TRANSPORT

It is the movement of people, goods, raw materials and equipment from one place to
another.

Explain the importance of transport

 It enables workers to efficiently move to and from the work place [1] so as to start
production well on time [1] hence increased productivity. [1]
 It enables goods to reach consumers at the right time and in the right condition [1]so as to
satisfy human needs and wants.[1]
 It levels out supply [1]by delivering goods from where they are produced to where they
needed [1] thereby preventing scarcity which can push up prices of goods.[1]
 It provides more opportunities for specialization and mass production and trade between
countries and regions of the world [1] which in turn leads to cheaper goods to consumers
[1] hence higher standard of living.[1]
 It reduces the amount of capital and storage space required by manufactures and traders
[1] by regularly and quickly delivering goods. [1]
 It has lead to the extension of local and overseas markets [1] hence more customers for
the business [1] and increase in sales. [1]

IDENTIFY THE TRANSPORT SYSTEMS USED IN HOME AND FOREIGN

TRADE

a. Land- comprises of road transport and rail transport

b. Pipelines
c. Air transport
d. Water transport-made up of sea and inland waterways

Explain the factors affecting the choice of transport

 Cost- Cost of transporting goods should be considered as transport costs form part
of of the goods. Expensive modes like air should be considered for valuable and
low bulky goods like diamonds, medicine and jewellery and cheaper means for
cheap and bulky goods such as grains, coal, timber and bricks.
 Urgency/speed- if goods are urgently needed the quickest means like air is used
but if goods are not urgently needed then slower modes of transport like rail and
sea can be used in order to cut costs.
 Distance- for short distance road transport is preferable as it offers door to door
service, for longer distances rail and sea transport are more economical.
 nature of goods- some goods such as meat, bread and fresh milk are perishable
and need quick delivery ; therefore special modes like refrigerated lorries should
be used.

1
  Size and weight of the goods
 Safety of the mode.
 Terminal/destination.
 The reputation of the carrier.

1. ROAD TRANSPORT

Advantages and disadvantages of Road Transport

 It offers door to door service [1] which help reduce chances of damage and theft
[1] but crossing national boarders can be slow and inefficient[1]
 It is flexible [1] as different shapes and sizes of vans and trucks can be used to
deliver different kinds of goods [1] but capacity of haulage trucks is often limited
to a few tonnes [1]
 It does not follow a fixed timetable/ schedule [1] so goods can be moved as and
when ready on any route to meet customer needs on time [1] but it can be easily
disrupted by bad weather conditions [1]
 It can reach isolated areas [1] making it easy to deliver goods across all parts of
the country hence satisfying consumer needs and wants [1] but it is slow over
long distances due delays caused by traffic congestion [1]

IDENTIFY AND EXPLAIN THE EFFECTS NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN ROAD

TRANSPORT

 The development in roads and motorways which bypass towns and villages / link
main centres of production or population (1) making speedier delivery of goods to all
branches (1) hence customer satisfaction (1)

 The introduction of container carrying trucks (1) which makes delivery of perishable
products possible (1) leading to customer satisfaction since they will be buying fresh
products (1)

 The introduction of trucks with bigger sizes (1) which leads to more stock being
delivered in a single trip (1) hence saving transport costs (1)

 Better policing of the roads e.g. road blocks to improve safety (1) which leads to the
drivers to obey all road regulations (1) hence less chances of road accidents (1)

 The introduction of cleaner fuel like unleaded petrol to reduce pollution (1) which may
lead to less repairs / truck services (1) hence reduction in maintenance costs / saving
money (1)

 Companies having their own fleet of trucks [1] business can respond more
quickly to customer’s orders thus meeting and satisfying customer needs (1) but
delays may be caused by traffic congestion / disrupted by bad weather (1)
 Courier companies [1] available 24/7 [1]
 Toll gates/roads

2
Advantages and disadvantages of operating own fleet
 less documentation needed(1);therefore less paperwork which saves costs (1) but
it is expensive to operate own fleet as vehicles have to be maintained / fuelled /
insured / driver paid (1)
 business can respond more quickly to customer’s orders(1) thus meeting and
satisfying customer needs (1) but delays may be caused by traffic congestion /
disrupted by bad weather (1)
 deliveries can be more flexible with respect to time and routes (1);thus help
reduce cost (1) but vehicles often return empty after delivery which makes it
uneconomical (1)
 door to door service can be provided (1);which reduces chances of damage and
theft (1) but with long distance deliveries it may not be possible(1)
 sides of vehicles can be used for advertising (1) thus creating awareness/attracting
customers/saving costs for advertising on mass media (1) but advert coverage is
limited (1)

2. RAIL TRANSPORT

Advantages and disadvantages of Rail transport

 it follows a fixed timetable [1] so it is more reliable as goods will reach the
destination in time [1] but can not offer door to door services [1]
 Is cheaper over long journeys (1) since only freight charges are paid (1) however
it requires transshipment (1)
 It provides faster services over long distances (1) since there are no traffic jams
hence timely delivery of goods (1) however it follows a fixed timetable (1)
 Can carry large quantities of goods in one journey as more wagons can be added
(1) which reduces transport costs (1) however rail does not cover the whole
country (1)
 Goods are kept in containers (1) which minimises breakages (1) but costs tend to
be high for short distances [1]

NEW TRENDS IN RAIL TRANSPORT

 Freight liners- these are container carrying trains which link up with special road
and sea terminals, and can be loaded and unloaded quickly by the terminals It
results in improved speed and reduced handling cost, reduced losses from damage
or theft.
 speed link trains [1]
 The use of computers to monitor the operation of trains [1] has improved
efficiency [1]
 The introduction of more comfortable passenger coaches [1] has increased
passenger traffic [1]

3
 3. Water Transport

a. SEA TRANSPORT

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF SEA TRANSPORT

 it is cheaper over long distances [1] cost per unit of goods transported is less as
large quantities of goods can be carried [1] but packaging of goods will be
expensive as the goods have to be well packaged to protect them against damage
on transit [1]
 the use of container ships increases the safety of goods [1] as it minimizes
handling of goods on transit [1] but it needs other modes transport to move
goods to and from seaports thus increasing shipment costs [1]
 it links all continents of the world [1] hence making international trade possible
[1] but it is very slow, it is not suitable for urgently required goods such as
medical supplies. [1]
 it does not offer door to door service [1] so it requires other forms of transport to
take the goods to and from sea ports this can be costly [1] but tramp ships
provide a very flexible service as they are not bound to a fixed time table and
route [1]

b. INLAND WATERWAYS

This is transport by lake, rivers, canals and dams using boats and canoes.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF INLAND WATERWAYS

 It is cheaper than other forms of transport (1) because of the low energy cost (1)
but it can only reach limited number of locations (1)
 It provides smooth carriage suitable for fragile goods (1) since it covers short
distances (1) however it is very slow due to restricted speed (1)
 waterways are mostly free to use (1) reduces costs (1) however there is a
payment for the use of the vessel / high labour costs in relation to the distance
covered (1)
 can be used to transport people from one side of the river to the other (1) thereby
helping people to reach their destination (1) however it can cause accidents which
may be fatal (1)

NEW TRENDS/DEVELOPMENTS IN SEA TRANSPORT

 introduction of merchanised cargo handling equipment like cranes [1] has helped
speed up loading and unloading of goods [1]
 introduction of specialized vessels like reefers [1] which makes it possible to
transport different kinds of goods without greater risks of damage [1]
 building of more seaports worldwide [1] increased international transportation of
goods [1]

4
 4. AIR TRANSPORT

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF AIR TRANSPORT

 delivers goods more quickly over long distances [1] urgently needed goods can
arrive well on time [1]but it is sensitive to bad weather which may cause delays [1
 insurance costs are lower [1] as transit time is short so this lowers chances of
damage and theft of goods [1] but it has limited carrying capacity [1]
 Special packaging/ protection is not much needed [1] so this help cut costs [1]
but it is expensive because of freight costs risk surcharges [1]
 The need to transfer goods from one mode to the other is reduced as both land and
sea can be crossed in one journey [1] but there is need to arrange for onward
transport from the destination airport to the business. [1]

New Trends in Air Transport

 Improved loading through large doors at the nose and tail [1] which has reduced
loading time [1]
 the construction of more airports worldwide [1] has increased the use of aircrafts
 the building of larger and faster aircrafts [1] which are able to overcome effects
of bad weather [1]
 improved design of the fuelage and engine [1] which has increased fuel economy
 special light weight containers for air cargoes
 improved landing and navigation systems such as ‘autopilot’ [1] which has
improved efficiency [1]

5. PIPELINES

Pipelines are used for transporting water, gas and oil without using vehicles.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF PIPELINES

 they are used fir processing though transportation to storage [1] thereby reducing
running costs [1] but they are expensive to build [1]
 reduce the risk of pollution especially for oil [1] as they act as containers [1] but
they only transport a limited range of goods [1
 pipelines can be erected on land or laid under water [1] there by saving space [1]
but they are vulnerable to sabotage [1]
 increase the safety in the transportation of flammable liquids

CONTAINERIZATION

It means the use of standardized strong metal boxes used to package goods ready for
transport and can be carried by trucks, rails or ships.

5
 Advantages of containers Disadvantages of containers
 less warehousing is needed [1] as loaded  it requires large capital to establish
containers can be safely stored outside [1] container ports
hence reducing the storage costs [1]
 there is need to hire standardized
 they are made in standard sizes and can be trucks and ships to carry containers
used in rail, road, sea and air transport [1] because not all ships and vehicles
making transportation of goods easy [1] are standardized

 It has simplified loading and unloading of  Not all terminals [ports] have
goods at terminals [1] as cranes are used mechanized container handling
so this reduces turn around time at ports. facilities this would require
expensive upgrading of ports.
 packaging and insurance costs are reduced
[1] as containers improves the safety of  not suitable for bulky goods such as
goods by protecting them against risks of iron-ore, timber and motor vehicles
theft, damage and bad weather [1]

 an arrangement called ‘groupage’ is used

[1] where a businessman put together  not economical for carrying very
goods going to the same town in one small loads
container hence help reduce transport
costs as they would contribute [1]

PORTS

IMPORTANCE OF PORTS
They provide a place where
 goods in transit can be temporarily stored
 cargo can be prepared for the next stage of the journey
 cargo can be loaded and unloaded
 where the journey begin or end
 Crafts are maintained

TYPES OF PORTS
a. Seaports
b. Airports
c. Dry ports

a. SEA PORTS
They provide dock facilities to enable ships to dock, load, unload fuel and get other
provisions efficiently.

6
Facilities/services provided by sea port authorities
 Mechanized handling facilities like gantry and wharf chains used for speedy
discharge and loading of vessels.
 Warehouses and office buildings for shipping companies, banks, restaurants,
customs and immigration authorities.
 Ship repair yards e.g. dry dock for routine maintenance of and repairs to be
efficiently carried out on ships.

IMPORTANCE OF SEAPORT FACILITIES

 Enable ship to dock, load, unload, and refuel and obtain the necessary provisions
quickly.
 Efficient cargo handling reduces turn around time of ships and also cut the dock
and freight costs
 Enables goods to be imported and exported efficiently increasing the volume of
world trade

b) AIRPORTS
Under the department of civil aviation

The role of the department of Civil Aviation

 Promote the safety, security, efficiency and regularity of air transport services e.g
freight centre and aircraft maintenance facilities
 Develop, design, construct, install and manage all civil aviation infrastructure and
air ports facilities
 Develop and implement national civil aviation laws, policies and regulations
 Approve air transport licenses and permits to air crew and aicrafts
 Provides warehousing for goods
 Provide search and rescue services and fire fighting facilities.

c. DRY PORT
Botswana Railways have established GABCON ( Gaborone Container Terminal) for
locally based importers and exporters.

DESCRIBE FUNCTIONS OF A DRY PORT

 act as a container terminal for locally based importers and exporters
 Offers containerized door-door delivery service direct from port to supplier
straight to a company’s warehouse or factory.
 Provides bonded warehousing facilities where customs duties can be paid at a
later date.
 It facilitates the clearing of goods in advance before the arrival of the goods.
 They reduce the average delivery time by avoiding clearance formalities at the
port because the clearing of paperwork is done in advance before the goods arrive.

7
8