Transport of Special Loads on the Road Modal

Abstract

The evolution of special cargo transportation is inseparable from the Brazilian industrial advancement process. Its influence on the country’s economic development raises the question of how much transport modes, especially road transport, are prepared to receive this type of relatively recent demand. The development of road infrastructure in Brazil is carried out mainly through private financing and the allocation of taxes. In turn, the costs of transporting special loads are affected by fees and physical conditions of highways. This article investigates the perception of the quality of the highways attributed by users of this type of transport and concludes the need for elaboration of public policies aimed at the recovery and readjustment of the bearing capacity of bridges and viaducts, application of more resistant materials for the pavement, broad discussion of tax reform, and allocation of values to transport infrastructure, considering the spectrum of special cargo.