Truck carriers partner with railroads to offer cross-border intermodal services
Besides an increase in trade among the three countries, anecdotal evidence suggests shippers continue to shift from all truck-modes to intermodal for such reasons as lower costs and capacity issues within the trucking industry. Truck carriers such as Schneider National and Swift Transportation have partnered with railroads to take advantage of this growing trend.
Schneider National recently launched its Canada Direct service with partner Canadian National. The service allows for pre-clearance of loads, priority placement on trains and a single point of contact for visibility of shipments. Reduced transit time appears to be another benefit as a customer; Vitran Logistics Ltd noted the service reduced transit time by one day for moving freight from Southwestern US to Canada.
Schneider National’s Mexico Direct is similar to its Canada Direct, however, the company partners with Kansas City Southern and its subsidiary, Kansas City Southern de Mexico to transport freight across the Mexican border into bonded terminals in Monterrey, San Luis Potosi and Mexico City.
Swift Transportation has invested a good deal in its intermodal operations. Although intermodal makes up a small portion of its total business, Swift has expanded its container fleet by 35% from a year ago. The company offers a similar service as Schneider’s for the Mexican cross-border market. By also partnering with Kansas City Southern and its subsidiary, Kansas City Southern de Mexico, Swift provides both container-on-flatcar service as well as trailer-on-flatcar service. Unlike Schneider National, however, Swift also owns a Mexican trucking company, TransMex.
With rail intermodal up over 5% year-on-year through September, it seems this trend will be likely continue. However, as the trend continues, possible congestion and delays may occur as more truck carriers may seek to offer their own cross-border intermodal solution.
Quelle: eyefortransport
Portal: www.logistik-express.com