Inter modal freight transport is a phrase commonly used regarding transporting products using any method of transportation. Transportation changes between modes is also covered in this term.
Using containers is the ideal procedure for making certain goods are safely transported and are not damaged.
A freight forwarding service will use international shipping containers because they can be used as a convenient method of transportation and can be sealed at the point of departure so that tampering with goods is not possible during transit. Containers are initially loaded and then transported by means of trucks or railway cars. Containers are a necessity when it comes to shipping by sea, and allow for efficient loading and transport on container ships, so that no free space is left.
International shipping containers are governed by the International Organization for Standardization
Because of standard containers, ships which are built specifically for the purpose of transporting containers can be even more efficient. This change revolutionized the cargo industry, and now 90% of the world’s non-bulk cargo is transported on container ships.
Uniform container sizes and corner fittings has made the transportation process easier and financially more efficient. There are 5 standard container sizes, based around a standard TEU measure. One TEU represents a twenty foot equivalent unit, and is also the smallest of the required sizes. This represents a 20×8 foot container, however the standard doesn’t employ a height rule. They are designed to carry a maximum dry cargo weight of 30,480 kg. The other four criterion for sizes are 40 ft, 45 ft, 48 ft, and 53 ft in length.
For land transportation the most used sizes in the United States are the 48 and 53 foot options.
Despite the additional security provided by containers they are occasionally lost, especially at sea in high storms. Estimates suggest that as many as 10,000 containers are lost at sea each year, and whilst this is, if you excuse the pun, a drop in the ocean when compared to the billions of TEU units being transported each year, it is a significant loss. A number of containers do not sink to the ocean and end up discovered on the shore somewhere; however the key concern are those that float posing dangerous to ships.
Despite possible damage and loss, container shipment supplies an economical approach to intercontinental freight distribution. in Addition to containers, check out freight forwarding software.






