Intermodal Freight

Domestic intermodal is often cheaper than over-the-road truckload on long lanes, at the cost of a few extra transit days. It suits replenishment freight that is planned well ahead.

Is intermodal cheaper than truckload?

On long lanes, typically over several hundred miles, intermodal is usually cheaper than truckload, but transit is slower and less predictable. On short lanes, the extra drayage at each end often erases the savings.

• Full TruckloadA shipment that uses an entire trailer, usually a 53-foot dry van in the US, moving directly from origin to destination.
• DrayageShort-distance trucking of ocean containers between a port or rail ramp and a nearby warehouse.
• Middle MileThe movement of goods between facilities, such as from a port or DC to a fulfillment center, before final delivery.
• TransloadingMoving goods from an ocean container into a domestic 53-foot trailer, often near the port.