Logistic services

What is international land transport?

In this article we will refer to international land transport, which as its name indicates, is the mode of loading based on the use of wheeled vehicles that circulate on roads and highways.

It currently represents the second means of international cargo transport in the world, only exceeded in volume by maritime transport.

It is done through large trucks, but also medium trucks, buses and smaller capacity vehicles.

To be international in nature, the cargo must be mobilized by at least two countries, although in many cases a cargo can travel several nations before reaching its destination.

An example of this is Africa, where many countries lack internal waterways and international cargo transport across the continent is only possible by air or land.

Brief history of land transport

Until the invention of the automobile, the main means of transporting goods by land was rail.

The first railroad in the United States began operations in 1827 and by the year 1830 there were already more than 1700 kilometers of rail lines in that country.

This figure increased to more than 8,000 kilometers in the following nine years.

Between 1850 and the first decade of the twentieth century practically the entire United States was covered by railway lines.

In Europe countries such as Great Britain and Spain also had a rapid development of this means of transport, partly thanks to the lack of large internal waterways.

Simultaneously, the awakening of the automobile industry began in the United States.

The first automobiles, created for the wealthy classes, gave way to economic models such as Ford “A” and “T” and others that could be purchased by working families.

In a short time all types of cargo vehicles arose in the US and Europe, which complemented very well with the maritime and rail transport systems.

The First World War stimulated the manufacture of increasingly larger trucks and at the end of the war, a land fleet with a very high load capacity was available.

The pressure from the major vehicle manufacturers led the US Government to invest in a national network of roads and highways that would later become the most important transportation infrastructure in that country.

In many countries of South America the railway lines were built following the interests of large companies and not of the population, which ended up making them unprofitable in a few decades.

In some countries, there was not even an attempt to build railroad tracks and the road infrastructure was directly prioritized.

Added to this is the fact that the acquisition of rolling stock became more and more accessible to families and businesses.

The expansion of road networks made it possible to link less remote points in each country at a lower cost than the train.

For this reason, in Latin America, international land transport is the most used among neighboring countries, even among those that have a more or less consolidated rail network.

A highly regulated system

If you want to hire an international land transport service it is important that you know how this mode of transport and its regulations work.

Like air or maritime transport, international land transport is regulated by international organizations that ensure that the laws and regulations on cargo handling and handling are complied with.

The priority is to guarantee the legality of the cargo and its security as it passes through different countries.

It also seeks to protect those who share the use of land routes, that is, workers, families and local businesses that use their vehicles for their daily activities.

For this reason, international land transport requires the use of appropriate vehicles to carry cargo over long distances, whether trucks or medium vehicles.

These must be in excellent mechanical condition and have all the documentation in order.

Customs transit operations and controls must also be complied with when leaving a country and entering the territory of the neighboring nation.

What types of cargo can be carried by international land transport?

An advantage of this modality is the greater variety of products that can be moved than in the case of airplanes and ships.

They can be moved from refrigerated and perishable products to chemical substances, petroleum products, gases and dry or bulk cargo, among many others.

This system has a wide availability of trucks and vehicles adapted for each type of cargo.

However, international land transport is regulated by laws and regulations that ensure the safety of cargo and passengers that use the road networks.

These regulations also affect the type of cargo that can be carried or not by a certain highway or reel

ra in each country.

This includes everything related to the size, capacity and characteristics of the vehicles used for international freight.

Therefore, the regulations regarding the vehicle size and maximum load capacity authorized to circulate in each country must be known and respected.

At the level of cargo, some countries restrict the access of certain agricultural products for phytosanitary reasons or even the circulation of certain chemical products along their roads.

The nationality of vehicles used in international land transport is also important. In the European Union they must be enrolled in one of their member countries.

Other countries require the transfer of merchandise to a locally registered vehicle, which can increase freight costs considerably.

Fortunately, many countries have agreements with their neighbors to allow the passage of their cargo vehicles with a provisional license, upon payment of certain fees and the purchase of special insurance.

Driver documentation is also important. They must have a valid passport or identity document in the country to which the cargo comes, just as it happens with any regular traveler.

As a general rule, a cargo manifest is required that includes data such as:

The departure date and boarding site of the vehicle.
Class, nationality, size and name of the vehicle.
Data of the load, including its level of danger, industrial or biological origin and other data that indicate the need or not of a special handling.
Data of the senders and consignees of the cargo, in addition to the company responsible for the international shipping operation.
Detailed information about the brands, numbering, packages, weight and contents of the cargo.
Information on the declared value of the cargo and the amount of freight and additional expenses is also required.

For legal and security reasons, detailed information is required about the company that performs ground transportation, as well as who contracts this service.

Any lack of documentation or requirements can cause serious delays in customs or even the prohibition of entry of a cargo to a specific country.

How to contract international land transport services in Paraguay?

If you want to hire an international ground transportation service from or to Paraguay, you can consult the experts of Alfa Trading S.A., a company with 28 years of experience in international freight.

Alfa Trading S.A. is recognized in Paraguay as a company with a long history in the world of logistics.

Our mission is to support exporting or importing customers from the time the cargo leaves the supplier’s warehouses until it reaches the final recipient.

NUESTROS AGENTES DE CARGAS SE ENCARGARÁN DE BRINDARTE EL MEJOR SERVICIO

NUESTROS AGENTES DE CARGAS SE ENCARGARÁN DE BRINDARTE EL MEJOR SERVICIO

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