Figure 2. Illustration of an Intermodal Freight Shipment Path

Figure 2 illustrates the routing of a multimodal shipment from origin to destination. In this example, the shipment leaves the true origin by rail, travels to a transfer facility where the cargo is transferred to a vessel, then travels by water to another transfer facility close to the destination, from where it is transferred to truck and travels on the highway system to the shipment’s true destination.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics.