Choose a gateway around your customer, not just the port
Compare a Brazilian port-to-door logistics chain with a route matrix covering terminal, inland transport, delivery and contingency.
Work backwards from receiving
Start with the customer’s address, receiving window, unloading equipment and cargo restrictions. Then identify possible gateways and the inland legs connecting them. A shorter map distance is not a complete service plan. Collection appointments, cargo availability, vehicle suitability and receiving capacity belong in the comparison. Ask each logistics provider to price and describe the entire proposed chain with the same endpoint.
Distinguish market scale from your service
ANTAQ publishes waterway and port information that can support market research. Historical cargo movement helps describe activity; it does not demonstrate that space, a sailing, a terminal slot or a particular inland service is available for your shipment. Use official statistics for context and obtain current operational confirmation from the relevant providers. Preserve the period and cargo category when comparing figures.
Create a two-route matrix
For each candidate route, record the gateway, terminal, inland provider, quoted scope, planned lead time, cargo-release assumptions and receiving window. Add the source and validity date of each estimate. Split transport time from waiting and administrative steps so differences remain visible. If a figure is unknown, record the question and its owner rather than inserting an unsupported average. A decision matrix is more useful when uncertainty is explicit.
Price the recovery path
Ask what happens if the chosen gateway, collection slot or road leg becomes unavailable. Identify the alternative, who can authorise it and which costs must be requoted. Check current route conditions before dispatch using the responsible road authority or concessionaire. Review the matrix after the pilot: replace estimates with observed times and record the cause of exceptions. Those observations belong to your specific operation and should not be advertised as performance for the whole Brazilian market.
Take this to your planning meeting
- Receiving requirements agreed before route selection
- Two routes compared on the same end-to-end scope
- Statistics separated from live capacity confirmations
- Alternative route and cost approval owner
- Pilot observations recorded with dates and scope
Official references
TRRC planning frameworks help you prepare decisions. They are not a determination of your tax, customs or transport obligations. Official references may be in Portuguese; check the current requirements for your cargo and contract.