Something that often crops up when seeking a way to ship your goods, be it to a different city or to another part of the world, are the terms ‘multimodal’ and ‘intermodal’. In order to effectively and efficiently manage the shipment of your product, it is vital that these terms are accurately understood and the benefits/limitations of each are weighed up. The differences between multimodal and intermodal shipping can have a huge difference on the service you receive, how your goods make it from A to B and the amount it costs to do so.
Multimodal
Here at Barrington Freight, we operate a multimodal shipment system which ultimately means that you are relieved of the stress associated with having to handle all of the different aspects and contacts handling your shipment. The beauty of multimodal shipment is that there is only one contract being monitored by you and the negotiations that take place in making a shipment possible are taken care of by us. Multimodal shipping can prove to be slightly more expensive than if you were to arrange each individual leg of the journey yourself, however the benefits and time saving element of not having to do so make multimodal shipping cost effective, particularly if time management is valuable to you.
Intermodal
An alternative to multimodal shipping is intermodal shipping, which in short means that there are multiple processes and shipping companies involved in getting your goods to where they need to be. Moving goods from one site to another can be straightforward, with only one journey involved from taking the load from door to door, which is where intermodal shipment is beneficial. Where intermodal shipping can prove to become trickier is when there are more steps involved in moving the order. For example, if the goods require being moved by road to a ferry port where they are then loaded onto a ship and taken elsewhere, this requires a great deal of coordination skill and expertise. Something to consider before choosing this method of shipment is how important being able to negotiate the price and terms of shipment are to you, as this method can work out cheaper than multimodal shipment. The price you do pay, however, is in having to keep on top of each stage of the shipment process and having to deal with situations that involve delays which can slow the shipment down.
Which is best for you?
Deciding on the best method of shipment greatly depends on your personal requirements, such as the amount of time you have, where you are looking to ship your goods to and cost considerations. When it comes to organising the logistics of the entire shipment operation, multimodal shipping works out in terms of being time effective as you do not have to chase up a number of different contacts to check up on the progress of your shipment. It does mean, however, that you could end up paying more for the efficiency aspect of multimodal shipment in the long run. Alternatively if negotiating the best price when it comes to shipment is something that comes as a priority, intermodal shipping can be your best bet. It just means that you will need to be prepared to allocate a certain amount of time and effort to ensuring that your goods reach their end destination.
