Intermodal - The What's and Who's

I am on a dedicafed intermodal account.. intermodal just means the shipment will be tra spkrted by more than one mode of transport.. like by truck and train.. from the shippers to recievers.. also, includes boat and plane.. but as truck drivers we only handle the truck leg of the shippment.. so, you may pick up a load from the shippers and take it to the rail yard, or pick up a loaded trailer or container from the rail yard and deliver it to the shippers...

Ii pull mosly reefers and vans, but have pjlled a containtainer a few times.. the rail yards can be pretty busy, it is more fast paced and hustle... mosly drop and hook, but, there can be live loads or unloads as well.. but, at the rail yards it is drop and hook, in and out...

Beig on time is extreamly important... dont want to be late and have your load miss the train.. also, if you are picking up a trailer at the yard you want to be there when it comes off the train and pick it up off the ramp.. that way storage fees do t get charged...

I do not have a twic card, but I do have hazmat and had the necessary background checks.. some rail yards have your fi ger prints on file, and when you ingate they verify it is you by electronic fingerprint scan.. lime the BNSF Logistic Park rail yard in Edgerton KS.. it is all automated, so you dont even check in with a person, you just punch in the I formation and then get a buckslip that tells you where your trailer your picking up is or where to drop your trailer.. some rail yard have gate attendants..

Isome of the rail yards are nice.. others are #### near off roading.. like the UP Rail yard in Kansas City MO.. their back lot is like an akward tear drop.. it is gravle and full of big holes and dips.. a d it is pretty tight parking.. hou get good at doing 90 degrees... but more often than not there is very little roo. To swing yojr nose around...

Bowever, the real fun on my account are the caves.. wow, my first time picking up at GeoSpace what quite a new experience... the important thing with the caves is to make sure you have all the info you need, pick up numbers and such cause you wont have cell service and the qualcomm is out too...

I like the account I am on and doing intermodal..

 

I go to two rail yards primarily. One has the automated fingerprint system, the other is people based. I prefer the automated system at the one yard, yet I prefer the other yard as far as the ease of parking the container into a spot. I have a twic card. The ports are so much more hectic. I'd take the rail yards any day. I've only been doing it three weeks, but the few times I've been assigned to pick up something at the ports I cringe a little.

 

Where do cans go when coming out of piers? For example where i live in new haven ct, our pier is active but no where near the volume of ny/nj. Are those containers brought to customers or to rail yards for further transportation?

 

Anywhere and everywhere!

Direct to customers, distribution centers for sorting and any method of travel can be utilized.

Mikeeee

 

Take new haven for example. Not really busy. How many trips locally can one driver make?

 

cringe a LITTLE? HAHAHA. Go to the ports most days now. Wow, is that a test of patience. I'm the most patient guy in the world and I'm about ready to throw in the towel most nights.