Intermodal transportation is a logistics term that refers to using multiple modes of transportation to deliver goods (ATD Lines, 2014). Typically, such goods are loaded into a shipping container, a corrugated metal box that is easy to move using different modes of transportation. The modes are usually boats, trucks and trains, but there may be times when air freight is used, or even unconventional transportation modes for certain goods and situations. A typical route might be to use a boat to move the good from one continent to another, then use a train to get the container closer to its destination, then a truck for final delivery. So for example, using a container ship to get a load of cowboy shirts from Dhaka to Singapore, then on to Los Angeles. At that point, the train takes it to Albuquerque, where it then takes a left via truck up the interstate to Santa Fe.
There are a couple of different objectives of intermodal transportation. The first is that they allow companies to get goods from...
The second is that they allow for a relatively smooth transition between modes, which further facilitates efficiency. The latter occurs because the shipping is done with standardized shipping containers. Instead of the goods being loaded and unloaded with each change of vehicle, the container is simply moved from one mode to the other. In some instances, this may not be the case, but the optimal situation relies on containers to streamline the logistics process (Bektas & Crainic, 2007).
Intermodal is indeed defined by the streamlining of the process. This differentiates it from multimodal transportation, which may require packing and unpacking of goods in order to transfer them between different modes. Intermodal implies smoother transitions, and transport that is arranged from one end to the other, ensuring fluidity of movement in the goods. This is in contrast to a more piecemeal system that, even if it involves…
