Freight shipping is no longer a strictly closed loop with customers siloed into certain established modes. With growing supply chain disruptions, a supply chain strategy that embraces intermodal shipping, and is backed by intermodal rail tracking, is the only way to bring true resilience to supply chains.

When trucking capacity is tight, shippers can transfer this trucking cargo to the rails, and intermodal rail is an ideal way to transport freight from the ports to the interior of the country. Those are two reasons intermodal is a $40 billion market in North America. Due to the growing importance of intermodal rail, true transparency in rail processes has become one of the top concerns of shippers. This transparency extends beyond simple cargo updates into freight visibility that begins at the

Technological advancements, particularly in real-time tracking and digital freight platforms, are revolutionizing this sector, enhancing operational efficiency and supply chain visibility. Supply chain technology has opened up the intermodal sector to shippers who might not have embraced the modal shift, offering a new path for their cargo that can be more cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

The Evolution of Intermodal Rail Tracking

The rise of intermodal shipping containers goes back to the 1960s, but tracking those containers in real time is a relatively new concern. A decade ago, shippers started demanding more visibility into their freight movements than their EDI connections could provide — data-rich dispatches that gave them an accurate picture of the movement of their goods across the country. These updates needed to occur more often than the old EDI dispatches; this frequency brought a new ability to plan and predict, establishing ETAs for their shipments and better comparing carrier performance. The technological advancement in freight visibility came true due to the standardization of API communication.

Third-party technology providers, offering software-as-a-service platforms, came next to consolidate API connections from various carriers into one, easily accessible platform. Shippers then had a single pane of glass to see not only the freight moving on intermodal rail, but in the entire supply chain. The best rail container tracking companies in this space have a commitment to provide the easiest access to the highest quality data. The data is then further enriched to allow shippers and other customers to more easily realize the value that is currently being left on the table.

Advancements in Intermodal Rail Container Visibility

Shippers looking to track rail cars through the shipment lifecycle have benefited from recent technological advancements that have turned the data generated by these freight movements into a competitive advantage.  Digital freight platforms are revolutionizing intermodal rail tracking, allowing shippers to do more with data than ever before. That’s important because, in the face of supply chain disruptions, this access to technology allows shippers to pivot in the face of chokepoints in the supply chain — even those like the crisis in the Suez Canal that have the most direct impact on other transportation modes.

Rail visibility tools that can be extended across other modes offer even more benefits, giving users true end-to-end control of their supply chains. The Intermodal Rail Tracking feature by Vizion API embraces the multimodal aspect of the modern supply chain, delivering visibility data seamlessly as containers transition from ocean to land to rail.

Big Trends Driving Systematic Change in Intermodal Rail

Intermodal rail freight shipping is undergoing changes dictated by market pressures even as technology unlocks new possibilities for shippers. New demands are coming from sustainability-conscious consumers, the ups and downs of a rollercoaster economy, weather events increasing in frequency and severity, and geopolitical strife — the potential places where a well-oiled supply chain can seize up are myriad. But with demands and challenges come evolution.  

Sustainability and Green Initiatives

While end-to-end intermodal rail visibility is a huge asset when reducing supply chain greenhouse gas emissions, to achieve true supply chain sustainability, any technology platform needs to be utilized in concert with systemic changes on the rail side. These green transformations are still emerging; green shipping on the ocean side is a bit more established due to governmental regulations, but there is still a push for greener rail transportation worldwide. This comes in the form of more fuel-efficient trains and vehicles that are powered by alternative fuels like hydrogen, ammonia, and vegetable oil. Electric-battery trains are also gaining traction, with Union Pacific estimating that 10 electric trains could remove the annual equivalent of 4,000 tons of carbon emissions from the atmosphere.

Whatever the combination of solutions that leads to a cleaner rail intermodal industry, it’s apparent that carriers and shippers alike want to make rail a mode that prioritizes greenhouse gas emission reduction. As is the case on the ocean side, major supply chain disruptions could temporarily set back progress toward a sustainable supply chain, but the sustainable innovations in rail seem poised to change the industry for the better.  

Addressing Industry Challenges

To reduce operating costs, operators are exploring leaner fleet operations, opting for lighter-weight vehicles that operate on less fuel. These vehicles save carriers money on operations while also reducing emissions. Conversely, the truck driver shortage – a perennial issue, it seems – could also have a negative impact on intermodal rail, reducing the ability for shippers to take advantage of intermodal moves.  

The Business Impact of Enhanced Visibility

Where is the shipment? Why aren’t all the goods here? – Tracking rail shipments shouldn’t be a game of 20 Questions. There should be no surprises when it comes to your cargo. When shippers and other cargo owners don’t have complete and timely answers, the supply chain starts to break down. Enhanced visibility means shippers and other supply chain users never have to ask the questions at all. Real-time visibility and timely updates ensure operations flow smoothly.

Cost Control and Efficiency

Real-time intermodal visibility enables shippers to be a trusted, proactive partner to their customers. With an enhanced level of shipment transparency, shippers can know what’s happening with a shipment before anyone else and hold carriers to account when things go wrong.

Beyond enabling trust and reliability, real-time tracking gives shippers the ability to respond to issues as soon as they develop. Simply put, visibility helps businesses control costs and enhance efficiency. When shippers automatically receive the most complete, standardized, and detailed container tracking events to any software system, everyone benefits from a more optimized and efficient supply chain.  

The Future of Intermodal Rail Tracking

Intermodal rail tracking and supply chain visibility software are no longer on the cutting edge. By now, API-based tracking tools are table stakes; and if a shipper is still using EDI messaging or wrangling spreadsheets, the supply chain world has already passed them by. As the adoption and standardization of new technology continue throughout the industry, intermodal rail container tracking will only improve.

Integration and Connectivity

API connectivity for intermodal visibility seems commonplace, but there are still shippers wedded to the old ways of EDI. This is either because their way of doing business is so embedded in the culture, that it’s nearly impossible to change. Or maybe they think since EDI is still getting the job done, living in the past is fine. As more shippers and carriers connect with API connections, receiving end-to-end visibility information in real time, no matter the mode, this way of thinking will become antiquated. Today, some shippers are still forced to visit some carrier websites to track down visibility information; as the technology market continues to mature, that will soon no longer be the case, as carriers will be forced to adapt to new ways of communicating with their customers. Total connectivity and integration are not far around the corner.

Anticipating Market Changes

This future is not all about the act of knowing where containers are. It’s about what can be accomplished with that information, and how the unfettered, and nearly instant, flow of data to supply chain stakeholders around the world can help each logistics player improve their processes, avoid bottlenecks, and optimize their transportation spend. Shippers can use intermodal rail tracking to anticipate and adapt to market changes, staying ahead in a dynamic industry.

Vizion API Empowers Shippers With Intermodal Visibility Tools

Vizion API automatically pushes the most complete, standardized, and detailed container tracking events to any software system or spreadsheet. This gives shippers end-to-end visibility into the freight that drives their business — no matter the mode. By providing real-time, data-rich intermodal rail container tracking, Vizion API optimizes supply chains beyond the port, picking up where ocean-only visibility providers leave off. The company has played a major role in the development of API-fueled visibility services, tracking the trend of shippers moving beyond EDI messaging once they see the potential of the new technology. Vizion experts know the market well, and they work tirelessly to help shippers optimize their supply chains — for the benefit of each individual company, of course, but also for the good of the global supply chain itself.

Port to port, by rail or truck, find your container right now with Vizion’s container tracker. Then schedule a meeting with Vizion to learn how to push the most complete, standardized, and detailed container tracking events via API to your system.

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