Assignment Top Sheet

Department of Civil Engineering & Technology

Submitted By Submitted To

Mohammad Arif Engr Shujjat Abbas sb

Registration No.
Assignment No

BSETC-023R18-33
01

Subject Name Section Semester

Transportation Engineering - 4th

Topic

Development in Modes Of Transportation in Modern Era

Total Marks Obtained Marks

Signature : Date :

Development in Modes Of Transportation in Modern Era

Modes of Transportation :
Mode of transport is a term used to distinguish between different ways of transportation or
transporting people or goods. The different modes of transport are air, water, and land
transport, which includes Rails or railways, road and off-road transport. Other modes also exist,
including pipelines, cable transport, and space transport. Human-powered
transport and animal-powered transport are sometimes regarded as their own mode, but
never fall into the other categories. In general, transportation is used for moving of people,
animals, and other goods from one place to another. The means of transport, on the other
hand, refers to the (motorized) vehicles necessary for transport according to the chosen mode
(car, airplane, ship, truck and rail). Each mode of transport has a fundamentally different
technological solution, and some require a separate environment. Each mode has its
own infrastructure, vehicles, and operations.

basically there are five (5) modes of transportation which are listed below.

 Roadway Transport
 Railway Transport
 Water Transport
 Air Transport
 Pipeline Transport

1: Roadway Transport :
The first, and most common mode of transportation in
logistics, is road. From walking to horses to wagons to bikes
to cars to trucks, road transportation has been around longer
than mode and is utilized the most of any mode in logistics.
With the continued improvement of vehicles and road
infrastructure, transportation by road is the most versatile of
the four main modes with the least geographical constraints.
This attribute of road transport makes it the preferred mode
for smaller loads over a shorter distances and as such, road is the only mode that performs
door-to-door deliveries. Consequently, most shipments that initially were carried by another
mode of transportation are completed by road transportation. Anything that can be shipped in
small-to-medium quantities can be shipped by road. Small packages (or Parcel) can be
transported in a vehicle no larger than personal car. Companies specializing in ecommerce ship
parcel when there are hundreds, if not thousands, of small packages being shipped to different
locations (Parcel is often made up of different modes of transportation, but always picked up
and delivered by truck).. On the flipside, shipments larger than 150lbs. are considered freight
and require a truck. The two main forms of road transport are Less-than-Truck-load (LTL) and
Truck Load (TL).

LTL :

transports smaller shipments (primarily palletized shipments) to their respective locations

along a specified route. The route begins and ends at a specified hub of origin and makes
various stops according to the number of different shipments it is carrying. This system of
transportation is known as the Hub and Spoke model. The advantage of LTL is that the shipper
only pays for the portion of the truck occupied by their freight while the rest is payed for by the
shippers using the rest of the truck. The disadvantage of LTL is the multiple stops and transfers
that the shipment undergoes en route to its destination. A shipment will be transferred
multiple times to different trucks along the route much like a passenger on a plane will be
transferred to different planes en route to their destination. This results in a longer shipping
time and the possibility of the shipment being damaged.

TL :

is much faster than LTL because it does not operate on a hub and spoke model. As such, the
truck will go from origin to destination with no additional stops or transfers along the way. The
drawback to TL is that a shipper must ship a lot of freight in order to make the shipment
economical. Generally, if a shipment is longer than 16 linear feet or 20,000lbs or greater, it is
cheaper to ship TL. In other cases, a shipper needs a shipment moved much faster than LTL and
cannot ship by air due to cost or size regulations. he main downside to road transport is the
external influences that play into its effectiveness, primarily weather, traffic, and road
regulations, three things that mostly don’t influence other modes. In addition to these
drawbacks, in the current shipping environment it has become increasingly difficult to find
truck drivers. This capacity shortage has led to an increase in
intermodal transportation.

2: Railway Transport :
First invented for use in the early 19th century, rail transport
quickly became vital for the expansion of the western world
and has played a pivotal role in the realm of logistics for over
two centuries. In modern practice, rail is used more exclusively for the largest and heaviest
payloads (bulk cargo) traveling across land. The vast majority of railway infrastructure connects
highly populated areas with large unpopulated strips of land between them making rail ideal
for long-distance and cross country hauls. Canada, for example, is very sparsely populated
between coasts so anything shipped more than 500 miles often requires a rail transport. Rail
transport is confined to a more limited infrastructure than road transport. As a defining trait,
locomotives (trains, monorails, etc.) are confined to a traced path going between point A and B
with very few points of divergence. Railways are costly and time consuming to construct and
only a few new railways have been constructed since the early 1900’s. Additionally, railways
are limited to semi-level geographic areas making construction increasingly laborious. Thus,
railways are primarily only accessible in large metropolitan areas. This attribute makes rail one
of the primary players in the intermodal transportation. Within the confines of the railway
system, the rail vehicle is not influenced by traffic, points of diversion, and switch offs between
modes. This makes the rail the most dependable mode for making long hauls across land with
minimal damage. Trains commonly carry bulk cargo items such as coal, corn, iron, ore, and
wheat, items that would be uneconomical to ship by truck.

Advantages of Railways Transportation:

I. It is economical for long distance because it can easily cover area of states and cities.
II. This mean of transport is very faster than roadway
III. Most suitable for carrying a bulky amount of goods and products.
IV. It provides proper protection from exposure to sun and dust pollution.
V. It is the most dependable means of transport

Disadvantages of Railways Transportation:

I. Huge capital required for construction maintenance.
II. It is not suitable for hilly areas.
III. It is not flexible in nature.
IV. The cost and time of terminal operation are the major disadvantages of rail transport
V. Monopoly in nature

3: Water Transport :
 water transport is very important because it is the cheapest
way of transporting bulky goods over a long distance. In the
world, there are two major types of water transport namely
Inland water transport and ocean water transport.
 Inland water transport:
this is the system of transport through all navigable rivers,
lakes and man-made canals. Many large rivers in different
parts of the world are used by ships and barges for transportation; the main rivers where
inland water transport are important are the Rhine and Dambe in Europe, the Zaire in Africa,
the Nile in Africa, the Mississippi in USA etc.
 Ocean waterways :
carry a lot of the world'strade, majority of the bulky goods, materials and passengers pass
through ocean waterways from one country to another at the cheapest cost. In water
transport, the weights of goods are very large in comparison to other means of transports. It
plays a very crucial role in the development of exports and imports of goods in the different
parts of the world.
Advantages of Water Transportation:
I. It is the cheapest or easiest means of transportation.
II. Goods in bulk are transported.
III. It promotes foreign or international trade.
IV. It can easily carry a huge quality of goods such as timber and coal.
V. In comparison to other transport, the risks capacity is very low.

Disadvantages of Water Transportation:

I. one of the drawbacks is there is a delay in the movement of goods from one place to
another.
II. Performance is affected by seasonal variation.
III. It can be used in a area of operation because it can only run on seas or oceans.
IV. Water transport is very unsuitable for small business because it carries a small number
of goods.

4: Air Transport :

The newest mode of transportation is air. Airplanes are

becoming increasingly important in domestic and
international trade. With continually improving technologies
and practically unlimited route possibilities, air
transportation is the fastest growing and most time efficient
shipping mode. Consequently, many companies, such as
Amazon and UPS, have purchased their own fleets of
airplanes to gain a competitive edge in the growing market. As air travel has become
increasingly advanced and dependable, more companies are trusting airplanes with high value
freight and goods. The increasing popularity of flight as a preferred way to travel also makes
shipping by air more convenient as shipments regularly piggyback on passenger planes, further
making air an economic way to transport goods. There are a couple drawbacks to air transport.
In its current state, air transport is still, by far, the most expensive way to ship. Also, due to the
nature of air travel, weight and volume of freight has to stay minimal to ensure the safety of
the flight. The level of emissions produced by air transport are also the highest of any mode.
The distinct advantage of air transport is speed and suitability. It is very useful for less working
goods with a high value of the price. Air transport is also known as aviation. The important
characteristic of air transport is that does not need a particular surface track for its working
operations. It is the fastest means of transportation. But the cost of operations is very high
according to other modes.

Advantages of Air Transportation:

I. Fastest mean of transportation.
II. Useful moving the goods in the amount of bulk
III. Each and every area of accessible
IV. Vital for nation security and defense.
V. Very useful I earthquakes and other floods.
VI. It provides an efficient, regular , and quick service .
Disadvantages of Air Transportation:
I. The large capital investment needed.
II. Not suitable for working goods.
III. Maybe affected by rains.
IV. Risks of accidents are highest.
V. This mode of transport requires a specialized skill and a high degree of training for its
working operation.

5: Pipeline Transport :
Pipelines transportation is used for sending the liquids and
gases from one place to another place. Through this means
of transport, we can also send chemicals, biofuels, and
natural gases
Pipeline shipping is not a formal mode of transportation in
the traditional sense. However, it is important to
acknowledge for its importance in the current fossil fuel
market. Pipelines transport unrefined fossil fuels such as gas and oil from their point of origin
to the point where they can then be transferred to the refineries or another mode of
transportation. The cost of shipping primarily lies in its construction, the diameter of the
pipeline, and the viscosity of the fluid being transported. They can be built above ground,
underground, or underwater making them ideal for offshore drilling. he pumping of crude oil
has risen in recent years the increasing need of transporting crude oil is correlative with the
increase in drilling and extraction Traditionally, the transporting of oil was accomplished by rail
but oil and gas companies are quickly turning to pipeline shipping because of increased safety
and efficiency. Regardless, the building of pipelines has been a topic of controversy because of
the environmental damage they will cause by increasing the speed of the oil industry, creating
additional fossil fuel emissions, and slow the progress of sustainable energy. The controversies
surrounding the Trans-Alaska pipeline are a prime example of this .
Advantages of Pipelines Transportation:
I. They are very flexible in transportation liquids and gases.
II. It consumes low energy power.
III. It needs a limited area of maintenance.
IV. Pipeline are very safe and accident-free transport.

Disadvantages of Pipelines Transportation:

I. it not flexible in nature .
II. it is restricted in a limited area of word
III. difficult to make security arrangements for this transport.

Other Modes Of Transportation :

 Animal powered
 Human powered

Animal Powered :
Animal-powered transport is the use of working animals for the transport of
people and/or goods. Humans may use some of the animals directly, use
them as pack animals for carrying goods, or harness them, alone or
in teams, to pull sleds or wheeled vehicle.

Human powered :
Human powered transport, a form of sustainable transportation, is the
transport of people and/or goods using human muscle-power, in the form
of walking, running and swimming.Modern technology has
allowed machines to enhance human power. Human-powered transport
remains popular for reasons of cost-saving, leisure, physical exercise,
and environmentalism it is sometimes the only type available especially in
underdeveloped or inaccessible regions.