, bullets and other explosives, etc.
• Flammable substances such as metal, liquefied gas, alcohol, etc. or flammable liquids such as gasoline, oil, paint, solvents, etc. Additionally, it is forbidden to transport flammable solids and chemicals in planes.
• Poisons; infectious substances; corrosive substances such as acids, salts; oxidizing agents, organic detergents, etc.
• Objects attached to alarm systems such as briefcases, safes, etc.
• Items that are prohibited from being transported according to the current regulations of the countries and territories that airplane travels to, from, or over.
• Any material that could endanger passengers is prohibited.

Advantages

• High speed: This is the biggest strength of this type, the average cargo or passenger aircraft has an average speed of about 800-1000km/h. Compared to the water or the roads, it is far superior.
• High safety: Air transportation will give the highest level of safety. Unintentional risks are very small, independent of the natural terrain.
• Unobstructed by topographical surfaces such as roads or waterways: therefore, it is possible to connect almost all countries in the world. This fosters favorable conditions for trading and circulating goods.
• Fast, on-time service: thanks to the very fast airspeed and the often high-value or perishable cargo characteristics
• Minimizing the loss caused by damage, breakage, or petty theft.
• Shipping insurance: is lower than ocean cargo and road transport due to less risk than other modes
• Warehousing fees are usually quite low thanks to the characteristics of goods and the speed of processing procedures quickly…

Disadvantages

Besides the above-mentioned outstanding advantages, air transport services still have certain limitations.

• Each cargo comes at a huge price. The cost of shipping goods via air seems to be the greatest at the moment.
• Due to high freight costs, the form of transportation is frequently used to send high-value commodities and is not appropriate for shipments of low-value goods. In other words, there aren’t many items on the list.
• Unsuitable for transporting heavy objects. Cabin size and aircraft door size are limiting factors. The actual tonnage of the aircraft is not as large as a ship.
• Air freight is strictly inspected. Because it is related to the laws and regulations of each country. 
• Resistant to negative effects from the weather.