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Transport is an essential branch of commerce and is concerned with the distribution of goods and the movement of people. It has become an industry in itself and a very important economic activity. The primary function of transport is to provide manufacturing industries with raw materials and semi manufactured goods and to distribute finished products to wholesalers, retailers and final consumers. Nowdays advances in telecommunications and computer technologies have brought about new and more efficient patterns of work organization contributing to speedy and flexible international transport services.
There are several means of transport and their choice will depend on a variety of considerations regarding:
the nature of the goods which may be bulky, heavy or perishable
the value of the goods and the cost of transport
the size and weight of the goods
the time and place of delivery
the quantity of goods to be despatched
The efficiency of a transport system is strictly connected to the technological developments in engines and vehicles as well as to the road, rail and airport infrastructures. Britain, in particular, can boast an efficient and safe network of over 3,000 km of trunk motorways, a well extended railway network operated by fast inter-city trains, a number of airports conveniently located near the major urban centres. The opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1993 between Shakespeare cliff, near Dover, and Sangatte, near Calais, will have a significant impact on travel between Britain and the continent of Europe. The Channel Tunnel will put an end to Britain's insularity and is going to enhance the mobility of labour, goods and services between Britain and the other European countries.
Transport is generally classified into the following main branches:
Road haulage has a dominant position in the movement of inland freight, accounting for about 82 per cent of tonnage carried and for nearly three-fifths of tonne-km. Railways, inland waterways, coastal shipping and pipelines are important in carrying certain types of freight, particularly bulk goods. Motor vehicle traffic in Great Britain is continuing to grow. In 1989 the road network in Britain totalled some 380,400 km of which 3,000 km were trunk motorways. New and improved roads have resulted in much shorter travelling times, particularly for long-distance journeys and those between cities, and have brought considerable benefits to industry, commerce and road haulage operators, and increased personal mobility.
Railways were nationalised in 1947 and in 1962 the British Railways Board was set up to manage railway affairs and subsidiary activities. The British Railways Board controls most of the railway network in Great Britain apart from the underground railway systems in London and Glasgow, the Tyne and Wear Metro and a few stretches of private railway. The Government is studying the long-term options for British Rail, including the possibility of privatisation.
The Inland waterways of Great Britain are popular for ricreation, make a valuable contribution to the environment and play an important part in land drainage and water supply. They are also used to a limited extent for freight carrying. The British Waterways Board is responsible for some 3,200 km of waterways in Great Britain. The majority of waterways are maintained primarily for leisure use, but about 620 km are maintained as commercial waterways for private sector traffic.
(Adapted from Britain 1991)
The following diagram shows the features of transport by land:
VOCABULARY
by air groupage systemper via aerea con sistema a raggruppamento
by air mailper posta aerea
by canalper canale
by cargo linercon nave mercantile di linea
by charter flightcon volo charter
by container shipcon nave porta contenitori
by E-mailper posta elettronica
by express postper posta espresso
by ferrycon traghetto
by freightlinerper treno merci di linea
by goods trainper ferrovia PV
by intermodal systemcon sistema intermodale
by passenger linercon nave di linea per passeggeri
by passenger trainper ferrovia GV
by pipelinetramite oleodotto / metanodotto
by postper posta
by railper ferrovia
by roadsu strada
by scheduled flightcon volo di linea
by surface mailper posta ordinaria
by tankercon petroliera
by trampcon nave volandiera
TRANSPORT THROUGH THE POST OFFICE
The Post Office in Britain is one of the largest industrial service organisations. It offers a wide range of services every day: counter services, conveyance of letters and parcels, telephones. the transmission of data via telex, fax or computer services, retail banking services. It is divided into four service departments: posts, telecommunications, data processing and giro banking.
As regards the delivery of letters and parcels, Post Office provides a range of specialist services:
1.Datapost, a door-to-door delivery service, has overnight links throughout Britain and provides an international service to over 160 countries.
2.Datapost Sameday provides a rapid delivery within or between more than 100 cities and towns in Britain and between London and Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin.
3.The Royal Mail Facsimile Service, the world's first international public facsimile transmission service sending letters and other documents electronically, provides high-speed mail links between more than 100 post offices in Britain as well as to and from some 40 other countries.
Besides these services, the Post office operates a Parcel Delivery Service. The Post Office has reorganised its parcels operations. A programme of modernisation includes the establishment of 150 local collection and delivery depots throughout Britain. Depending on the line they deal in and according to their transport requirements, most firms make use of the Parcel Delivery Service.
The Post Office is introducing new technology into its counter services to reduce costs and raise productivity, while providing an improved range of services to customers. (From Britain 1991).
Oral Test
1. What is transport?
2. What is the primary function of transport?
3. What factors do you consider when choosing a means of transport?
4. How can transport be effected?
5. How is transport by land classified?
6. Why is motor vehicle traffic dominant in Britain?
7. What does the British Railways Board control?
8. What is the function of the inland waterways?
9. What services does the Post Office provide?
10. Into what departments is the Post Office divided?
11. What is datapost?
12. How is the Parcel Delivery Service organised?
ROAD HAULAGE
Like many other industrial countries, road haulage, in Britain, has attained a predominant position in the movement of inland freight. Road haulage is predominantly an industry of small private businesses. The biggest road haulage operators in Britain are NFC plc, Transport Development Group plc, TNT Express, Apollo Freight Limited Co., United Carriers International Ltd.
Road haulage traffic by heavy goods vehicles accounts for about 77 per cent of the traffic in Great Britain. Much of the traffic is moved over short distances. The main commodities handled by heavy goods vehicles are crude minerals; food, drink and tobacco; building materials.
Road safety
Although Great Britain has one of the highest densities of road traffic in the world, it has a good record on road safety, with one of the lowest road accident death rates in the European Community. The Government has introduced a number of measures to alleviate the environmental problems caused by lorries and to improve road safety. These include the provision of more relief roads and bypasses to keep lorries away from people; new standards for vehicle sideguards, noise and spray suppression: and more effective enforcement of regulations. Grants of up to 60 per cent are available towards the cost of construction or modernisation of privately owned rail or inland waterway facilities where significant environmental benefits can be obtained by keeping heavy goods vehicle traffic off unsuitable roads. (From Britain 1991)
Documentation
According to the transport regulations in force within the EEC, the main document for road transport is the Road Consignment Note or CRM (Convention Merchandises par Routes) and, for international transport, the International Road Consignment Note.
This document is issued in sets of originals and copies for persons concerned. It is a receipt for the goods received by the road haulier and an evidence of the contract of carriage as well. It contains the name and address of the consignor and the consignee, a description of the goods, their marks, the number of packages, place of delivery, place and date of taking over, method of packing, special agreements, instructions as to payment for carriage, the signatures by the concerned parties (the consignor, the carrier, the consignee).
The Delivery Note is a document accompanying the goods which the consignee signs to prove reception of the goods relieving the carrier of any responsibility.
Community Transit Documents
Goods produced inside the EEC are free to circulate within the Common Market countries. To this end a Community Transit System has been set up which has regulated the movement of the goods inside the Community through a set of standardised documents. The system regulates also the commercial relations with associated countries with which the Community has made special trading agreements. Goods coming from these countries can circulate on condition they are provided with transit forms ( T forms ) ratified by Customs. The most common Transit documents are:
T1 which accompanies goods produced outside the EEC in transit between member states.
T2 for goods produced and exchanged inside the EEC .
T-EX which is a Common Market export document. It is used for foods exported from EEC countries to extra-Community countries.
EUR.1 which is not a transit document but a certificate of origin used for goods produced by countries which have negotiated preferential tariffs with the EEC. The same document is used by EEC when exporting goods to these countries.
Advantages and disadvantages of road transport
The main advantages of road transport are:
1.it is flexible and provides a door-to-door service
2.it is faster and cheaper for distances up 300 kms
3.it eliminates transhipment handling
4.it permits to carry return loads
The main disadvantages road transport implies are:
1.it is slower than railway over long distances
2.it has to cope with heavily congested roads and delivery could be delayed
3.it is subject to bad weather conditions
4.it is less convenient when there are no return loads to carry
Transport service is usually associated with packing and insurance. Before being delivered to its final destination, a consignment is normally packed and covered by insurance. This adds packing and insurance charges to transport expenses which may well result considerably high. A helpfull way of holding prices down is given by the groupage system or consolidated shipment.
A consolidated shipment consists of goods from different sender companies grouped together into a single shipment. This kind of shipment enables shippers to lower the costs of delivery, packing and insurance which are charged on the total number of consignments.
Britain has an extensive network of railways which are under public ownership and under the management of the British Railways Board which is a public corporation responsible to the Minister of Transport.
Passenger Services. The passenger network comprises a fast intercity network, linking the main centres of Great Britain and providing commuter services around the large conurbations, especially London and south-east England. InterCity 125 trains, travelling at a speed of 125 mph (201 km/h) are the world's fastest diesel trains and operate cross services to Wales, the Midlands, Yorkshire, Scotland.
Freight traffic is mostly represented by bulk commodities such as coal, coke, iron and steel, building materials, minerals and petroleum,motor cars, cement, timber. Container traffic to the continent of Europe is largely operated and is being furtherly developed. Freighliners and special container lorries are provided to speed up container traffic.
Railway transport is effected by passenger trains, goods trains, and freightliners. Freightliners are fast goods trains operating regular freight services between the major centres.
As to the rates of transport they vary according to:
1.the class of the train used
2.the size or weight of the goods
3.whether the goods are dispatched at carrier's risk or at owner's risk. When goods are carried at carrier's risk the rates are higher and the railways are entirely responsible for safe delivery. The transport at owner's risk rates implies lower rates and no liability for the railways. These rates are usually applied when bulky goods are handled.
The main document for rail transport is the Rail Consignment Note which is issued in sets of originals and copies. It contains forwarding and destination station, name and address of the consignor and the consignee, number, nature and weight of packages, description of goods, declarations concerning payment or clearance. The original Consignment Note is not a document of title to the goods; it accompanies the goods and is handed to the consignee at the destination station.
The main advantages of rail transport are:
1.it is particularly suitable for heavy and bulky goods
2.it is faster and cheaper that road transport over long distances
3.it provides fixed routes and terminals
The main disadvantages are:
1.it lacks flexibility
2.it is uneconomical over short distances
3.it implies transhipment problems.
INCOTERMS
International Commercial Terms devised by the ICC (International Chamber of Commerce)
TERMS OF DELIVERY
Point of departureForwarding station / Point of arrival
Destination station
ex factoryfranco fabbrica
ex works (EXW)franco fabbrica
ex warehousefranco magazzino
free on rail (FOR)franco vagone
free on truck (FOT)franco vagone
free carrier (FCA)franco vettore / free / franco/DAF + place of delivery or destination
franco domicilefranco domicilio cliente
free Chiasso stationfranco stazione Chiasso
delivered at frontier (DAF)reso frontiera
TERMS OF PAYMENT
Point of departureForwarding station / Point of arrival
Destination station
carriage freeporto franco / carriage forwardporto assegnato
carriage paid to (CPT) + place of deliverytrasporto pagato fino a
carriage and insurance paid to (CIP) + place of delivery
trasporto e assicurazione pagati fino a
Esempi:EXW Manchesterfranco fabbrica Manchester
FCA Gatwick Airport franco vettore aeroporto di Gatwick
FOR Milan Central Station franco vagone Milano stazione centrale
DAF Doverreso frontiera di Dover
CPT Brusselstrasporto pagato fino a Bruxelles
CIP Baseltrasporto e assicurazione pagati fino a Basilea
Common clauses of delivery:
ex factory, ex warehouse (ex=out of, from). The place of delivery is the factory or the warehouse. The price for the goods does not include delivery charges.
free on rail (FOR), free on truck (FOT) + name of the forwarding station. The price quoted by the seller includes all the costs until the goods are delivered to a railway station or terminal.
carriage free when the buyer does not pay for the carriage of the goods.
carriage forward when the buyer is bound to pay for the carriage on arrival of the goods.
TRANSPORT BY PIPELINES
A pipeline is a line of pipes (tubes) connected end to end, often underground, used for carrying liquids and gas a long distance from a central supply. The products which are commonly carried by pipeline are crude oil, natural gas, bulk commodities and crushed minerals (coal, iron ore, etc.). From a central supply point they are pipelined to industrial plants or wholesale depots for processing or retail distribution.
Some 1,077 miles (1,733 km) of submarine pipeline bring oil ashore from the North Sea oilfields. The main crude oil onshore pipelines in operation in Britain are those connecting Finnart to Grangemouth and Cruden Bay to Grangemouth. Onshore pipelines also carry refined products to major marketing areas. A 423-km pipeline runs from Milford Haven to the Midlands and Manchester.
The Pipeline
Not unlike the railways in operating technique, the modern pipeline system is an efficient, clocklike mechanism with dispatchers, district and division superintendents, trackwalkers and section crews. Great improvements have been made in the pumping and power equipment at pumping stations. Diesel power is widely employed for the powerful pumps, the performance is steady and continuous day and night, and the operation is almost automatic. Great changes have taken place in pipe material and in the joining of pipe. High-carbon steel was introduced and methods were developed by which pipe was welded instead of joined by the ordinary screw couplings. In the gas fields, metallurgical science similarly enabled producers to pipe natural gas for long distances. Coincident with the installation of gastight, long-distance natural-gas lines, pipeline systems were built to transport gasoline and distillates from the refineries to the main marketing centres. Thus the pipeline began to supplement the railroad in the long-distance transportation of the refined products of petroleum. Large quantities of gasoline that would otherwise require the loading, hauling, unloading and return of hundreds of tank cars are moved in a continuous flow through pipes to market terminals. (From Encyclopaedia Britannica).
Oral Test
1. Name some of the biggest road haulage operators
2. What kind of commodities are transported by road?
3. What measures has the Government introduced to improve road safety?
4. What is the Road Consignment Note?
5. What is the Delivery Note?
6. What are the Transit Documents inside the EEC?
7. What is the T-EX form?
8. What are the advantages of road transport?
9. What are the disadvantages of road transport?
10. What is a consolidated shipment?
11. Why is a consolidated shipment convenient for shippers?
12. Are British Railways privately or publicly owned?