Do you want to speed up your shipping process? In that case, intermodal freight transport may be the best option. The complexities of intermodal transportation may baffle you, but in reality, it’s a simple concept. It means transporting shipments in a freight container using more than one mode of transport, like rail and road combined.
There are four main modes of transportation: rail, road, sea, and air. You can move your shipments using one or more of these routes. Road transport is usually managed by trucks, which are the first to pick up goods. They even help process intermodal shipping between transits through rail, ocean, or air. Trucks can also be the last mode of transport when the shipment reaches the final destination.
Rail transport involving trains is an even more beneficial form of transportation within intermodal transportation. You can move hundreds of freight containers across long distances with low transportation costs. However, the only potential ways to transport your goods across borders are through air and sea.
It’s important to understand the workings of intermodal freight transport to leverage your business. This article will shed light on the benefits and challenges of using intermodal freight transport.
What Is Intermodal Freight?
Intermodal transport means moving goods in the same load unit, such as containers, swap bodies, or semi-trailers, using two or more modes of transportation without any direct handling of the products during the transit.
For instance, during intermodal transport, a container carrying the goods gets transferred from one transportation mode to another, such as trains, ships, trucks, or planes, without placing the products in another unit or removing them. It’s an india phone number list integrated and flexible logistics solution for businesses that are seeking a more efficient and streamlined supply chain.
Containers or other load units designed for intermodal freight transport often comply with (ISO) International Organization for Standardization dimension guidelines. These instructions allow the freight to stay in the same container while these containers move between different transportation modes.
Pros of Intermodal Freight Transport
Wondering about the advantages intermodal freight transport brings? Here are some of the benefits of using two or more transportation modes for shipping purposes:
More Efficiency in Supply Chain: Intermodal freight transport eliminates the need for additional cargo handling. The use of different vehicles reduces downtime and enhances efficiency throughout the supply chain.
Cost-effectiveness: Intermodality can significantly reduce your transport costs when you’re shipping huge volumes of cargo. You pay less per load unit, which further diminishes the cost per ton transported.
Higher Security: Keeping your cargo in one container or load unit throughout the shipping journey minimises the risk of any theft and damage to your products. Constant loading and unloading of the products into different load units need more manpower. Your shipment could be mishandled, damaged, or stolen in between the transit.
Sustainable Option: Intermodal freight transport is among the most effective sustainable logistics solutions. This type of transportation manages resources better and hence minimises the environmental impact. For instance, it leverages the how a technology producer can boost your company’s digital maturity efficiency of rail for long distances and trucks for last-mile delivery, which ensures lower fuel consumption and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. It also alleviates road congestion and enhances load capacity, creating more fuel efficiency.
Cons of Intermodal Freight Transport
Intermodality comes with a few challenges along with the many advantages it serves. Here are the disadvantages of adopting intermodal freight transport:
Sensitive to Weather Conditions: Bad or unmanageable weather can slow down all modes of transport used in intermodal freight transport. Storms, heavy rains, and other unpredictable weather conditions can easily affect land, water, and air transportation routes. Ocean transport suffers especially when there are environmental hazards. Violent storms in aero leads the sea can not only stop ships but even damage the freight they’re carrying.