Taylor's Transportation Blog

Before you choose a freight transport provider, you have to narrow down the type of service you need. The truth is, all types of freight fall into a certain category. However, some types of cargo need special arrangements due to their special nature. Knowing where yours lies will enable you to know what to look for and this way you will get the right transporter and fast. Have a look at the special categories of freight and what they entail.

Dangerous goods

Dangerous goods mostly involve transportation of petro-chemical and gas products. These have to be handled with great care at every stage of the transportation process. To transport these, you have to look for freight services tailored in design and licensed by the authorities to transport dangerous goods. A good example is petroleum products. There are special trucks designed to transport petroleum products safely and avoid leaks or incidences that would ignite the fuel products. In most instances, large volumes of dangerous freight are not transported via air due to safety concerns.

Perishable goods

Perishable goods are those that need extra care when in transit lest they go bad. These include meat, confectionaries, flowers, fruits and vegetables. To preserve their freshness, they often have to be transported in refrigerated trucks that can maintain ambient, chilled or frozen temperatures. Freight transporters of refrigerated goods also have refrigerated warehouses where the same can be stored in between intermodal transportation. Getting the right service to meet these strict conditions is vital for this type of freight.

Wide loads

Huge loads also need special arrangements when in transit. This is primarily due to their special size as well as the potential risk of handling them. This often includes heavy equipment, large vehicles or machinery parts. On water or rail, size poses fewer challenges. On the road, however, special flat bed trucks are needed to accommodate their size and weight. They also have to be transported at night when traffic is minimal.

Time-critical goods

Some types of freight are not exceptional in weight or danger and neither are they likely to go bad in transit. However, due to their importance, they may need to get from one place to the other within very short periods. This will require making special arrangements with your freight transportation service to avoid stop-overs and to use the fastest routes possible. Over long distances, air transport will be the first priority and road transport over short distances. An example of time-critical freight is medical supplies that are needed urgently at a hospital.

Having a reliable and well networked freight transportation service, like Jayde Transport, is vital for these types of cargo. The best providers to deal with are those that have been in the business long enough to realize all the logistics involved, and have the capacity to deal with them, so that you don't have to.