Approaches to improving drayage in rail-truck intermodal service

Abstract

The importance of reducing the cost of the highway portion (termed drayage) of intermodal rail-truck service in order to increase the competitiveness of such service with over-the-road trucking is discussed. Approaches to achieving this using modern information technology and various organizational changes are described, and estimates of the magnitude of potential cost savings are presented. Supporting public sector policies and actions are also described, with particular attention to ones that take advantage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) legislation and the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) program. The potential benefits in terms of reducing the break-even distance above which intermodal is preferred and expanding intermodal market share are discussed. The application of these ideas to port drayage is also discussed briefly.