Truck-rail combines truck and rail in a single shipping move.
Detailed Definition
Truck-rail shipping moves freight partly by highway and partly by railroad in one shipment. In the US the most common form is intermodal: a container or trailer is drayed by truck to a rail ramp, rides a train for the long haul, then is drayed to the consignee. Another form is transloading, where pallets are moved between a railcar and a truck at a transfer facility. Equipment and load securement must suit both modes.
Equipment used in truck-rail moves
Most domestic US intermodal freight moves in 53-foot domestic containers on chassis, while import and export freight uses ISO containers such as 20-foot and 40-foot boxes. Some lanes still move highway trailers on flatcars. In a transload, pallets travel in a boxcar or other railcar and are cross-docked into trucks near the destination. Each format has different interior dimensions, door openings and floors, so pallet counts and patterns change between them.
Preparing pallets for the rail portion
Railcars experience coupling impacts and fore-and-aft forces that trucks do not. Pallets should be tightly unitized with stretch wrap or banding, loaded with minimal voids, and braced or blocked so they cannot shift toward the doors. Railroads publish loading and bracing guidance for their equipment; follow it along with any receiver requirements. A solid unit load on a sound pallet matters more on rail than in a short truck move.
When truck-rail makes sense
Truck-rail is generally used on long lanes where transit time is flexible. Transit is usually slower than a direct truckload, and timing depends on ramp cutoffs and train schedules. Compare door-to-door time and cost, including drayage at both ends, before moving a lane.
Authoritative Sources
- American Trucking Associations (ATA): the largest national trade association for the US trucking industry.
Related Glossary Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
Is truck-rail the same as intermodal?
Truck-rail is one type of intermodal shipping. Intermodal means freight stays in the same container or trailer across more than one mode without the cargo itself being handled. Truck-rail combines highway drayage with a rail line haul. A transload move, where pallets are physically moved from a railcar to a truck, also combines truck and rail but is not intermodal in the strict sense, because the freight is rehandled.
Do pallets need special preparation for rail?
They need more attention to securement. Rail movement includes coupling and slack action that push loads forward and backward. Use pallets in good condition, unitize loads firmly, fill voids with dunnage or airbags, and keep heavy pallets low. Check the railroad or intermodal provider's loading guidance and the receiver's rules, and confirm in the contract who is responsible for damage caused by load shifting.