Freight and Distribution

An intermodal terminal or port can be defined as a location for the transfer of freight from one transport mode to another.  Such modes as between a ship transferring freight to Yellow Trucking or a truckload carrier transferring freight to an airline. The coordination of resources to achieve intermodal efficiency is a challenging task that involves government, the private sector, and various other groups. Intermodal terminals serve as principal interchange points for both international and domestic freight movements.

The data collection efforts at intermodal terminals are always a challenge owing to the enormous time and costs associated. In addition, these data are specific to each type of intermodal terminal and cannot be transferred or borrowed. Specific models also are built based on the capacity and volume of traffic being handled at these facilities.

An intermodal terminal can be defined as a location for the transfer of freight from one transport mode to another such as between water and road (ports), road and rail (rail yards), or air and road (airports). The coordination of resources to achieve intermodal efficiency is a challenging task that involves government, the private sector, and various interest groups. Intermodal terminals, which include seaports, airports, and rail terminals, serve as principal interchange points for both international and domestic freight movements.

The data collection efforts at intermodal terminals are always a challenge owing to the enormous time and costs associated. In addition, these data are specific to each type of intermodal terminal and cannot be transferred or borrowed. Specific models also are built based on the capacity and volume of traffic being handled at these facilities. The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) HDT model and Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority) LAMTA CubeCargo model are perhaps the only two models that capture the freight carriers truck traffic coming out of and going into each of these three intermodal facilities in the region at the TAZ level.