Transportation comes on top of logistical activities. Not only is that but there a special branch Logistics claims transportation logistics (Kondratiev, J., 2015:13).
Transport is an activity of moving goods or people from one place to another using a mobile vehicle.
Transportation is the most important component in logistical activities and there is a special branch of logistics called transportation logistics (Kondratiev, J., 2015:13).
Transportation is simply the process of moving an object from its location to another location. Its general meaning is that the requested product or service is delivered to the desired location at the desired time. One of the most important tools that have brought mankind to the level of a modern and developed world economy is transportation. Without transportation, humanity, trade, and technology cannot develop and spread. In short, the key to human relations and the economy is transportation.
It is an essential element of communication and openness as well as an important factor in the economy and in the progress of a country or any company.
Transport activity is not limited to simple physical movement of goods which should be optimized in terms of costs, time or non-monetary costs (safety, comfort, etc).
Transport situations are also strongly conditioned by the actors who participate directly or indirectly in this transaction on the one hand, and in the structural transformations of the economy on the other hand (BERNADET, 1985).
It is possible to sort the modes of transportation according to their forms and characteristics as follows:
*Road transport
*Maritime transport
*Airway transport
*Railway transport
*Pipeline transport
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2.11.2.1 Road transport:
Land logistics plays a significant role in logistics activities. The most positive feature of land logistics is the high accessibility level in inland areas. The main transport of land logistics are railway transport, Road freight transport and pipeline transport.
Road transportation ensures that goods are delivered directly, at the specified time, and reliably from the point of origin to the point of delivery, and it better meets the requirements of importers and exporters because vehicles are easier to control compared to other modes of transportation. Road transport can also be classified as passenger, freight, and courier transport. However, it can also be classified as intra-city, interintra-city, and international (Temelli, 2011).
Road transportation is the most widely used form of transportation today, in keeping with the vast extent of the road network in the world and the opportunities afforded by rapidly expanding transit routes. Road transport has characteristics such as the realization of loading and unloading operations, the possibility of loading more than one type of product, the possibility of delivery to the address and the ability to reach the destination address in a short time. On the other hand, fuel, road tolls and maintenance costs for the vehicles used in road transportation, as well as customs fees incurred in international transportation, increase the costs in road transportation (Çolak, 2019).
2.11.2.2 Maritime transport:
The maritime transport is a very important link in logistics activities. It can supply a cheap and high carrying capacity conveyance for consumers. Therefore, it has a necessary position in the transportation of particular goods, such as crude oil and grains.
Maritime transport involves the movement of large quantities of dry cargo, liquid and gas, and containerized materials. Maritime transportation is becoming more important everyday as ¾ of the world is covered with water and an important amount of oil, natural gas, and mines are located under the sea.
In the global age in which we find ourselves, the aim is to shorten the time ships spend in port in order to maximize profit in maritime transport so that ships are used more efficiently and transport costs are minimized. In line with this goal, the
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importance of the need for modern ships and equipment is increasing day by day (Koç, 2019).
Sea transport costs 14 times less than air transport, 7 times less than road transport, and 3.5 times less than rail transport. For this reason, it is the most preferred mode of transport in the world. The disadvantages of sea transport are that it is easily affected by weather conditions and slow transport management.
2.11.2.3 Airways transport
Air freight logistics is needful of many industries and services. It supplies the delivery with speed, lower risk of damage, security, flexibility, accessibility yet the disadvantage is the high delivery fee.
Reynolds-Feighan (2001) mentioned that air freight logistics is chosen” when the value per unit weight of shipments is relatively high and the speed of delivery is an important factor”.
As Ballou (1999) noted, while the high fixed and variable costs of air transportation make this mode unnecessary for short-distance shipments, reductions in variable costs, such as terminal fees, are possible as production volume increases. Brooks (2002) also argued that as the value of the products being transported increases, the increase in transportation costs will be insignificant, but for this to be true, the cargo being transported must be small in volume and the transportation time must be short (Tahirler, 2016).
The advantages and disadvantages of air transportation compared to other transportation methods are detailed below.
Advantages;
- It is the fastest transportation method.
- Thanks to its speed, it can reach long distances in the shortest time.
- It is one of the most reliable transportation methods.
- Storage expenses are low.
- Sensitive products can be transported easily.
Disadvantages;
- Delivery to the address is not possible.
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- The transportation cost is high.
- High-volume cargo transportation is not possible.
2.11.2.4 Railway transport:
Railway transportation is a slow type of transportation besides being cheaper than other transportation types.
It is the second cheapest mode of transport, due to the high cost of railway construction; it can serve in limited places, generally, agricultural and forest products and mines…
Railway transport has advantages such as high carrying capacity, lower influence by weather conditions and lower energy consumption while disadvantages like high cost of essential facilities, difficult and expensive.
It is a type of transportation that is widely used in countries with developed economies and large surface areas. It is generally not preferred in countries with small geographical, economic, and population aspects. Along with the technological developments, the speed of the vehicles used in road transport has been increased, and it has come to a competitive position with air transport.
2.11.2.5 Pipeline transport
Pipeline transportation is a type of transportation generally used for the transportation of energy products such as crude oil, natural gas, water, diesel, and gasoline. Pipeline transportation, which has a high capacity with a high investment cost, is in a structure suitable for long-term transportation plans. It is generally used widely between states (Akman, 2018).
Despite the high facility cost in pipeline transportation, oil and natural gas can be transported quickly and safely. In our age where we are in continuous development, the transportation of energy needs, especially oil and natural gas needs, in a fast, continuous, and reliable way has made pipeline transportation mandatory. The pipe diameters used in the early days in pipeline transportation were small and used for short distances. With the developing technology, pipe diameters have increased and energy materials have started to be sent to long distances with high pressures (Tahirler, 2016).
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The advantages and disadvantages of pipeline transportation are listed below.
Advantages of pipeline transportation;
- It is the most efficient liquid transport method.
- There is no transportation obstacle.
- It is a fast transportation method.
Disadvantages of pipeline transportation;
- In any damage, it can cause serious environmental damage.
- Investment cost is high.