Intermodal transportation, or simply Intermodal, is commonly used by shippers everywhere around the world for several reasons. If you are a shipper, this article will help you with more deets on the concept.

What is Intermodal Transportation?

Intermodal is a type of freight shipping that involves using more than one mode of transportation to move cargo / goods from supplier to the buyer. The combination of modes can be two or more of any mode of transportation – road, rail, sea or air freight. It is important to note that Intermodal transportation involves change of shipping mode only, without any change in handling of goods. Example, if the goods are moved in a specific container in intermodal, the mode of freight shipping will change, but the container will remain same.

Standard containers are used for shipping goods via intermodal transportation. Standard containers are used to ensure they can be well stacked and secured on shipping vessels, in trucks and on aircrafts. Since the containers are built strong, shippers can rest assured of minimizing the risk of damage / loss to their goods between change of transportation modes.

Benefits of Intermodal Transportation

Ships are used for longer distances where there might not be direct connectivity by road and air freight is costly, but in order to ship goods through ocean freight, shippers need to get their goods to the port. Shippers thus choose to adopt road freight to pick-up and drop the shipments from shipping ports at the origin and destination.

Here are some of the major reasons why several shippers use Intermodal Shipping –

Quick Shipping Time – Intermodal can essentially help you reduce the shipping time. By carefully planning the shipment, the available shipping modes and the route, shippers can reduce the loading and unloading times, reducing multiple stops and opt for the best combination of shipping modes for a faster and a swifter shipping.

Reduction in Costs – Shippers can predict prices by identifying lower shipping rates of various mode that can result in reducing their overall cost of shipping. Since intermodal does not involve any additional handling of goods, shippers save on handling costs as well.

Reliable and Convenient – Intermodal gives shippers the convenience and flexibility to choose the modes that best suit their requirement. Technological advancements in logistics provides shippers visibility to view vessel schedule as well as track their shipments in transit, making intermodal reliable and convenient.

While these are some of the top benefits of intermodal, simple paperwork, lesser risk of cargo damage and eco-friendliness are some of the other benefits of using intermodal transportation.

Like any other logistics process, intermodal transportation involves complex procedures and documentation. Appointing a freight forwarder to handle your intermodal shipments helps save lot of hassles, time and resources. ProConnect Integrated Logistics has the required knowledge and expertise to handle intermodal shipments for you. Contact us for more details.