Road transport has great advantages over inland raid and waterways, now that petrol, diesel, and jet engines have furnished a variety of cheap motive powers.
The chief advantages are as follow: –
(i) Road vehicles are extremely flexible, and computerized route-charts can now be prepared which give the most economic route.
(ii) Specialized vehicles of great variety have been produced by the road-vehicle manufacturers. They include specialized vehicles for containers, packaged timber and other loads.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
(iii) Intermediate terminal handling is laminated by door-to-door delivery. The operators’ terminal is under his personal direction and control, designed to do what he requires. Delivery is made direct to the consignee’s premises, and if these premises are not equipped to handle the goods being delivered this can often be overcome by appliances actually on the vehicle.
(iv) Although slower than rail fright when in actual transit, the slow speed is more than made up by the elimination of transshipment, the directness of the journey and the personal control of the entire movement. Two-way radios even enable drivers to report their exact positions so they can be called to assist other drivers to report their exact positions so they can be called to assist other drivers to pick up new loads.
(v) The Way’ is at present still great, if one ignores vehicle taxation. Proposals that electronic devices should be fitted to vehicles to charge them for use of busy roads have not yet been implemented.
(vi) Low capital requirements are a feature of the industry, which permits a new entrant to start with a single vehicle. True, he has to face a licensing problem with certain kinds of vehicle, but many new operators do secure licenses especially since the industry is continually expanding.