INTERMODALTRANSPORTATION

GROUP NINE

Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation , without any handling of the freight itself when changing modes under a single journey and a single bill. Intermodal:
single journey. being or involving transportation by more than one form of carrier during a

Includes more than one mode

 air, rail, road, water  truck is only practical single mode trip

Typically refers to containerized goods

 as opposed to bulk or general cargo  requires containers  less labor than traditional freight handling

The following is a quick example of utilizing more than one mode of transportation to ship freight from origin to destination:

A truck moves an empty piece of equipment to a shipper to pick up a load. The equipment is loaded with freight and then taken by truck to a railroad yard. Loaded equipment is put onto a train and railed to its destination. The load is taken off the train and delivered by truck to the customer. Equipment is unloaded and now empty, ready for another load.

Components of Intermodalism

From a functional and operational perspective, two components are involved in intermodalism:

Intermodal transportation. The movements of passengers or freight from one mode of transport to another, commonly taking place at a terminal specifically designed for such a purpose. Transmodal transportation. The movements of passengers or freight within the same mode of transport. Although "pure" transmodal transportation rarely exists and an intermodal operation is often required (e.g. ship to dockside to ship), the purpose is to insure continuity within the same modal network.

Four major functions define an intermodal transport chain:

1. 2. 3. 4.

Composition Connection Interchange Decomposition

Containerization is a system of freight transport based on a range of steel intermodal containers. Containers are built to standardised dimensions, and can be loaded and unloaded, stacked, transported efficiently over long distances, and transferred from one mode of transport to another container ships, rail and semi-trailer trucks without being opened. The system was developed after World War II, led to greatly reduced transport costs, and supported a vast increase in international trade. Containerization permits the mechanized handling of cargoes of diverse types and dimensions that are placed into boxes of standard sizes.

Standard containers (20 , 40 , 45 height 8 6 ) Hard top containers (removable steel roof) Open top containers Flat racks Domestic containers (53 ) Refrigerated containers (require clear space) Tank containers High cube container (9 6 tall) One 20 container is a Twenty foot Equivalent Unit (TEU)

Types of Carriers

A station where freight is received or discharged Situated at the end In the intermodal world we usually refer to terminals as intermodal yards.
Airports Bus terminals Marine terminal or port Ferry terminal Intermodal yard

Train station Rail yard Cross-dock facility Distribution center

Infrastructure Equipment Core Storage Management Trade facilitation Distribution centers Storage depot Container services

Modal access (dock, siding, road), unloading areas Intermodal lifting equipment, storing equipment Yard for empty and loaded containers Administration, maintenance, access (gates), information systems Free trade zone, logistical services Transloading, cross-docking, warehousing, temperature controlled (cold chain) Container depot, bulk storage Washing, preparation, repair

Ancillary

Standard transport product Flexibility of usage Management Economies of scale Speed Warehousing Security

Competition between the modes has tended to produce a transport system that is segmented and un-integrated. All the modes saw the other modes as competitors, and were viewed with suspicion and mistrust. Modalism was also favored because of the difficulties of transferring goods from one mode to another, thereby incurring additional terminal costs and delays