13. A, 14.

A ttel
Transport (air, road, rail and sea)
Development of Transport
In primitive times animals were used for transportation. Vehicles were pulled by dogs, horses,
elephants and camels. They are still an important means of transport in various parts of the
world. Water transport started early in cities, London, Paris, Rome which are situated on a
river or near to the sea. Road ma!ing began at a period when water transport was already
highly organi"ed. The first roads in #ungary were also built by the Romans.
$t the end of the %&
th
century the steam engine was invented. The first public railway in the
world, the 'toc!ton and (arlington line opened in )ngland in %&*+. $t the same time
steamships began to operate. In the *,
th
century steam engines were replaced by electric
engines on the railways and by diesel engines. -owadays some modern ships use atomic
energy.
$n important development in road transport was the invention of the internal combustion
engine. (evelopment of the car and truc! industry is very important. .ut for transportation of
heavy freight /coal, iron, ore0, especially over long distances, railways must still be relied
upon. The beginning of the *,
th
century saw the invention of the airplane. $t the beginning
airlines were used for passenger transport. The first type of air freight was mail, which too!
up relative little space. -ow special aircraft have been designed and are flown on a 1cargo
only2 basis.
Rail transport:
Today there is a hardly a country in the world, where the railways do not lose money. Rail
traffic is fast when actually moving. If goods are to go a long way, rail transport is probably
the best. The economic limit is *,, miles. .elow that limit, road transport is more economic.
It is economical in the use of labour, because one driver and two guards can ta!e 3, tons of
carriages. 4ompared with road transport, where lories can ta!e only 5* tons, we can see the
advantages of the rail transport. Railway transports has a big problem, and it is the terminal
problem. It does not transport for door to door. 6oods must therefore be loaded and unloaded
at terminals to complete their 7ourney by road vehicles. The document used in rail transport is
the 4onsignment -ote, which is a receipt for the goods and a contract of carriage. It is made
out in several copies. The first copy accompanies the goods. It is the duplicate of the
4onsignment -ote.
Road Transport:
The chief advantages of road transport are8
9 Terminal handling is eliminated by door9to9door delivery.
9 (elivery is made direct to the consignee:s premises
9 Road vehicles are e;tremely fle;ible, and computeri"ed route charts can now be
prepared which give the most direct or most economic route to be followed.
9 'peciali"ed vehicles of great variety have been produced
The document used for international road transport is the 4onsignment -ote.
Air transport:
In modern time an increasing amount of goods is travelling by air. It:s very e;pensive, but a
saving can be made on pac!ing cost, and the insurance premium may be lower. This type of
transportation is used when merchandise is urgently re<uired /medicines, fruit, flowers, early
vegetables...0 or the goods represent a high value /7ewellery, furs, watches...0
%
$dvantages8
9 the speed of transport
9 the e;porter and the importer are closer to a city with an airport than a seaport
(isadvantages8
9 Its <uite e;pensive
9 It is unsuitable, of course, for large and bul!y goods over, say 5, tonnes in weight.
The document used in $ir Transport is the $ir Waybill. This is a receipt for the goods, and a
contract of carriage.
Sea transport:
'hipping is divided into two main classes8
%. chartered vessels
*. conferences and liner services
4hartered vessels are designed mainly to carry such cargoes as coal, ores, grain, timber etc.
The advantage of this shipping is that the ship steamer can be at the port when the cargo is
re<uired to be moved. There is a minimum of waste movement.
4argo liner companies provide regular traffic between ports in different parts of the world.
They are called 1conferences2 because they hold meetings to agree on routes, timetables,
rates. They sail according to a fi;ed schedule, have fi;ed routing and the freight rates are
<uoted according to fi;ed tariffs. 'ailing lists shows the date of sailing, the name of the ship,
the closing date, i.e. the latest date on which the vessel receives cargo, and the date of arrival
at the port of destination.
The trade in shipping space is mostly in the hands of shipbro!ers. The most important centres
of such a trade are e;changes li!e the .altic =ercantile and 'hipping );change in London>
moreover there are many other international or local mar!ets at important ports.
Pipelines:
Pipelines, as a means of transporting gas, oil or water have assumed a new importance in
recent years. The capital costs of installing a pipeline can be considerable, but once laid, the
running costs can be low in terms of unit transport cost per !ilometre.
Forardin!:
It is highly important for a foreign trading company to reduce transport costs. The tas! of
minimi"ing costs of carriage re<uires special !nowledge and training. The agent serving the
purpose is called a forwarder.
The forwarding agent is bound to enter in his own name and on the principal:s account into
contracts of carriage necessary to the transportation of the consignment, while the principal is
bound to pay due remuneration therefore.
*