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SubjectFree lesson

Transportation

ClassNotes Team 6 MIN READUPDATED 5 JUL 2026

Commerce SSS2 Second Term

WEEK 1

Transportation

Performance Objectives

The student should be able to:

      1. Explain the meaning of transportation.

      2. List the importance of transportation.

      3. Describe the various forms of transportation.

Content

 

Meaning of Transportation

Transportation is the process of moving goods and people from one place to another.  It is the life-blood of an economy. Without transportation goods produced cannot get to the final consumer and thus, production cannot be complete.

Importance of transportation

1.Availability of Raw Materials to Producers: With the aid of transportation, raw materials extracted are easily transported through the various means of transportation to industries or locations where they are processed into finished or semi-finished products. For instance, crude oil cannot be processed into fuel, kerosene etc without the help of transportation.

2. Facilitates International Trade: Transportation has aided the movement of goods and services from one country to another. For instance, an electronic product like radio, refrigerator, computer set etc have been imported from Japan to Nigeria with the aid of transportation.

3. Employment Opportunities: Transportation is one of the main employers of labour, especially in countries where white-collar jobs are hard to come by (get). Many graduates work in Transportation Company like the young shall grow, Edegbe Line and Libra Motor so on. Also, countless number of Nigerians survives as a motorcyclist, tricyclists, taxi drivers etc.

4. Mobility of Workers: Workers from different parts of the country can be moved from one place to another with the aid of various means of transportation. For instance, a worker residing in Benin can easily get to his/her place of work in Warri without much ado (delay).

5. Improved Standard of Living: Transportation has made it possible for goods and services to get to the consumers at the right time and in the right place. For instance, agricultural produce can get to urban cities while industrial products are made available to rural dwellers through the various means of transportation. This, of course, has helped to improve the quality of life of the people.

6. Influences the Location of Industries: One of the conditions for siting industries is the availability of good transport network. This means that raw materials semi-finished goods and finished goods can be moved to places where they are needed without any hindrance.

7. Prevention of Waste: Perishable goods like vegetables are moved quickly from farms with a suitable means of transportation to places where they are needed. This has in a way prevented the waste of such goods.

8. Widening of the Firm’s Market: Transportation has the ability to extend a firm’s market through the sales of the firm’s product in both rural and urban areas.

9. Development of Rural Areas: Transportation has caused the growth and development of many rural areas in this country. Through transportation, some businesses have been established as well as the provision of social infrastructures in rural areas. 

Forms of Transportation

Today, transport which is a means of movement of people, goods or things from one place to another is of four main forms:

Land Transportation

This includes railways and road transportation. The railway carries both passengers and goods which include various agricultural and manufactured products, petroleum products and livestock. Passenger services are restricted to express trains that travel over long distances as well as local or commuter trains that convey workers and other passengers to and from their respective places of work. Railways are also used for the haulage of heavy and bulky goods at relatively cheap rates.

Road transportation involves the use of motor cars, buses, motorcycles and bicycles. It requires a good network of well constructed and tarred surfaces for speed and smooth movement. It is much faster and has a wider link between villages, towns and other urban centres than the railways. It is the most commonly used for both passenger and goods transportation.

Water Transportation

Water transport is the movement of people and goods from one place to another through rivers, oceans and seas etc. by ships, canoes etc. Water transport facilitates international trade between different nations because goods and people can be easily transferred. The Nigerian Ports Authority is responsible for providing facilities as well as management of the ports in Nigeria. Water or sea transport is divided into two and they are:

1. Inland water transport involves movement of passengers and goods through the rivers, canals, creeks and lakes within the country. Inland water transport aids home trade but passenger transport through waterways is not popular in Nigeria except for areas surrounded by water. Inland water transport is carried out by the following means: Canoes, Engine, boats, Ferry boats, Launches.

2. International water transport ensures that cargoes and people are moved from one country to another through the seas and oceans. Since one port is connected to another, it aids foreign trade. The various means of transportation by sea are as follows:

A. Ocean liners: It sails through the high seas and oceans in all the continents of the world, e.g. Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans etc. It is divided into passengers and cargo liners and they charge standard rates.

B. Passenger liners: These are luxurious ship which conveys passengers from one place to another on a definite or specific route and they usually move on the scheduled timetable.

C. Cargo liners: These are ships which carry heavy and bulky goods from one place to another on the high seas and oceans. Cargo liners operate on a specific timetable and they normally run on definite routes. They can also carry a few passengers.  

Characteristics of Ocean Liners

I. Ocean liners act as passenger liners, passenger-cargo liners, and cargo liners, ranging from say 10,000 to 50,000 gross tonnages or more.

II. They maintain a regular service, i.e. at scheduled times between specified ports and at a scheduled freight charges.

III. Their freight charges are normally fixed by the shipping companies themselves.

IV. Cargoes may vary from comparatively small but valuable cargoes to the more bulky cargoes of the cargo-liners.

D. Tramp liners: They carry cargoes where they are found and leave when there are sufficient cargoes. Tramp liners have no fixed timetable and do not run along specific routes. They are available for general hire, hence are referred to as cargo water taxis.

Characteristics of Tramp Liners

I. They are sometimes described as unspecialized general-purpose ships.

II. Tramp vessels have no fixed routes or scheduled sailing times.

III. Tramp shipping is usually fixed.

IV. They do not carry cargoes and parcels but prefer dealing with bulk cargoes.

V. Tramp's vessels are frequently employed on a charter basis, i.e. by importers or exporters on either a time or voyage charter.

VI. They operate as sea taxis.  

E. Coastal liners: These are flat bottom steamers that are used to convey goods along the coast to the main port. They can go through the creeks and rivers easily. Sometimes they are referred to as lighters and tugs. Coastal liners are good for carrying raw materials for firms.

F. Special purpose ships: Special purpose ships are specially built for particular cargoes. For instance, in conveying crude oil, specially built tanker ships are used.