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What Is Intermodal?

Freight moved by more than one mode. A plain-English trucking glossary entry for owner operators and small fleets.

Intermodal: Intermodal freight moves in a container or trailer by more than one mode of transport, such as ship, rail and truck, without handling the freight itself when changing modes.

Why it matters to owner operators

Truckers handle the drayage at each end. Intermodal can offer steady local work but involves terminals, chassis and container return rules.

Example

A container arrives by ship, moves by rail, and a truck delivers it to a warehouse for the final leg.

Related terms

Operations: Want a team that plans round trips and keeps empty miles low? Talk to our dispatchers. Talk to our dispatch team or browse the full trucking glossary.

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