Source: adapted from Global Insight, Inc., TRANSEARCH database, and U.S. Department of Transportation Freight Analysis Framework data.

Freight Transportation Service Spectrum

Cargo value and weight is related to the mode of transportation used. Freight transport offers a whole spectrum of transport services, each with its own cost, speed and reliability characteristics. On one side of the spectrum, air cargo is the fastest, but the most expensive, which caters to high value and time sensitive cargo. On the other side of this spectrum, maritime transport offers low costs, high capacity, but low speeds. While this is suitable for bulk trades (e.g. oil and raw materials), containerized shipping is coping with low speeds by offering high service frequency. Rail transportation is in the middle of this spectrum.

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