Intermodal Transportation has multiple environmental advantages over Long distance over the road trucking.
Rail transportation in general is much more efficient than over the road trucking. Accord to CSX Trains can haul 1 ton of cargo nearly 470 miles using only 1 gallon of diesel fuel. This is approximately 4 times more efficient than trucks.
One train can carry over 12,000 tons of freight using only two-three modern Diesel Electric locomotives each with around 4,300 horsepower for a total of approx. 12,900hp for 12,000 tons of freight. In contrast typical trucks have around 600 horsepower and can haul around 23 tons of freight. To compare; in order to move that same amount of freight using trucks, it would take over 520 trucks with a total of 313,000 plus horsepower which would consume a much greater amount of fuel for a comparative route. Comparisons like this clearly show the efficiency gains of using rail.
Modern diesel locomotives have helped to improve the efficiency of rail transportation. Most locomotives currently in production adhere to EPA’s Tier 4 requirements for reduced nitrogen and particulate emissions, they also have numerous fuel saving features that help railroads maximize their efficiency.
Intermodal takes advantage of this efficiency to move cargo over long distances. While intermodal still relies on short haul trucking for first and last mile service the long haul is almost exclusively rail. Incorporating intermodal into your supply chain will result in a
As emissions regulations in the future become more stringent, it is likely that the demand for intermodal will increase. According to AAR converting 5% of freight to rail from trucks would eliminate nine million tons of greenhouse gases.
With continued investment and innovation intermodal transportation will grow and move the transportation and logistics industry to a more environmentally friendly and sustainable future.
Ready to try intermodal?
If you have any questions about intermodal transportation in general or how it can help your business don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We are always happy to help analyze your lanes and check the feasibility and potential cost savings, as well as the environmental benefits of incorporating intermodal transportation into your supply chain and logistics plan.
Zmodal is a third-party multimodal logistics provider providing intermodal, rail and trucking services that has built our own digital intermodal logistics platform to make your job easier!
For us, service, convenience, tracking and data are of upmost importance and we have built our own cutting edge technology to achieve this. As a shipper you can contact us the old fashioned way or log into our advanced digital portal to search routes, intermodal rate quotes and book loads. Our platform is the easiest and quickest way to book any intermodal route within minutes. We also provide comprehensive data analytics for your shipments which provide actionable and objective insights into your supply chain.
Stay tuned for more updates from Zmodal. If you need any help moving freight give us a call! Moving freight has never been easier with our digital intermodal and trucking platform that is used as a customer shipment dashboard for our customers!
