Paper Example on Rail and Truck

Railway and truck transport are very important in the transportation of cargo. Recently, there have been technological innovations in railway transport that have brought both magnetic levitation trains as well as monorails. The rail service has not only aided in the transportation of people and cargo but with the new technology innovations from the year 1980 to 2011, rail transport has brought about both speed and a high ubiquity level (Terry, 2013).

There are different cargo carrying capacity innovations that have come up over the years. These innovations have not only increased efficiency, but they have also improved safety. One innovation is related to the quality of the rail infrastructure, mainly the rail tracks. The rail tracks have a direct impact on the operational properties of the trains such as the speed, resilience to the environment, as well as the permitted weight. There are longer and much heavier rails that have been built to enable the trains to carry heavy cargo without damaging the rails (Waterson, 2011). Additionally, electrification and automation have also been applied in the railway industry and this also influences the amount of cargo carried by trains.

ICT has also been applied in the railway industry. This has helped in showing the maximum capacity that the train can handle which ensures safety by ensuring that the train is not overloaded while still operating optimally. Railway companies also double stack containers on the trains to increase the carrying capacity of the trains at minimal costs (Texas Freight Advisory Committee, 2013).

Different innovations have also been implemented in the trucking industry to improve their efficiency and increase their cargo carrying capacities. Many tracks now make use of containers. The different types of containers that have been created include refrigerated, flat, standard, and open top containers (Waterson, 2011). Trucks are also making use of technology to enable them to optimize the amount of cargo that they can transport.

Rail transport is a better form of transporting cargo when compared to the use of trucks. This is because trucks lead to increased congestion on the roads as well as road destruction. Conversely, trains transport heavy cargo without causing congestion on the roads and with the improved railway lines, they can operate without any damages. Trucks also lead to environmental pollution to a greater extent as compared to trains. This is because there are many electric trains that have been introduced since 1980. Trucks, on the other hand, mainly use diesel which causes them to emit poisonous gases into the atmosphere. Finally, trucks are a safety hazard since they lead to very many accidents as compared to trains (Terry, 2013).

One technology that affects both carriers is the use of RFIDs which are used in tracking the movement of cargo. These help to ensure that cargo moves to the right destination and in good time and minimizes theft and cargo losses. Cranes are also used in both means of transport in the loading and offloading of cargo. Both means of transport also make use of computerized management which aids in the reduction of waiting times and ensures that cargo locations are known at all times. Finally, roadrailers have been invented in the recent past (Terry, 2013). These are road trailers that have the ability to also roll on rail tracks. They thus operate both on the road and on the rails.

References

Terry, L. (2013). Railroad Operations: Where Safety and Innovation Converge. Inbound Logistics. Retrieved from http://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/railroad-operations-where-safety-and-innovation-converge/Texas Freight Advisory Committee. (2013). Freight Movement in Texas: Trends and Issues. Texas Freight Advisory Committee.

Waterson, V. (2011). Observations and Innovations. Lulu.com.