Section 3 of 4 · 3 pages
The same box, without opening it
Intermodal is the entire point of the standard: the same box lifted onto rail or a chassis without being opened. Most of the cost and nearly all of the delay live on this side of the quay — along with the document that decides who owns the cargo.
The seal stays on. Nothing is unpacked between the ship’s crane and the warehouse door.
Photo: CSX Double Stack train in Worcester · Wikimedia Commons
The 3 pages in this section
- The same box, lifted without being openedIntermodal is the whole point of the standard, and it is where most of the cost and most of the delay actually sit.
- Drayage, and the last thirty milesThe road leg between terminal and warehouse is short, expensive and the usual bottleneck.
- The bill of lading, which is older than any of itA document that is simultaneously a receipt, a contract and a title to the goods — and the reason a container can be sold while at sea.
The other three sections