Shipping Freight Intermodal vs Traditional Truckload By Transportation Specialist Susanne Batchelor

www.NFIindustries.com

As I looked out the train window on my way to New York the other day, wondering what was slowing down the usually zippy Acela trip, I witnessed the miles-on-end track improvements underway. It hit home that the transportation stimulus funding was alive and well. If it is true that much of this is earmarked towards updating major intermodal rail lines across the United States, then the word "intermodal railroad" may become more and more a part of everyday common language in the corporate shipping world.

Intermodal has a number of different definitions but basically it is the transportation of containers or trailers, sometimes stacked two high, on railcars. The containers usually come from a port and are transferred by a "drayage" truck to a railyard, or a tractor hauling a trailer can travel directly to a rail yard and drop the trailer.

It is important to note that not all rail lines in the US can be considered an intermodal rail line. Stacking containers or trailers two high increases the weight of the rail car so intermodal rail lines must be able to hold the extra weight. Also, not every tunnel and bridge can accommodate the height of an intermodal rail car.

This is where the stimulus funding will come in handy. Reinforcing existing rail lines and literally "raising the roof" where needed will increase the number of lines that intermodal trains can run on. Because railroads are one of the most environmentally-friendly modes of freight transportation, this will have an immediate impact on the environment and the shipper´s bottom line, since it is currently less expensive to ship product via intermodal than by truck.

Here are some interesting facts to consider:

• On average, trains can move a ton of freight between 423 to 830 miles on a single gallon of fuel.

• One double-stack intermodal train can take 300 trucks off our busy highways.

• The US could save as much as 1 billion gallons of fuel if just 10% of the freight moved over our highways were instead moved by rail.

• Compared to transportation by truck, each ton-mile of freight moved by rail reduces greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds.

• Fuel efficiency for U.S. railroads has increased by 86 percent since 1980. In 1980, a gallon of diesel fuel moved one ton of freight an average of 235 miles. In 2007, the same amount of fuel moved one ton of freight an average of 436 miles, lowering our dependency on foreign oil.

• Railroads and rail suppliers have reduced the weight and increased the capacity of rail cars to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. The average freight car capacity is now nearly 100 tons, up 20 percent since 1980.

The major rail lines all have an environmental strategy and it´s a major part of their company´s future growth. Most of them have invested heavily in the "Genset Switcher", which is a low-emitting locomotive that reduces NO2 emissions by up to 80% and particulate matter up to 90%, while using up to 30% less fuel. On top of the Genset Switcher, rail lines are also experimenting with hybrid locomotives. Click into any of the major rail line´s websites and you will find that they have their own version of a "Green" calculator that will show you how much overall emissions you will save if you ship your product on their intermodal freight transportation versus truck.

Between the rise in diesel fuel, the track improvements due to the stimulus money and the rail companies dedication towards a cleaner, less fuel-consuming locomotive, the future looks very bright for the intermodal industry.

For more information, please visit www.NFIindustries.com/intermodal