Properly shipping products from manufacturing to retail is a vital part of a business. If done poorly, it can drastically impact your business with delays to market. Occasionally, the most efficient and affordable way to ship your manufactured goods from one location to another is via intermodal transportation. Intermodal is utilized when two different modes of transportation are used to move goods from one location to another, such as rail and truck. Kansas City is actually the beneficiary of a great deal of intermodal traffic due to our central location in the continental United States.
Benefits of Intermodal Transportation
Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of intermodal transportation is that it allows you to lower your costs. That’s because transporting a large amount of goods via truck from one side of the country to another can be very costly. However, if you move a shipping container via railway for a majority of the route and then the last leg of the trip via over the road shipping, costs can be reduced dramatically. The reason you’re able to ship such a large amount for cheaper over the railways is a simple one: trains require less fuel than trucks. Naturally, a second benefit would be increased security. Railways actually have their own specialized police force dedicated to protecting freight.
Local Rails
Kansas City is fortunate enough to be home to several railway hubs. Furthermore, our central location allows many companies that house distribution centers in the area to reach a majority of the country within two days. The first railway that aids Kansas City’s growth within the intermodal shipping sector is BNSF intermodal, which has a hub in Logistics Park Kansas City. A second major railway is Kansas City Southern. This particular railway is incredibly beneficial to the U.S. economy as it runs directly into Mexico and helps import goods into one of several foreign trade zones in the Kansas City region.
The SmartWay Connection
Here at SmartWay Transportation, we are experts in both over the road and rail transportation. We encourage all potential customers looking to ship to contact us immediately. With just a little information our team can make recommendations as to the best way to move your freight in order to optimize delivery but also affordably bring your product to its final location. Visit our site today and fill out a quick quote form today to start the conversation!