What is intermodal?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Michelinman, Nov 18, 2010.

  1. leanright

    leanright Medium Load Member

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    Oct 12, 2010
    phila,pa.
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    Sometimes you just have to easily drag that s.o.b. trailer with the landing gear down until you have enough room to crank that p.o.s. ! Or just crank it enough to pull out from the hole. You can't do it all the time if the landing gear is cemented to the ground ! Be careful and don't knock the landing gear out of it's socket ! If it won't budge than you're s.o.l. and have to practically contortion yourself in there and put up with that b.s. I'm not condoning this behavior but after you get trailer after trailer that the idiot yard jockeys can't park straight or what ever you do what you gotta do.
     
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  3. Michelinman

    Michelinman Bobtail Member

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    Nov 2, 2010
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    Thanks Gears,
    thats an awesome looking rig---just saw your post about the bumper----bummer, but you the man for coming out about it...happy trails and be safe out there....I start class 10/29/10...at swift
     
    Gears Thanks this.
  4. Michelinman

    Michelinman Bobtail Member

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    Nov 2, 2010
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    P.S. thanks to the other guys and or girls for the response .....appreciate it
     
  5. rockee

    rockee Road Train Member

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    Pacific Northwest
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    That used to be a pretty common practice down at the SP yard. Crawl in between the trailers and do a half crank, readjust the handle, do it again. Then when you think it's halfway high enough just drag em out
     
  6. P.T.F

    P.T.F Bobtail Member

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    Nov 19, 2010
    colonia, NJ
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    Im new to the drayage business, im coming from fuel tanker for 22yrs. Need the change bad. what does these terms means:

    street turn-
    empty on the street-
    reload-
    CY depot-
    ingate-
    empty equipment-
    trucker who can provide empty equipment-
    intermodal any-

    that's all for right now.
     
  7. striker

    striker Road Train Member

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    Aug 8, 2009
    Denver, Co
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    Street Turn - when you have a booking for intermodal equipment and already have matching equipment out. You take it into the ramp or depot and turn the same container back out for re-use, typically done with rail owned equipment as the steamship lines are more touchy about turning equipment

    Empty on the Street - means just what it sounds like, your either grabbing an empty that is on the street or parking one on the street

    Reload - reloading an empty

    CY Depot - Container Yard Depot, or typically depot

    Ingate - taking a container/trailer ingate at the ramp, see also outgate. Some companies will also refer to your receipt from the rail as your ingate when it comes to your paperwork

    Empty Equipment - empty equipment :biggrin_25524:
     
  8. Scrumdog

    Scrumdog <strong>I ARE A TRUCKIST</strong>

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    Sep 30, 2010
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    Intermodal is just a term used for a container that uses multiple modes of transportation. The boxes are generally 20, 40, or 53 feet and lock to a chassis trailer by the four corners.

    I've just completed my first week of training which is local P&D in Winnipeg with a daycab, so my experience is exactly that long. What I found is that it generally takes 20-30 minutes to be in and out if dropping or picking up a container, and maybe 15 for a pickup if the call has been made in advance (meaning a container is sitting on the rail co's chassis and we simply pick it up and take off). Rail yards are picky about security, protective equipment, and procedure, but it's an easy routine. The window guys at the rail yards and container storage places get familiar pretty quickly. Pull up to window, shut truck off, g'mornin g'day and the like, give them your driver number (assuming they don't already know it), they print you a sheet with your info, drive to correct rail and section, locate box, position trailer right direction and just ahead, shut off truck and wait for toplift, when he picks up the box back into position, he drops it, get out and lock corners (or after pulling ahead if area is busy), stop at out-gate window, gtfo. All of the equipment I've come across has been in quite good condition, but I guess that will vary depending on your company and the rail co's chassis. The only thing is that we got the storage place to replace our container once when the one he brought had a leak in the corner. Took all of five minutes extra.

    When driving I play a game with my trainer guessing what the bonehead in front of us is going to do....

    Always bet on stupid. :biggrin_25521:
     
  9. Lonesome

    Lonesome Mr. Sarcasm

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    Northern Indiana
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    I did intermodal work for about 2 months years ago. I got to know the Chicago rail yards pretty well. It's a decent job, IMHO. Many of the yards in the Windy are in the worst neighborhoods, and some of the people you deal with are jerks, but that can happen anywhere.
    I also met some fantastic people who work there, especially at the old Illinois Central yards in the Lansing IL area.
    Equipment mostly was OK, never any major problems. And if you grab a trailer with a flat, or lights not working, they fixed it there before you left. It could be a hassle trying to find your load, when they have maybe 3-400 trailers in a certain area, and they say "it's over there".
     
  10. heyns57

    heyns57 Road Train Member

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    Dec 30, 2006
    near Kalamazoo Speedway
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  11. striker

    striker Road Train Member

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    Denver, Co
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    you hope the container locks in all 4 corners
     
    leanright Thanks this.
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