Shippers moving freight over long distances generally choose between pure truckload service and intermodal shipping, which combines rail for the long-haul portion with truck for pickup and final delivery. Understanding both models helps carriers, especially those doing drayage work, understand where they fit into the broader freight ecosystem.
In This Guide
1. What Intermodal Shipping Is
Intermodal shipping moves freight in a standardized container that transfers between rail and truck without the freight itself being unloaded and reloaded, typically starting with a short truck move to a rail yard, a long rail haul for the bulk of the distance, and a final short truck move to the delivery destination. The container itself never opens during the transfers.
2. What Pure Truckload Is
Pure truckload shipping keeps freight on a single truck and trailer from pickup straight through to delivery, with no transfer to another mode in between. This is the model most trucking companies and most of this blog's other articles are discussing when referring to standard dry van, reefer, or flatbed freight.
3. Cost and Speed Comparison
Rail is generally more fuel-efficient per ton-mile than truck over long distances, which typically makes intermodal meaningfully cheaper than pure truckload for sufficiently long hauls, often several hundred miles or more. The tradeoff is transit time: intermodal is typically slower than truckload due to rail yard handling time and less flexible scheduling compared to a truck that can go directly point to point.
Intermodal generally only makes economic sense for longer distances where rail's cost efficiency outweighs the added transit time and handling. Shorter regional lanes are almost always better served by pure truckload.
4. Drayage: Where Trucks Fit In
Drayage, the short truck moves that get an intermodal container to and from the rail yard, is where trucking companies directly participate in the intermodal supply chain even though the long-haul portion moves by rail. Drayage work tends to involve shorter, more predictable routes than long-haul trucking, which appeals to some carriers specifically for the more consistent home-time it offers drivers.
5. When Intermodal Makes Sense
Intermodal tends to make the most sense for high-volume, less time-sensitive freight moving long distances, where the cost savings outweigh the added transit time. Retailers and manufacturers moving large, planned-in-advance shipments often use intermodal specifically because the predictability of the freight (planned well ahead of time) makes the slower transit acceptable.
6. When Truckload Makes Sense
Truckload remains the better option whenever speed, flexibility, or shorter distance favors it, time-sensitive freight, shorter regional lanes, or freight that needs direct point-to-point delivery without the added handling of a rail transfer. The large majority of freight hauled by most trucking companies, especially smaller carriers, is pure truckload rather than intermodal drayage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between intermodal and truckload shipping?
Truckload keeps freight on one truck from pickup to delivery. Intermodal combines rail for the long-haul portion with truck for pickup and final delivery, transferring a sealed container between modes without unloading the actual freight.
Is intermodal cheaper than truckload?
Generally yes, for sufficiently long distances, since rail is more fuel-efficient per ton-mile than truck. The tradeoff is slower transit time due to rail yard handling and less flexible scheduling compared to point-to-point trucking.
What is drayage trucking?
Drayage refers to the short truck moves that get an intermodal container to and from a rail yard, representing how trucking companies participate in the intermodal supply chain even though the long-haul portion of the move happens by rail.
This guide is for informational purposes. Regulations, fees, and requirements change — always verify current information directly with the FMCSA, your state DOT, and qualified professional advisors before making business decisions.