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Logistics & Supply Chain vocabulary · Transport Modes

Intermodal transport

Meaning in logistics & supply chain, with examples

nounCommon term

In logistics & supply chain, intermodal transport means: Moving goods in the same container or trailer by two or more modes of transport, such as rail and truck, without handling the goods themselves when the mode changes.

In Turkish: intermodal taşımacılık, kombine taşımacılık

How it is used

Popular over long distances, where rail or a ship covers the main leg and trucks do the short first and last legs. It can cut costs and emissions. Turkish exporters often combine road transport with Ro-Ro ferries to Italy or France.

Example sentences

  1. Switching to intermodal transport via Trieste saved our trucks two days of driving through the Balkans.

  2. Intermodal transport is cheaper over long distances, but it needs good terminal connections.

Common collocations

  • intermodal terminal
  • intermodal service
  • rail-road intermodal
  • switch to intermodal
  • road freightThe transport of goods by trucks and trailers on roads, used for domestic deliveries and for international routes over land.
  • containerA large steel box of standard size used to carry goods by ship, train and truck without unloading them when they move from one vehicle to another.
  • ocean freightThe transport of goods by ship, mostly in containers; the cheapest way to move large volumes over long international distances.
  • transit timeThe time goods spend travelling from the point of departure to the destination, not counting time for production, loading or customs.

More terms: Transport Modes

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