Intermodal Transportation

Federico Paolini

Intermodal transportation is the management and operational integration between different transport modes and means in sequence by loading units (containers), avoiding manipulation of the goods contained in them. It is fair to say that intermodal transportation has existed since ancient times, as people and cargos have always traveled and made transfers from one means of transport to another. Intermodal transport, however, is a modern development resulting from the progress of transport technologies that have made the train, steamers, motor vehicles, and the aircraft available. Beginning from the 1940s, intermodal transportation has established itself chiefly in the goods transport sector by virtue of two technological innovations: the pallet and the container. The pallet is a platform made of wood, synthetic material, or metal and moved by lifting trolleys, on which packages ready for shipping are piled up. The modern pallet was first employed by the U.S. Army during World War II, ...

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