Intermodal Freight Service

The US has a long history of moving freight through truck. If you drive cross-country, you see lots of semi-trucks moving along the road. But, there’s a type of freight transportation which is even older than trucking, and that is by train. When you are trying to choose whether to utilize a railway or truck service to haul your cargo, the answer is simple, you can use both. Thanks to transportation agencies which provide intermodal freight services, you can take benefit of the strengths of both types of transportation.

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Intermodal transportation utilizes more than one type of transportation to transfer your cargo. In the US, intermodal transportation mostly refers to transportation through railway and truck. But, it also includes barges, cargo ships and planes. What makes all these types of transportation possible is the intermodal container, or shipping container. The ISO or Intermodal Organization for Standardization published standards for shipping containers. The fact that these containers are standardized, they could moved, loaded, stacked as well as unloaded by any company which provides intermodal freight services, whether ship, railway or truck.

Intermodal shipping is frequently more reasonable than shipping through truck alone. This is simply because it combines the cost-saving advantages both trucks and trains provide. When cargo is transferred through railway, much more freight could be utilized for the same level of energy that a truck uses alone. As a matter of fact, utilizing one intermodal train has the effect of getting rid of 280 trucks from the highway. Not just is intermodal transportation more cost-efficient, it’s also friendlier to the environment. If you choose an intermodal freight service, you need to assess at least three features of the company: experience, communication and customer service. 

 Customer Service
If you choose an intermodal freight service, you need a company which provides great customer service. Will they provide you personalized attention? When you are a large company, do they have the transportation to handle a complex or large hauling job? However, when you have a smaller load, will they treat you just as significantly as a customer with a huge load? You want to ensure that you choose a company which will treat you just as well as their bigger clients. 

Communication
​Ensure you get your deal or agreement in writing. Look carefully at your agreement to ensure that there’ll be no hidden costs incurred at the end. You also need to ask the company how they communicate the status of the delivery to you. Do they provide an online tracking system? Do they send faxes or emails which give the status of your cargo? Will they allow you know when there is any issues which will keep you delivery from arriving on time?

Experience
A skilled company has access to private-access providers and class 1 railroads. Also, they will have relationships with ocean carriers as well as air freight operators when your freight requires to be hauled oversea.

The next time you want to ship your freight, consider the reasonable benefits of intermodal freight services. Truck and train could work together to give you with the most cost-efficient and effective mode of product transportation
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For more information about our intermodal freight services, call us at 866.321.2568 or click here to get a free quote.