Intermodal transport
By definition, intermodal transport, also known as combined transport, is a type of transport based on the carriage of goods using different modes of transport. In intermodal transport, more than one loading unit is used along the entire transport route. It is important to note that in this type of transport, the goods are not reloaded and only the means of transport changes. The most popular loading units include containers for various purposes, semi-trailers and swap bodies. What else is there to know about intermodal transport, what advantages and disadvantages it has and how it is organised as an example, you will find out in the following sections.
What should you know about intermodal transport?
Intermodal transport is an extremely important topic from the freight forwarders' point of view. It has been organised and thought through in view of the growing demand for freight transport. The main current reasons for the development of intermodal transport in Poland and Europe were the need to increase the efficiency of freight forwarding companies, globalisation and the growing interest in maritime transport, which mainly involves containers. Intermodal transport enjoys great popularity and occupies an important place in the development of modern transport technologies.
Example of organisation of intermodal transport
In order to better understand how intermodal transport works, it is useful to take a concrete example where a truck takes goods from a consignee or logistics centre to a transhipment terminal where they are loaded onto an inland vessel. The ship heads for a seaport where the cargo is loaded onto a container freighter. At the port of destination, the container in question is then loaded onto the railway, via which it is transported to its final destination and unloaded there.
Intermodal and multimodal transport
Once you are familiar with the concept of intermodal transport, it is worth finding out what multimodal transport is. Multimodal transport is the transport of goods using at least two modes of transport, but differs from intermodal transport in that the goods can change loading units when the mode of transport is changed. Regardless of the number of transport modes, however, the customer always concludes only one transport contract.
Intermodal transport - advantages and disadvantages
It is worth listing the advantages of intermodal transport first. The most important advantage is the ecology, which in this case is based on a combination of road, rail and water transport, so that the energy consumption for transporting a given good is much lower than for pure road transport. In addition, air pollution is up to 90 % lower than with car transport. It should also be noted that intermodal transport is more resistant to weather conditions and breakdowns and allows door-to-door transport. The use of intermodal transport also makes it possible to significantly reduce heavy goods traffic on the roads and at border crossings and to transport larger volumes of freight over long distances. Intermodal transport is also characterised by greater regularity, fewer accidents, greater safety and better punctuality. In addition, this solution offers the possibility to use different loading and unloading methods and to increase the availability and quality of transport services.
However, each solution also has its drawbacks. One of the weak points of intermodal transport is the need for special handling equipment to move units weighing tonnes efficiently and safely beyond the reach of fixed equipment. We are talking about overhead cranes, mobile machines or cranes. In addition, rail terminals need to be equipped with suitable handling equipment, which results in higher costs.
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