Introduction
Intermodal transportation implies the simultaneous transportation of a set of goods or one product through different means of transport within the same steel container. Intermodal transportation is highly effective in modern trading systems because it supports the faster and safer movement of goods over long distances. The first-paced 21st century demands a need to create a transportation network that would increase mobility by providing easy access to various transportation modes and accurate information that would be critical in making an informed choice. The increase in the flow of freight transport leads to rising vehicle traffic intensity, which in turn impacts the environment. The current movement of goods and people greatly impacts the economic level and overall quality of life. Besides, He and Hans-Dietrich (2019) pointed out that intermodal transportation has already been entrenched in the 21st century. Finding a journey or a supply chain involving a single transportation mode is rare. However, even with the acceptability of intermodal transportation in the current society, it is highly challenging to both suppliers and travelers, especially in planning the entire route in a manner that enables them to complete the journey devoid of delays due to changes in transport (Blanchard, 2018; Sharma & Sharma, 2020). As a result, there is a growing demand for access to transfer across various transportation modes that can prove seamless. Nevertheless, this challenge of overcrowded airports, trains, and supply chain failures, among others, will still exist since the available infrastructure capacity still needs to satisfy a seamless transportation mode. The existing suggestions for overcoming the challenges of intermodal transportation will be critical in strengthening the transportation sector and addressing environmental conservation issues.
Research Question
How will the existing suggestions for overcoming the challenges influence the future development of the intermodal transportation industry?
Research Problem
The challenges related to transportation management in the 21st century are diverse and go beyond just improving economic performance. Thus, there is a need to have sustainable logistics, which greatly depend on the accessibility of information that can guarantee minimal resource usage. Hence gathering data from various transportation methods and connecting them is necessary. It is also critical to have information regarding the number of emissions as well as the necessary energy requirement for various transportation forms (Wang et al., 2020; Čižiūnienė et al., 2022). Thus, creating an integrated transportation system goes a long way in ensuring a sufficient transportation network.
Among the urgent global challenges is the need for a sustainable solution to lower greenhouse gas emissions. One way of realizing this goal is by finding ways to reduce environmental pollution, especially air pollution that results from, among others, the harmful impact of internal vehicle engines. Thus, shifting transportation from road to rail could contribute to offering a lasting solution to the menace by reducing the number of trucks emitting greenhouse gases. The shift from road to rail should also come alongside the adoption of trucks powered by electric engines which are environmentally friendly. This move will reduce fuel and time wastage through traffic jams and wear and tear on roads and cars (He & Hans-Dietrich, 2019; Stank et al., 2019). Thus, the adoption of intermodal transportation goes beyond just addressing the economic performance of society. It also seeks to reduce environmental pollution emanating from the vehicle’s internal engines.
Besides this possible advantage of intermodal transportation, as it regards environmental pollution, one of the key challenges of intermodal transportation is crane deployment in container terminals. Matulla et al. (2018) posited that within the large terminals that handle millions of intermodal freight transportation containers across the year. Sharma and Sharma (2020) agreed with Matulla et al. (2018), pointing out that there has been an increase in logistical concerns arising from the increase in the number of containers these terminals handle. There are three areas within a container terminal: the quayside, the container yard, and the gatehouse (He & Hans-Dietrich, 2019). The primary challenge in the terminals lies in the ability of the container terminal operators to efficiently manage the logistic operations and keep up with the increasing number of containers that must be managed. Consequently, the operators must develop tools to deal with the containers and ensure that the terminal remains competitive. One area that draws critical concern is the stacking area since many containers that transit through the terminal must be stored for a specified period (He & Hans-Dietrich, 2019; Wang et al., 2020). Thus, it is paramount for the container terminal to have a stacking operation that functions efficiently.
Intermodal transportation also faces challenges in trailer assignment. Intermodal rail companies need to minimize the costs of their outbound trains and terminals while ensuring they remain competitive in terms of their services. Thus, the primary focus should be minimizing outbound train costs. Achieving this endeavor may demand the company to increase its utilization of flatcars, calculated by taking the percentage of loaded hitches against the overall number (Matulla et al., 2018). However, several restrictions exist to regulate the combination of trailers allowed on the same car. Various categories of trailers require minimum clearance to comply with safety regulations. The trailer width must be at most that of the railcar since it is necessary to have a working distance between the two trailers to necessitate loading and offloading operations.
Intermodal transportation also faces the challenge of widening due to increasing fuel prices and the percentage of operating costs. Intermodal transportation is the least sustainable form of freight transportation. This form of freight transportation sabotages the government’s efforts to support operations that lead to energy conservation and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (Čižiūnienė et al., 2022). Intermodal transportation trains are the most inefficient regarding fuel due to the physical constraints that railcar design, placement, and load configuration impose on them. Consequently, Blanchard (2018) and Stank et al. (2019) posited that the aerodynamic drag coefficient of the typical intermodal transportation train becomes 25% higher than a loaded coal train, which even worsens when the train is traveling at high speed.
However, transportation management in the twenty-first century is not only to improve economic performance. He and Hans-Dietrich (2019) argued that cardinally reducing environmental air pollution, especially the harmful impact of internal vehicle engines, or abolishing it is an urgent task nowadays. Transport contamination is not only pollutants emitted into the air from engine exhaust pipes. Hazardous emissions are also fine particles from the road surface, which form from the wear and tear of tires or other frictional elements of vehicles and asphalt, accumulating dirt from roads spread with a mixture of salt and sand. With the development of technology, this damaging-to-the-environment problem can be deemphasized by developing electric truck tractors and turning them into autonomous vehicles in the nearest future (He & Hans-Dietrich, 2019; Wang et al., 2020). The intensive intermodal transportation system use is one of the most realistic features of today’s freight transportation. Considering the conducted analysis, it was stated that intermodal transport through road-rail interaction provides opportunities for integrating electric and autonomous vehicles to reduce transportation expenses and increase environmental sustainability. Lithuanian case of intermodal transport implementation is described. The applicability of the intermodal transport chain to electric and autonomous vehicles is proven.
Solutions to Challenges of Intermodal Transportation and Their Futuristic Impact
Among the solutions suggested to address the challenges of intermodal transportation are reducing direct human contact and embracing technology. According to Matulla et al. (2018), the continued intermodal freight transportation system comes with port-related crime and container breaching challenges. Which largely are a result of internal conspiracies. Thus, the involvement of several transportation modes helps keep the effective working of mixed transportation (Matulla et al., 2018). This happens alongside taking additional threats that come at every stage. Thus, reducing direct human contact and embracing technology can help address the crimes and container breaching cases. Such technologies as port automation and viable container security should be prioritized to guarantee process stability and improve accuracy and productivity.
Solving the challenges of the intermodal transportation system requires integrating multiple organizations. The intermodal transportation system is highly intricate due to several entities or organizations involved in the movement of goods. He and Hans-Dietrich (2019) argued that the basis of the entire system is the integration of both the private and public sectors, involving handing off data elements and documents that require a high level of care on a large scale. Thus, it is imperative to have an effective collaboration between the private and public sectors to reduce the chances of threats in the intermodal transportation system. Reducing the chances of threats will also play a great role in making the intermodal transportation system more flexible (Blanchard, 2018). One important factor in transportation is the length of transit since it puts the managers seeking to capitalize on intermodal transportation at its best. Railroad haul and ramp delivery take time, which is a disadvantage because the moving train causes the containers to be immobile and leaves no room for shippers to make any alterations. As a result, intermodal transportation needs more flexibility than traditional truckloads. Consequently, it is critical to restart interlocked emergency response and protocols.
Conclusion
Intermodal transportation is highly effective in modern trading systems because it supports the faster and safer movement of goods over long distances. In the fast-paced 21st century, it is necessary to create a transportation network that would increase mobility by providing easy access to various transportation modes and accurate information that would be critical in making an informed choice. Intermodal transportation helps to address this need besides also helping to ensure reduced environmental pollution by reducing the number of trucks on the road and use of electric trucks that are just about to hit the market. However, there are diverse challenges related to managing intermodal transportation in the 21st century, which go beyond improving economic performance. Thus, there must be ways in which the existing suggestions for overcoming these challenges will influence the future development of the intermodal transportation industry. Among the solutions suggested to address the challenges of intermodal transportation are reducing direct human contact and embracing technology. Solving the challenges of the intermodal transportation system requires integrating multiple organizations. Lastly, the intermodal transportation system is highly intricate due to several entities or organizations involved in the movement of goods.
References
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