Intermodal Transportation Security Technology

Intermodal Transportation Security Technology



Introduction

The last forty years have seen considerable efforts, however integration of transport systems disjoint through intermodality. This concept involves the use of at least two modes of transportation between origin and destination. The phenomenon was made possible in part through technology. The technical transfer of freight from one mode to another have actually facilitated intermodal transfers. The piggyback , or the fact of having a truck trailer on a train car, and the LASH (lighter aboard ship) which is to embark on river barges to ships at sea. Still, the greatest innovation is arguably the container, which allows easy movement between global systems. The stacking of containers on rail can double the capacity of freight trains while incurring minimal costs supplementary and, consequently, improve the competitiveness of rail in place on trucking long road. Containerization is the type of shipment preferred (Paul et al., 2006).

Discussion

While handling technologies are instrumental in the development of intermodality, the real shift was made ??possible by changes in government policies as well as by advances in information technologies. Deregulation in the U.S. at the dawn of the 1980s has issued the firms of government control. The prohibition of holding companies operating across more than one mode is now lifted, an emphasis on intermodal competition was then engaged. Transmission lines began to offer such an integrated service to customers combining rail and road (Leinbach & Capineri, 2007).

This means that the central feature of intermodality is providing a service via a single ticket (for passengers) or a single slip (for freight). That could not happen without a series of pre-revolutionary affecting the organization and control of information. At the heart of modern intermodality are handling systems, processing and routing of data essential to any movement of freight and passengers using several methods in a safe, reliable and cost effective. The Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is a burgeoning technology that helps private companies and government agencies (customs documentation, etc.) to cope with the complexity of a relentless global transport system (Solomon, 2007).

Public policy is also involved in the place of dominant status of road transport in the modal competition but also with regard to concerns relating to congestion and road safety and environmental degradation. In Europe, policies have been established in order to exempt road transport freight and passengers. Intermodal transport is seen as a solution of the most valuable in certain contexts. In Switzerland for example, the laws stipulate that all goods transiting the country must take the rail to reduce air pollution in Alpine valleys. For its part, the EU tries to promote intermodal alternatives by targeted subsidies to the rail and transport infrastructure while increasing tolls to road users.

Competition between modes of transport has tended to produce a transport system segmented and unintegrated. Indeed, each mode has sought to exploit its advantages in cost, service, reliability and security. Carriers will try to sustain their operations by maximizing the lines they operate and ...