Intermodal marketing companies, often referred to as IMC companies, manage the transport of products and goods via multiple modes of transportation. Intermodal companies, or container transportation companies, use intermodal containers to carry cargo and transport it on ships, railroads, planes and even trucks. The containers belonging to these intermodal consolidators are specially designed to allow the cargo to be easily transferred from one transportation mode to the other.

Intermodal marketing companies employees are responsible for all aspects of freight broker marketing, which means they ensure the cargo gets from point A to point B via whichever mode of transportation is most efficient and effective for the client. Those interested in a career in intermodal shipping should consider exploring the following intermodal marketing companies (IMCs) education and training opportunities:

1. Take courses in transportation, international trade or economics to increase IMC marketability.

2. Explore training seminars, classes or workshops offered by associations or IMC networking organizations.

3. Complete a freight broker training course to enhance your intermodal marketing knowledge.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Enhance IMC companies marketability with courses in transportation, international trade or economics

Many job postings for management-level positions at intermodal companies ask for an educational background in either transportation, international trade or business. Consider completing full coursework or even a few classes that touch on these subject matters to increase your marketability for these sorts of positions.

I recommend: World Wide Learn provides a listing of universities and learning institutions that offer online programs related to international business. Iowa State University offers a masters program in transportation.

Look for intermodal marketing classes, workshops or seminars offered by IMC networking groups

Associations as well as IMC networking groups often offer classes, workshops or even seminars that can help you increase your industry knowledge. In addition, participating in these sorts of events may help you expand your network of IMC industry contacts.

I recommend: Rasmussen & Simonsen International, host to industry networking site Shippingworkz, offers a variety of training courses for those in the global transport and logistics industry. The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) offers an Intermodal Operations and Maintenance Seminar to its members.

Complete a freight broker training course to enhance your intermodal marketing knowledge

A freight broker course will provide a basic overview of what is involved in running a freight brokerage or agency. Coursework includes licensing, operations, sales and marketing.

I recommend: Gatlin Education Services offers a 150-hour freight broker training course online to teach Freight - Load Broker Agent skills. DOTAuthority offers a series of freight broker training workshops and an online webinar.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Those with careers in intermodal marketing usually have a working knowledge of supply chain and/or logistics operations. Consider enrolling in some training courses that touch on either of these two subjects to further or help launch your IMC career.

Intermodal shipping companies use at least two modes of shipping to improve cost-effectiveness. These intermodal marketing companies employ maritime ships, railroads, planes, trucks and any other transporters needed to get the job done.

A fairly recent shipping innovation is the development of modern containers used in all phases of transportation. The containers are easily carried by ship, railroad or truck. This makes it convenient for container transportation companies to handle all or most of the hauling obligations by simply moving the container with its contents from one carrier to another. This helps speed the process, while simultaneously reducing damage and theft.

Even if a transportation company is not a stand-alone intermodal shipping business, it can participate in one leg of an intermodal procedure. This type of operation is usually set up by a freight broker marketing enterprise. The broker gets the whole process moving by scheduling all aspects of the shipping process.

Before shipping products or materials, consider the following:

1. What are the preferred shipping methods for your business?

2. What container transportation companies, trailer companies or other intermodal shipping companies are available?

3. Would a freight broker marketing company or intermodal consolidator make your shipping task easier?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find IMCs to help reduce your stress and workload

Reputable intermodal marketing companies offer dependable value-added service and effective competition.

I recommend: Contact the Intermodal Association of North America for a list of qualified IANA shippers in North America. You can also locate an IMC at LoadMatch, a business started by former transportation dispatcher Jason Hilsenbeck.

Consider purchasing your own shipping containers to be used by container transportation companies

Buy your own shipping containers if you will ship repeatedly. Not only can they be used by intermodal companies to ship your goods, but the containers are sturdy and reusable. You can also use them to securely store products while awaiting transport.

I recommend: Contact BSL Containers, a leading manufacturer of high-quality containers, for storage containers that are available in a variety of sizes to fit your needs. TSI Containers has been in business more than 28 years and is the place to purchase insulated and refrigerated containers.

Consider all costs you may save by using intermodal shipping

Shipping your own products may be cost-effective for short runs. You can figure in many obvious shipping operation expenditures, but there may also be hidden costs which can be entirely overlooked. When you consider payroll, insurance, transportation equipment, loading equipment, fuel, training and other factors, transporting your own goods may actually cost you more than hiring an IMC to do the job for you.

I recommend: For up-to-date statistics and industry data to help you make informed decisions, check with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration. For another source of information about the industry and its costs, read The Geography of Transport Systems.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Ask freight brokers or intermodal consolidators about Less than Truckload shipping if you have a small shipping load. It could be combined with an LDL load from another business to save both of you shipping costs.

Intermodal marketing companies offer business owners the opportunity to transport their goods to faraway places using a variety of methods. It's especially useful when, for example, a company wants to ship goods overseas by boat, but then use trucks to have the goods reach their final destination. However, when using these types of services for the first time, you may come across several terms with which you're not familiar. From container shipping to surety bonds, you can easily learn about all the terms associated with intermodal marketing companies.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Container shipping

Simply put, container shipping is the shipment of goods in a container. This is a large box, typically about 40 feet long, which can hold many items. Companies typically price shipping costs per container. Before container shipping, loading goods for shipment was much more cumbersome.

I recommend: The Container Shipping Information Services website offers an interesting look at the history of container shipping.

LTL and TL

LTL stands for less than truckload and TL stands for truckload. In LTL shipping, an intermodal company will combine the shipments of several companies in order to create a full truckload.

I recommend: Look at Access America Transport, which offers a full description of LTL shipping.

HAZMAT certificate of registration

The government requires all who work with hazardous materials to receive training on how to properly handle dangerous substances. Companies that deal with hazardous materials must register with the government. The Department of Transportation will then issue a HAZMAT certificate of registration, which shows that the company is registered with the government and has training in handling hazardous materials.

I recommend: New Prime shows an example of its HAZMAT certificate of registration, which it received from the Department of Transportation.

Port-to-door, door-to-door and port-to-port

Port-to-door shipping means that a company will ship your goods from the port directly to its destination. However, you are responsible for getting the goods to the port. Other methods include door-to-door, where your goods are picked up from your company and delivered to the destination location, or port-to-port, where you get the goods to the port for shipment and the recipient picks up the shipment from the destination port and arranges transportation to its final location.

I recommend: To understand the various methods of shipping, visit Bloom International Relocations, which describes each of the methods.

Operating authority

In order to transport goods across state lines, a company must have an operating authority form or a broker's operating authority form. This proves that the company understands applicable federal regulations and rules.

I recommend: Logistec/TTS offers a list of frequently asked questions about trucking, including several questions and answers about operating authorities.

Supply chain visibility

Business owners researching intermodal transport companies should try to choose companies that offer supply chain visibility. As a company ships your goods from one location to another, supply chain visibility allows you to see exactly where they are in the process. GIS systems in particular are aiding in even more exact supply chain visibility.

I recommend: Ciber discusses supply chain visibility and the methods used to achieve it.

Intermodal marketing companies are growing in recent years, as they provide flexible and cost-effective shipping both domestically and internationally. Most IMC companies engage in contracts with third-party shippers, and provide all transportation and logistics services for the company that hires them. Often, an IMC company will require a minimum number of shipments from a client, to guarantee that shipping equipment will be available.

When you're reviewing intermodal marketing companies (IMCs) for beginners, following this process will help you determine whether intermodal shipping is for you, and will also help you find the right intermodal shipping company:

1. Understand what IMC companies do to see if they can meet your business needs.

2. Explore the cost savings your business can gain through intermodal shipping.

3. Choose an IMC company with strong credentials, if you decide that intermodal shipping is a good match for your needs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Understand the role of an intermodal marketing company

Intermodal marketing companies do more than just transport goods from one place to another. Instead, they offer a comprehensive transportation and logistics solution by providing containers when necessary, and transportation by multiple methods, including water, air and land transport.

I recommend: Read an overview of what intermodal marketing companies do at Maps of the World. Entrepreneur offers an extended discussion of intermodal marketing companies in its article, “Conflict, Power, and Evolution in the Intermodal Transportation Industry’s Channel of Distribution.” Hofstra University has an excellent overview of intermodal transportation that includes a discussion of methods and costs. It also compares intermodal transport to multimodal transport.

Determine the cost savings that IMC companies can provide

Because an intermodal marketing company provides a single-party solution to shipping needs, it can result in cost savings for your company. This is especially true if you need to use multiple forms of shipping to get your product to its destination.

I recommend: Read about the cost savings and other benefits that a modern IMC can provide at World Trade Magazine. At AllBusiness, read an article on how Sweetheart Cup benefited from intermodal shipping to help you determine if it’s a good fit for your business.

Locate a reputable IMC company for your business shipping needs

If you're just starting to use IMC companies, you'll want to start your search by seeking out intermodal companies with professional affiliations and strong reputations. That way, you know you're entrusting your shipping to a reliable company.

I recommend: The Intermodal Association of North America provides a list of its members, IMCs that are dedicated to the industry. To view an individual IMC, check out the Hub Group, which is one of the largest intermodal marketing companies in North America.