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If you own a product business, you understand the importance of your products’ quality, price, and the benefits they offer your customers. But what about the quality, price, and benefits of the services you use to transport your products hundreds – even thousands – of miles so they can reach those customers in the first place?

According to the Intermodal Association of North America, about 95% of the world’s manufactured goods are transported in a shipping container at some point before making their way to the customer. As a result, intermodal services are becoming increasingly important for businesses of all kinds.

Here, we discuss what intermodal services are, their advantages, and the types of businesses that can benefit most.

What Are Intermodal Services?

Intermodal services allow cargo to be transported from origin to final delivery using two or more modes of transportation, such as container ships, trucks, and/or trains. The freight itself is never handled when changing transportation modes since it’s sealed in an intermodal container for the duration of the journey.

Intermodal shipping was first widely adopted during World War II when the U.S. military used intermodal pallets to send weapons, medical supplies, and other military equipment around the world. Today, it has become something that thousands of businesses depend on to transport their goods across land and sea.

What Types of Businesses Can Benefit From Intermodal Services?

With almost all of today’s manufactured goods requiring container shipping to make it to their final destination for distribution, intermodal services are used by many different businesses, from companies that sell home decor to those producing pharmaceuticals. There are different container types to meet the unique needs of your business, such as ISO containers, which are the most common, and refrigerated containers.

Most businesses that produce a tangible product that must be shipped can benefit from these services, especially those that need to ship to other countries. Here are a few examples of specific types of businesses that can benefit from intermodal services:

  • Growing businesses: Companies can’t be expected to scale without first establishing a well-organized shipping process. It’s important to figure out the logistics of shipping your products to ensure you have a successful foundation for growth.
  • Businesses that ship long distances: A company that ships long distances – usually more than 500 miles – should consider intermodal transport. For example, a pet supply store may need to transport dog food, crates, leashes, and other inventory from their manufacturing facility on the east coast to a warehouse on the west coast. When using intermodal containers, the cargo doesn’t need to be removed from the container to transfer between transportation modes, which can save money and help prevent damage.
  • Businesses with low- or medium-value products: Intermodal shipping is most beneficial for businesses that offer products of low or medium value. If you ship high-value goods, like jewelry made from precious metals and gemstones, it’s often best to use air freight transportation, as these are small, expensive goods that need to reach their destination as quickly as possible.

intermodal services

Advantages of Intermodal Services for Businesses

Some businesses use a single mode of transportation for their products, such as long-haul trucking. It’s assumed that this is the best and simplest approach, but this decision can be costly in the long run.

For example, if you’re shipping your products a long distance, it’s more expensive to use a few trucks than a train. Here are some other ways you can save money and benefit from using intermodal shipping.

Reduced Costs

Intermodal freight shipping can significantly reduce transportation costs for your business. Some factors that contribute to its cost-effectiveness include:

  • Increased capacity: For the longest portion of the trip, intermodal shipments are typically transported by rail or ship. These transportation modes can accommodate a large number of transport containers compared to a truck. A single rail car can haul three to four times the load that an average truck can carry due to its double-stack cars built specifically for intermodal container stacking. Meanwhile, some cargo ships can transport more than 20,000 20-foot freight containers.
  • Fuel efficiency: Rail transport is more fuel efficient than long-haul trucking. According to Union Pacific, trains are able to move one ton of intermodal freight over 470 miles on average per gallon of fuel, which also makes rail the most eco-friendly method of land freight transportation.

Increased Sustainability

In addition to fuel efficiency, intermodal transportation offers several additional factors that make it more environmentally sustainable than trucking alone:

  • Reduced traffic: When goods are shipped via trains rather than trucks, there is less highway congestion. As a result, environmental hazards like greenhouse gases are reduced, decreasing your business’s carbon footprint. Noise pollution, which can negatively impact humans and wildlife, is also reduced when there are less vehicles on the highway.
  • Reusable containers: Intermodal containers can be used over and over again. They’re built to last with an average lifespan of over 25 years. This means the need for materials to build new containers is reduced, lessening harmful emissions caused by the manufacturing process.

When considering these benefits, think about those purchasing your products as well. Roughly 74% of customers today care about how their purchases impact the environment, and they’re willing to pay higher prices for brands offering sustainable products.

Enhanced Security & Protection

On a rail car or cargo ship, containers are almost always moving, making it extremely difficult for unauthorized people to access them after they’re sealed and loaded. The shipment is also never left alone due to constant rail yard and port security monitoring, which makes your shipments less susceptible to theft.

In addition to being protected against theft, shipping containers are built to protect cargo against the elements. They are made to be wind-resistant and watertight, and their steel material allows them to withstand drastic changes in temperature. Because the cargo remains in the same container for the full duration of the journey, your goods are also less prone to damage from handling.

Greater Efficiency

Using intermodal services to transport your goods is efficient because of how the available transportation options work together. Intermodal containers are designed to move quickly between various modes of transportation, as they have standardized sizes and their cargo does not need to be handled separately.

As a result, your customers can quickly receive their products. This can also prevent shipping delays caused by highway traffic during transit and increase your customer satisfaction.

Optimize Your Shipping Process With Intermodal Services

Using intermodal services is a high-quality and cost-effective way to ensure your products are shipped with care and efficiency wherever you need them to go – from across the country to across the world.

DSL Logistics is the country’s premier intermodal leader, offering both domestic and international intermodal services to help you optimize your supply chain process.

Benefit your business by using intermodal services. Get started today!

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  • Intermodal