1. Shrinking the Globe
A Look at Different Transportation Modes
Robin J. Chao
American Military University
TLMT 600 D001 Fall 2015
Dr. Carmen Mousel
January 17, 2016
3. Road
• Advantages
• Large number of motor carriers
• Travel through cities and rural areas
• Disadvantages
• Traffic congestion
• Cause Pollution
• Highly variable operating costs
(Hazen & Lynch, 2008)
4. Rail
• Advantages
• Low Cost
• High Capacity
• Moves in almost all types of weather
• Disadvantages
• Inflexible routes
• High fixed costs
(Hazen & Lynch, 2008)
5. Water
• Advantages
• Moves large amounts of freight
• Low Cost
• Disadvantages
• Slow
• Inland waterways prone to freezing in winter months
• Piracy
• Lost containers
(Hazen & Lynch, 2008)
6. Pipelines
• Advantages
• Moves large amounts of liquid freight
• Low Cost
• Safe
• Disadvantages
• High barriers to entry largely due to
environmental restrictions
• High maintenance costs
(Hazen & Lynch, 2008)
7. Intermodal
• Potentially lower prices by bundling services
• Shipper must be knowledgeable about regulations
and procedures affecting different modes
• Optimizes existing routes and infrastructure to
increase load capacities
(Hazen & Lynch, 2008; Ji, Sun, & Lv, 2015)
8. Future Modes
• Hyperloop
• Skylon
• SCARAB
• SkyTran
• The Martin Jetpack
(Five futuristic modes of transportation, 2014)
9. Conclusion
• Transportation and Logistics Managers study:
• Advantages and Disadvantages when deciding
what mode of transportation to use for different
products
• Intermodal Transportation Solutions help shippers
leverage the strengths of all modes
• Innovative minds continue to think up new ideas
for transportation
10. References
Five futuristic modes of transportation. (2014).
Hazen, J. K. & Lynch, C. (2008). The Role of Transportation
in the Supply Chain. Memphis: CFL Publishing.
Ji, S. W., Sun, K. D., & Lv, K. (2015). The research on
transportation modes combinatorial optimization
model in multimodal transportation system. Applied
Mechanics and Materials, 744-746, 1915.
doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.744-746.1915
Editor's Notes
Moving goods and products by air allows speed and flexibility. Air is great for expensive, low-density items that are highly pilferable or items that are time-sensitive such as critical aircraft parts. Aircraft have been used by the military to move and supply troops in austere locations that lack road infrastructure. They are very costly, require more security, and are more easily affected by poor weather conditions.
Hazen and Lynch (2008) stated there were about 580,000 motor carriers operating in the United States as of August, 2006. Furthermore, motor carriers accounted for 78 per cent of all transportation costs. Trucks are plentiful and able to transport goods by the Truck Load or Less than truck load over the country’s extensive road system. A few downsides of trucks are they add to and are susceptible to traffic congestion in and around our major cities, they cause air and noise pollution, and have highly variable operating costs (i.e. fuel, labor, and maintenance). The variable costs make trucking companies, especially small operators, rapidly adjust their prices or surcharges to match market conditions and can cause strained relationships with their customers.
Trains are very economical. Trains can travel about 500 miles on a gallon of diesel fuel (up to 800 miles on flat land). Most raw materials such as coal, steel, or oil are transported by rail. Trains also haul shipping containers and truck trailers. The infrastructure and equipment is initially expensive, but lifespans are considerably long. Obviously, trains run on fixed routes and there are considerably few tracks than roads in the United States. There are about 90,000 miles of Class I railroad tracks left in the U.S. At one time there where almost 400,000 miles.
Inland Waterways and Ocean routes are great ways to move large quantities of cargo. Huge ocean freighters are now carrying up to 18,000 TEUs and the Panama Canal is being expanded to double the volume of freight it can process. However, transporting goods by water is slower than motor carriers, air, and by rail. Also, the potential for losing containers at sea is very real due to bad weather or piracy. Containerships have capsized and lost all or part of their loads. Insuring shipments is big business. Lloyd’s of London is a multi-billion dollar insurance company.
Pros - Costs about one dollar to move a barrel of petroleum products from Houston to New York Harbor. The U.S. has about 200,000 miles of pipeline which moves about 67 per cent (12.9 billion barrels) of the oil in the country. Accidents dropped over 50 per cent from 1994 to 2005.
Cons – For example, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline cost about $8 billion and was constructed between 1974 and 1977. The line was hard to build because of the rough terrain. Most of the line is above ground due to permafrost. There is a great potential for environmental disaster as pipelines can rupture from accidents or rust corrosion.
Intermodal operations tend to enable better economies of scale and density which benefit all parties in the transportation network. Railroads double-stack trailer chassis’ and reduce truck emissions and fuel costs in the process. Shippers may enjoy lower prices by dealing with a broker who specializes in Intermodal transportation. Knowledge about the involved carriers and regulations is required.
Elon Musk is developing a solar-powered train that can carry passengers and cars at speeds up to 1200 km/hr
United Kingdom engineers are trying make a plane that can travel faster than sound in outer space and can carry 300 passengers from Sydney to London in four hours
Harley Davidson designer, David Miguel Moreira Goncalves has a concept vehicle that runs on batteries or biofuel. It should be good for urban residents
Tel Aviv has sketched designs for a pod that runs on elevated tracks to alleviate some ground congestion in the city
New Zealander, Glenn Martin, has developed an individually-worn jetpack that can fly for thirty minutes at 74 km/hr and 900 meters in the air.
Transportation managers must evaluate their companies’ needs and find the best solutions. Intermodal transportation can help shippers fill requirements while optimizing different modes’ strengths. The environment is helped through better fuel economy and lower emissions. Necessity and novelty is the mother of invention. Mad scientists who hatch ideas for feasible products push human progress and endeavors.
