Why Intermodal transport has become such a popular shipment service in recent years

Intermodal transport has become increasingly popular among the member companies of IFA and other companies providing international freight forwarding services. More companies from the freight forwarders association are utilizing intermodal transport because it decreases the price and the time for international freight forwarding shipments.

It also is a way to enhance green logistics and decrease the carbon footprint of the list of logistics companies from the International Forwarding Association.

So, what exactly is intermodal transport?

Intermodal transport in Europe is the forwarding and transport of goods and cargo without actually handling them when the transport modes are changed. For each transport mode (truck, rail, ship), a different carrier is responsible for the forwarding. The use of intermodal transport includes the need of several separate contracts per shipment – including one with each company from the European network for transportation handling a part of the entire shipment.

How can it save money?

For customers who need to ship their goods and cargo at long distances, it is recommended they choose the option of combinining intermodal transportation services. The reason is that the longer the distance of the shipment is, the better the opportunity for saving money by using intermodal transport in Europe for the international freight services. The opportunity to combine the freight forwarding services of several members of the list of logistics companies from IFA allows for picking better transport rates depending on the specific geographic regions and zones. Also, intermodal transport can help the businesses save money thanks to the predictability of the pricing and the flexibility of loading and unloading of the goods, which can help reduce the overall forwarding and handling costs.

Improved safety for the cargo and goods

Since the European logistics network often uses rail as a mode for intermodal transport, this increases the safety of the shipment, because rail transport is significantly safer than using road trucks. There are fewer railroad accidents, and rail transport is more suitable for carrying hazardous goods and providing other types of specialized transportations which require added safety. Also, rail transport is much less prone to theft as compared to truck transport.

The environmental benefit

By using intermodal transport, the companies from the freight forwarders network can significantly decrease their carbon footprint. By switching from road to rail transport, the reduction of CO2 emissions can be decreased by up to 85%. Rail transport is considered one of the most environmentally friendly forms of transport, which is why the companies who have dedicated themselves to green logistics prefer using rail for their intermodal transport in Europe.

Conclusion

As you can see, Intermodal logistics is an excellent logistics solution which has been embraced by an increasing number of companies from the freight forwarders network for several very good reasons. It can lower the costs for the customers, it can save time for the shipment, and it provides added safety especially for hazardous goods and other specialized cargo.

Plus, the companies from the international freight forwarders association are striving towards providing more environmentally friendly, green logistics services by combining intermodal transportation services and using integrated transport which can significantly reduce their harmful impact on the environment by reducing the CO2 emissions drastically.