Intermodal Mode of Transport Research Assignment

Intermodal Mode of Transport
Name:
Institution:
Course:
Date:
Intermodal Mode of Transport
Transport remains one of the most significant pillars of any economy regardless of the state and status of the country or region. It is the means through which, people, skills and resources are moved from one place to the other. With the elements of demand and supply in play in any given economy, transport is the bridge through which either of the elements are transferred to where they are needed most. Balancing out between the supply and the demand in the economy. There are various modes of transport, such as air, water and road. These are the ways in which the goods and services along with the people are moved from one place to the other (Calhoun Truck Lines, 2014). People that have skills that they can market are able to move around and take their skills to where they are needed. Goods that are in demand can be transported from where they are in high supply to where they are in low supply to satisfy the needs of the people. One of the ways that the various modes can be integrated into the economy is through the intermodal transportation approach (Mediterranean Shipping Company, 2018). The intermodal transportation can be defined as the use of more than one mode or carriers to transport goods and/or services from the shipper to the consignee. This means that the modes have to have some elements of standardized means through which they can transfer the goods from one mode to the nest up until they arrive at the designated location specified by the consignee (Piatak, 2002). The intermodal transportation mechanisms allow for the fluidity in transportation of goods from the shipper to the consignee within limitation between the modes and carriers.
Intermodal transportation is commonly applied between the cargo planes, ships, trains and Lorries. As such, it is not a new concept and rather it is a system that has been in place for quite some time. Using containers that are of standard measurements, the different modes of transport are able to shuffle through the goods and take them to where they are required in good time. This is a practice that can be traced back to the 18th century in England. This was during the 1950s, when the steel intermodal containers became an industry standard. The specifications of the containers, however can be traced to the US DoD.
‘Intermodal transportation is the use of two or more modes, or carriers, to transport goods (freight) from shipper to consignee. Special standardized containers are used for intermodal transport of cargo on trucks, freight trains, and ships. These containers are large rectangular boxes, capable of being secured to special trailers. These durable, steel containers are built so they can be transferred between different modes of transportation easily. This eliminates the risks of directly handling shipments. Intermodal transportation isn’t new. The practice was first used in 18th century England. In the 1950s the steel intermodal container became the standard. It was based on design specifications developed for the US DoD. A typical example of intermodal freight transportation is rail, truck, ship, and then truck. The truck transport used between the rail termin...