What is Intermodal Freight?
Intermodal freight is the movement of goods in one and the same loading unit or road vehicle, using two or more modes of transport in succession, without handling the goods themselves when changing modes. This definition comes from the terminology on combined transport developed by UNECE, the European Conference of Ministers of Transport and the European Commission. The loading unit is typically an ISO container, swap body or semi-trailer, transferred between ship, rail, barge and truck at terminals. Combined transport is a subset in which the major part of the journey is by rail, inland waterway or sea and any road legs are as short as possible. In North America, "intermodal" usually refers to containers or trailers moving by rail with truck drayage at each end.
Why it matters for forwarders
Intermodal is a physical description, not a contractual one: a move can be intermodal while being booked under separate contracts and documents for each leg, with each carrier liable under its own regime. Forwarders therefore need to know who is liable for each leg and whether a through bill of lading or multimodal document covers the move. Rail and barge legs add their own cutoffs, terminal free time and equipment rules, so storage and detention can accrue at an inland terminal even when the port leg went smoothly. Weight limits differ by mode, and a container that is acceptable at sea may exceed road limits on the final truck leg, so plan payload against the most restrictive leg. Because the goods are not rehandled, correct securing at stuffing is critical; the IMO/ILO/UNECE CTU Code gives non-mandatory guidance on packing and securing cargo in containers and other cargo transport units for sea and land transport.