| Logistical problems are the bane of any freight moving | | | | On the other hand, the combination of both sea and air |
| operation, but they especially affect those that are | | | | freight fulfills a niche that other methods can't. For |
| required to send some goods via sea freight services. | | | | instance, the speed of aircraft allow for various |
| However, such problems may be eased with the | | | | samples of new merchandise to be flown between |
| combination of different services as part of a more | | | | new nations. These samples can precede the actual |
| complete transportation system. By use of such | | | | goods, which could be then loaded in bulk on vessels |
| intermodal distribution, many problems related to the | | | | and sailed to their new destination once the preorder is |
| timeliness and difficulty may be eliminated. | | | | approved. This sort of useful combination allows both |
| While they cannot generally work alone, air freight | | | | air's speed and water's bulk loading capacity to be |
| services can expedite shipping in many cases. An | | | | used to their fullest extent. |
| aircraft is usually faster than an ocean going vessel, | | | | If a portion of an order needs to arrive faster than the |
| and it can therefore carry goods more quickly than its | | | | rest of the goods, this portion may also be flown. The |
| marine counterpart. This is especially important in | | | | remainder of the stocks, which may be too heavy or |
| cases where an item truly needs to arrive on a very | | | | bulky to fly, can then continue to be shipped in the |
| tight schedule. Medical freight and many types of | | | | conventional fashion. For instance, small machine parts |
| postal mail, for instance, will need to rely on the speed | | | | that were immediately needed to continue |
| of shipping by air. | | | | manufacturing in an area could be flown to their |
| However, sea freight services shine when it comes to | | | | destination. Common shipping containers can then |
| bulk shipping. An airplane simply can't carry the high | | | | move the machines to supplement or replace these, |
| volume of traffic that a ship can. Modern bulk carries | | | | which are assumed to be too large or heavy to |
| have incredibly vast capacities that were once | | | | transport by plane in a cost effective manner. |
| completely unheard of. However, the shipping container | | | | No one method of transportation will ever fully supplant |
| has really revolutionized sea freight in the present day. | | | | all others. By using each to its fullest advantage, a |
| In fact, the modern shipping container is a marvel that | | | | shipper can attain the lowest cost for the amount of |
| is largely unrivaled in its method of moving goods that | | | | freight they're shipping. Therefore, strategic use of both |
| are easily packaged into massive metal boxes. These | | | | sea and air freight will allow for the best deal to be |
| intermodal containers, as their name suggests, can | | | | worked out. Moreover, one can save a great deal of |
| then take advantage of several types of land | | | | time by matching up the freight being shipped and the |
| transportation. They may be placed onto railroad flat | | | | method used to move it. |
| cars or moved by tractor-trailer assemblies. | | | | |