For this discussion, research one benefit and one drawback of intermodal transportation.

Define and outline the benefit and drawback and suggest ways to reduce the impact of the

drawback that you researched.

Intermodal transportation, which is defined as employing two or more modes of transportation,

frequently uses a mix of truck, rail, ocean-going vessel, and airline to transfer freight in an

intermodal container (Intermodal, n.d.). While switching modes, just the intermodal container is

handled; the freight itself is not. Intermodal transportation has several advantages (Intermodal,

n.d.). My top priority would be security. Since freight isn’t handled once it’s inside of a

container, there is a smaller possibility that it will be damaged or stolen. Rail-moving containers

are harder to access and are never left unattended, making theft much more challenging

(Intermodal, n.d.)

Disadvantages of intermodal transportation would be speed. Intermodal transportation entails

moving items between many modes of transportation, which is why it frequently takes longer

than if the goods were delivered by a single mode (Silva, 2022). This is because delays caused

by bad weather, heavy traffic, or other issues are possible every time the items are transferred

between modes (Silva, 2022). The time it takes to load and unload the items can also be

increased by the fact that intermodal transportation frequently calls for specialized equipment

(Silva, 2022).

Successful intermodal transportation requires a high level of dependability amongst the different

service providers (Silva, 2022). Service providers must work together on improvements for

greater coordination and communication if they hope to increase the efficiency and dependability

of intermodal transportation (Silva, 2022). Therefore, improving the speed of exports in a timely

manner.
 References

Silva, A. (2022). 13 downfalls to intermodal transportation.

https://railgateway.ca/blog/intermodal-transportation#:~:text=What%20are%20the

%20disadvantages%20of%20intermodal%20transportation%3F%201,transportation

%20within%20Canada%20%28environmental%20hazards%29%20...%20More%20items.

Intermodal. https://mercurygate.com/glossary/intermodal/. (n.d.).