The freight and transportation industries are due for a shakeup.
Currently, the transportation sector accounts for approximately 8% of worldwide greenhouse gasses (GHG)—and as much as 11% if you count warehouses and ports. And, with emissions rates accelerating faster than other industries, if business continues as usual, it will become the highest emitting sector globally by 2050.
Naturally, the industry faces immense pressure to reduce its environmental impact. But what are some viable strategies to pursue the goal of net zero without hamstringing commerce in the process?
Intermodal management systems and intermodal transport. These are practical and efficient freight solutions that have already proven to have less of a negative impact on the planet.
What Are Intermodal Solutions and Intermodal Transport?
Intermodal transport refers to the process of moving freight in a container using a variety of vehicles—including cargo ships, semi-trailer trucks, trains, and planes—from origin en route to their final destination.
Typically, it’s a journey that takes place in multiple stages. The trip is often bookended with a truck beginning and ending, with rail, air, and water transport covering the long-distance sections of the route, particularly in cases of international transportation.
For example, a container of goods and raw materials may begin its long-distance voyage on a truck in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Its destination? Denver, Colorado.
- The truck transports the cargo to a bustling port, where it’s loaded onto a massive cargo ship scheduled to traverse the Pacific Ocean.
- Upon docking at the port of Los Angeles, the container is shifted onto a train, which travels through the heartland of the United States until it reaches the Rocky Mountain State.
- Once in Denver, the container is loaded back onto a truck for the final leg of the journey to its ultimate destination.
This type of transportation is dubbed “intermodal” because it involves several modes of transportation. And here’s the magic of this system: despite the ever-changing modes of transportation, the cargo itself remains safe and secure in the same container throughout its entire journey.
It’s critical, however, to distinguish between intermodal and multimodal transportation. Multimodal transportation operates under a single contract, whereas intermodal transport uses multiple contracts between various carriers. Furthermore, while both employ different modes of transport, multimodal operates under one bill of lading, with the same carrier overseeing the shipment through all modes of transportation.
How Does Intermodal Transportation Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Although it may seem counterintuitive, a multi-carrier intermodal approach is the most efficient and environmentally friendly form of freight transportation available, especially over long distances.
Why is that?
Some key environmental benefits of intermodal transportation include:
#1 Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Practically every form of transport causes greenhouse gas (GHGs) to be emitted into the atmosphere. Therefore, if reducing GHG emissions is your goal, then intermodal transport is the solution.
The EPA reports that for shipments over 1,000 miles, intermodal transport slashes fuel use and GHG emissions by an astonishing 65% compared to truck transport alone.
That’s because the longest parts of the journey are often achieved with less-fuel-intensive modes of transportation—at least when you compare per unit of cargo.
This is because cargo ships carry much larger freight volumes per trip. So, although their total GHG emissions may be much higher than a single truck, even when accessing green ports, it’s still one the most efficient means of bulk transport.
#2 Increased Energy Efficiency
Along these lines, intermodal transportation is more fuel-efficient, not just for international trips but also for long–distance domestic shipments.
Freight trains, especially, are more fuel-efficient than over-the-road (OTR) trucks, operating at higher capacities, volumes, and speeds while consuming less fuel. According to the EPA, an intermodal train can haul the equivalent of approximately 280 truckloads of freight, with each ton traveling an average of 473 miles on one gallon of fuel. That means the relative energy efficiency of rail is approximately 1.5 to 5 times that of trucking.
From both an environmental and an economic perspective, the savings in fuel consumption and the capacity to move more cargo per journey can help maximize operational efficiency while reducing total costs.
#3 Lower Air Pollution
Although semi-trucks are crucial pieces in the transportation puzzle, unfortunately, they contribute more than just greenhouse gas emissions. They’re also responsible for emitting some of the most toxic airborne pollutants. According to MIT, OTR heavy-duty transport equipment is responsible for over 20% of the world’s black carbon emissions—a powerful, albeit short-lived, climate pollutant that significantly contributes to global warming while impairing air quality and threatening human health.
Here, relying on intermodal transportation for most of a long-distance journey can help reduce the number of diesel-powered freight trucks on our highways, which could, in turn, have downstream effects that further improve air quality.
For instance, imagine highways with fewer trucks. The highways would be less congested. The traffic would be less severe, especially going in and out of cities. As a result, idling time—a notorious contributor to air pollution—would also drop significantly. With fewer trucks idling in traffic, emissions of harmful pollutants would be reduced, making the air cleaner and healthier.
#4 Preserve Natural Resources
It’s not just the skies that are at stake, but also the land.
By utilizing existing transportation networks and infrastructure, intermodal transport reduces the need for new infrastructure development, specifically relating to highways and byways – sparing our scenic landscapes from unnecessary intrusion while preserving valuable natural resources that would otherwise be consumed throughout the lengthy construction process.
Go Intermodal—Choose Tideworks
If your goal is to champion green causes and sustainability within the freight industry, intermodal transportation isn’t just an option—it’s imperative.
After decades of study, the data is clear—intermodal transport reduces greenhouse gas emissions, increases energy efficiency, reduces air pollution, and helps preserve natural resources. Put simply, embracing intermodal is a golden opportunity to turbocharge operational efficiency while simultaneously shrinking your carbon footprint.
At Tideworks, we believe that intermodal transport is the eco-friendly way to ensure that raw materials and final products can reach their intended destinations in the fastest, most economical, and most environmentally-friendly manner available.
Want to optimize your intermodal operations?
Meet Intermodal Pro, our state-of-the-art terminal operating system (TOS), which infuses efficiencies into every aspect of your operations—planning, automation, and yard efficiency. With Intermodal Pro, your quest for an optimized, green terminal operation goes from a distant dream to an achievable reality.
So, let’s journey toward sustainability together. Schedule your demo today.
