Why should I consider using rail instead of truck for the long haul moves of my freight?
(Continued from last week)
Reach
The North American rail network spans from coast to coast allowing customers to ship to distant markets more affordably. Whether shipping direct to/from a rail-served facility or through a transloading facility combined with a short-haul truck move, nearly every major market is within reach.
Shipment Visibility
Automatic Equipment ID tags are on all rail cars and readers are positioned throughout the United States to offer a high level of shipment visibility. Customers have the capability through software solutions to instantly view the location, status, and estimated time of arrival for every railcar. Additionally, through automated reporting capabilities and proactive management, customers can identify at-risk shipments and fix them before they become problems.
Reliability
Rail is a 24x7 operation. They don’t operate over congested highways and a 100 car train may only require two crew members to operate it. Today’s railroads are focused on reliable transit times and schedules and customers can count on shipments arriving within a pre-determined timeframe.
Environmental Impact
As the most fuel-efficient mode of freight transportation on land, railroads are uniquely positioned to help organizations reduce their carbon footprint and achieve corporate environmental sustainability goals. Trains are three to four times more fuel-efficient than trucks and, on average, they move one ton of freight 480 miles per gallon of fuel. Greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by up to 75% by moving freight by train instead of by truck.
Adding rail to any supply chain that leans exclusively on trucks, pipelines, and/or barges can be beneficial to most organizations. Overall, a multi-modal logistics strategy that includes rail can drive down transportation spend, address capacity constraints, mitigate risk, and efficiently connect shippers to new markets and customers.
Next week we will try to tackle the question, “How do I get started with rail”?
