Intermodal is an alternative method to ship 53' truckload freight utilizing two different modes of transport.
Dray carriers are used for the origin pick-up and destination delivery for the freight movements between the rail ramps and the shipper on the front end of a shipment and its customer on the back end of the freight move.
The railroad is utilized for the long-haul portion of the freight lane.
There are two types of intermodal: COFC and TOFC.
COFC is a more efficient and therefore a more cost-effective method for intermodal shipping.
There are both private 53' box and public intermodal container owners.
Private box owners are bi-modals IMC's, while public boxes are move through non-asset or asset lite IMC's.
Other intermodal articles of interest:
The national trade organization IMC's are members of: Intermodal Association of North America (IANA)
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