Transport process - what is it?

The transport industry is one of the foundations of the global economy. Transport of goods ensures the possibility of distributing goods regardless of the place of production and place of sale. What is the transport process? What means of transport are used to transport goods? 

Definition of the transport process

The transportation process is a set of activities and operations that are undertaken to move goods or people from one place to another. This process involves many steps and elements that must be coordinated to ensure effective and safe movement. Proper planning and the use of available logistics tools allow you to meet customer expectations and legal requirements.

The transport process is a key element of the supply chain that allows goods to be delivered to a specific place and at the required time. It affects its efficiency, costs and quality of services provided. Moreover, the transport process is not only about moving goods. There are also other logistical procedures involved, including warehousing, inventory management and customer service. An important element of the entire process is its constant improvement, thanks to which more and more effective forms of delivery are achieved, both in terms of time, safety and price of delivery. Optimization is significantly facilitated by the use of new technologies and information systems.

Elements that make up the transport process

The transport process can be divided into several stages that are common to the transport of all types of goods. The first is transport planning, in which the purpose of transport is determined, a means of transport adapted to the needs is selected (train, plane, container ship or truck) and finally the route is planned and the process schedule is created. 

The next step in the transport process is loading the goods. At this stage, the cargo is prepared for transport - including packaging and labeling, and then the goods are physically loaded onto the selected means of transport. 

The next phase of the transport process is the physical transport of goods to the destination indicated by the customer using the selected means of transport. An important part of this stage is monitoring the transport status during the journey. This allows for real-time transport control, which enables smooth determination of delivery time and significantly increases transport safety. In order to monitor the progress of transport, GPS systems are usually used to precisely determine the location of the means of transport. 

The last stages of the transport process are the unloading of the goods and their collection by the customer. When unloading the goods at the destination, the condition of the goods upon arrival is checked. After this, the goods are formally handed over to the recipient and the documentation related to the transport is completed, including packing lists and invoices. 

The transport process also includes transport documentation management. The company providing the transport service is obliged to maintain and archive transport documents and to ensure compliance with legal provisions and regulations.

What means of transport can be used in the transport process?

Road transport is most often used on routes up to 3 km long. Thanks to the extensive road network, trucks allow you to deliver cargo anywhere. The undoubted advantage of this solution is the low price for the service, fast delivery and a wide range of companies providing truck transport services. 

Rail transport is also widely used for land transport. Trains are usually used on longer journeys, including continental ones. They ensure the transportation of large amounts of goods in one train. Rail freight is relatively cheap, fast, safe and ecological. Its disadvantage is that it only delivers goods to places connected to the rail network. Trains are useful not only over longer intercountry distances, but also intercontinental ones. An example is express freight trains from China to Poland moving along the New Silk Road. 

In the case of the longest intercontinental routes, where rail or road transport is not possible, sea freight is usually used. This is the most popular method of delivering goods over longer intercontinental distances. Sea transport is relatively cheap, but it is the slowest of all means of transport. Moreover, it is the least predictable in terms of exact delivery date. 

The fastest method of delivering goods is air transport. It allows you to transport loads over long distances in less than 1 week. Its disadvantage, however, is the high price and limited load capacity. Air freight is often used to transport valuable and perishable cargo. 

To sum up, it is also worth mentioning multimodal transport. It involves the use of at least two means of transport within one transport process. It works well when combining e.g. rail and road transport. In the transport process, it uses containers that allow for safe transportation of cargo and quick reloading from one means of transport to another. Multimodal transport works perfectly in optimizing the transport process in terms of transport time and price.