Issues to Consider in the Transportation of Goods by Road

The wheel is one of the most important inventions in human history. It revolutionized the transportation of goods, thus stimulating foreign trade and the economic development of countries.

In Spain, almost 95% of goods are transported by road. Because of its speed, the vast majority of companies choose road transportation instead of rail to transport their products to other countries in the European Union.

This is despite the higher costs. The reason is that in logistics, transport optimization, cargo safety and delivery reliability take precedence over economic criteria.

In this article, we review the most important issues in road transportation.

Advantages of road transportation

Transporting goods by road offers companies a number of advantages over other modes of transportation:

• Speed.
• Safety and versatility to transport any type of goods.
• It is the only means that guarantees a door-to-door service.
• Traceability, allowing vehicles and loads to be tracked.

But it is not without its disadvantages:

• High accident rate compared to trains, planes or ships.
• The volume of loads is limited, in contrast to sea or rail, which have a greater capacity.
• Highly polluting and subject to fluctuations in fuel prices.

Load units and measurements in road transport

Road transportation has become increasingly standardized, which has made it easier to combine with other modes of transportation.

The standardized vehicle for transporting goods by road is the truck, and the most commonly used unit load in this mode of transport is the wooden pallet. As a result, trucks are designed with pallet dimensions in mind, so it is possible to calculate how many pallets will fit on a trailer.

This palletizing process not only minimizes handling, but also optimizes space in the warehouse and on the truck, thus reducing costs.

The basic rules for transporting goods by road 

In Spain, the general legal framework for land transportation of goods consists of three main regulations:

• The LOTT, or Law 16/1987 on the Regulation of Land Transport, is the main piece of legislation covering road freight in Spain. It lays out the general principles of road transport and the role of public administrations.
• Royal Decree 1211/1990, which approves the Regulations of the Land Transport Law (ROTT). It covers things like supervisory bodies, control and safety elements, and contracts.
• This is Directive 85/3/EEC from the Council of the European Communities on December 19, 1984. It covers all the technical details of the main vehicles used in road transport.

On top of that, international conventions also apply, such as:

• CMR stands for Convention for the International Carriage of Goods by Road.
• ADR stands for European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road.

The importance of storage when transporting goods

When shipping goods by road, we need to think about things that can affect the safety of the cargo and how well the process works.

That means there are certain rules for transporting different types of goods.For instance, perishable products must be kept cold, while chemical or flammable products require special safety measures.

It’s also important to think about what we’re using to secure the cargo. Here’s a quick summary of the main technical standards you need to know about:

These standards are based on EN 12195 for the stowage and securing of cargo: “Devices for securing cargo on road vehicles” and its parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 regulate the securing or lashing specification that we must apply to the cargo, as well as the fastening elements used.

In addition, as we have already mentioned, for the transportation of dangerous goods by road, the ADR 2019 regulations, of international application, must be taken as a reference.

These are the main standards used in road transportation, but they are not the only ones. Transporting goods by road is a complex task, but fundamental to any supply chain, so you need to be up to date with the required regulations.

At 360 Eco Packaging we can help you choose the best packaging to secure your goods in road transport. Contact us today.