
They are mainly linked to light industries and freight distribution, where rapid freight movements in small loads are the norm. Road transport systems have low barriers of entry, but high maintenance costs, both for the vehicles and infrastructures, which are related to low life spans of less than 10 years for a vehicle. Road transportation has average operational flexibility as vehicles can serve several purposes but can rarely operate outside roads. While historically, road transportation was developed to support non-motorized forms of transportation (walking, domestic animals, and cycling at the end of the 19th century), it is motorization that has shaped most of its development since the beginning of the 20th century, particularly with the setting of national highway systems. However, physiographical constraints are significant in road construction with substantial additional costs to overcome features such as rivers or rugged terrain. Road infrastructures are large consumers of space with the lowest level of physical constraints among transportation modes. Main Passenger Modal Options Main Freight Modal Options Performance Comparison for Selected Freight Modes Atomization versus Massification in Transportation Modes a. The demand for transport and the ownership of modes are dominant commercial characteristics, as transportation modes are used to support economic activities and generate income. Technical characteristics relate to attributes such as speed, capacity, and motive technology, while operational characteristics involve the context in which modes operated, including speed limits, safety conditions, or operating hours.

Each mode is characterized by technical, operational, and commercial characteristics defining its market opportunities. For instance, an automobile has the capacity to carry some freight while a passenger plane has a bellyhold that is used for luggage and cargo. Transport modes are designed to either carry passengers or freight, but most modes can carry a combination of both. They are mobile transport assets and fall into three basic types land (road, rail, pipelines), water (shipping), and air. Transport modes are the means supporting the mobility of passengers and freight.
