What Is Intermodal Transportation?

Intermodal transportation is a reliable, sustainable method to ship freight at a reasonable cost. By definition, door-to-door intermodal leverages the efficiency of rail and the flexibility of truckload for a winning combination of price and service. The coming chapters will show how intermodal freight transportation can fit a variety of freight scenarios.

1. How does intermodal transportation work?

Intermodal transportation involves a combination of road and rail - and a container. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) outlines the intermodal journey, which typically has product in an intermodal container driven via chassis-equipped dray truck to an intermodal ramp. The railroad then takes the container the long-haul portion of intermodal transport, before another dray truck takes it to its destination.

2.Types of intermodal transportation

There are two types of intermodal: Container-On-Flatcar (COFC) and Trailer-On-Flatcar (TOFC). COFC, which came to prominence in 1984, is the most common and cost-effective because four containers can be loaded onto one wellcar. Under the TOFC model, the over-the-road (OTR) trailer is placed directly onto the wellcar - a maximum of two at a time.

3.Why is intermodal transportation so efficient?

Intermodal transportation offers a number of key efficiencies, including:

Consistent railroad schedules with reliable service

The energy efficiency (and consistency) of train combined with the flexibility of truck

Significant capacity availability - up to 280 53-foot containers per train

Constantly moving trains, sealed containers and secured ramps lead to low cargo theft risk