Background
The road transport in Brazil accounts for 58% of all national logistics (The Economist, 2013, p. 1). Nevertheless, the National Confederation of Transport reports that about 69% of the total road networks are in bad conditions (The Economist, 2012, p. 1). The most affected roads are those in the North and the North Eastern regions. The poor economic performance of these regions becomes the indicators of the effects of the poor roads. Some roads are only usable for six months annually due to their bad conditions (Luís, A., Freitas 2013, p. 1). The transporting tracks record low rates of mobility in many roads, especially in the rainy season. In fact, there are parts where the tracks travel in five days during the dry season, the tracks would cover the same in 18 days during the rainy seasons. The low mobility would then contribute to increased costs in the use of roads for transport not only for the traders but also to the general public going about leisure travel (The Economist, 2012, p. 1). These statistics can be shown from the chart indicated below.
Fig 1: Brazil paved roads by the years (figure in %) (The Economist, 2012).
The rail transport is most used in the South East part of Brazil with an approximately 47% of the total rail system being in the regions (The Economist, 2012, p. 1). The rail transport ranks second from the road transport and accounts for about 25% of the entire Brazilian logistic system. About 22 states among the 26 states are covered by the rail, although some sections are out of service; hence, least exploited (The Economist, 2012, p. 1). There is, therefore, a definite competition between the users of the roads and the rail network in the country for such purposes as economic and social purposes. The weaknesses of the rail transport in the country as pointed out by the investors include inflexibility, low speed, high costs, as well as the unavailability of the Wagons (The Economist, 2012, p. 1). Other limitations are associated with the high costs of maintaining the rails and the wagons. At other times, wagons would be out of service or completely unavailable and hence the mode of transport becomes unreliable (The Economist, 2012, p. 1).
Requirements Section
Means of Transport and Economic Requirements
The means of transport should fulfil the economic requirement of Brazil. First, the primary use of rail and road is to transport foodstuffs, including grains, wine, steel products, water, stones, and cement. Secondly, the main aim of the rail is to transport goods for export. Therefore, fulfilling the economic requirement should entail improvement of rail transport and the roads to meet the economic requirements of the country through the movement of goods and services. This aspect would improve export of good and services, a situation that would bring the balance of trade to the country as well as improve the Brazilian currency; hence, facilitate economic growth.
If the means of the transport fulfil the economic requirement, it would indicate that the entrepreneurs would be able to deliver their products to the market at the appropriate time convenient to their customers. In this aspect, there would be ease of operations. Therefore, means of transport play a connective role in the several steps that facilitate the conversion of resources into valuable goods for the ultimate customer. In essence, the means of transport must fulfil that requirement of facilitation.
Means of Transport and Social Requirements
It is worth noting that the means of transport should fulfil the social requirements in Brazil. First for the social requirement to be fulfilled, the means of transport must ensure that there is the integration of road and rails with the airports and seaports. In this aspect, there will be transport services, which will meet the needs of the users. For instance, regional integration will become easier, a situation that will encourage globalization as well as the integration of different societies and culture. Therefore, mobility rate will increase when the means of transport meets the social requirement and more individuals will be willing to engage in leisure travels.
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