How Do We Transport Our Goods? Goods must be transported from where they are produced to where their consumers are. There are five major modes of transport for goods, namely, rail transport, water transport, road transport, pipeline transport and air transport. Each mode of transport is characterized by different carriers. Railroads carry an important part of the total freight. The advantage of rail transport lies in its ability to meet different needs. Railroads can carry the heaviest and the lightest products and can run at different speeds. For special types of goods railroads provide adapted cars. Thus for perishables refrigerator cars are used, for oil products there are tank cars, for different other materials dumper cars are used. The freight rates of railroads compare favorably with the other modes of transport. Waterway carriers offer a low-cost means of shipping bulky products which have a low transportation value in relation to weight. They are especially used when speed of transportation is not what matters the most. Container ships are commonly used for the transport of goods between countries. Ore-carriers are specially designed for transporting ore, while tankers are used for crude oil transport.