Intermodal terminal: understand what it is and what it is for
Like any country, Brazil depends on the quality of transport modes for the flow of its domestic production, whether related to agribusiness, industry, mining or any other important economic activity for national finances.
This importance is given, not only by the need to dispose of the inputs, produced or extracted, for the domestic market, but also for the national ports, which are the base locations for export.
The main modes of transport that we have for the transportation of cargo are road and rail, with more than 60% of the inputs being transported by the highways and slightly more than 20% by the railroads. For export and import, ports are the most used, while air modes are the most demanded for passenger travel.
Export is one of the main agents of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Brazil and, therefore, it is necessary to find the best strategies so that the items produced in the industries, worked in agribusiness or extracted in the national mines, reach the ports to be exported. At the same time, improving the flow strategies for the ports, the ways in which imported inputs reach the domestic market are improved.
To give you an idea of the importance of this activity for the country's economy, in 2018, more than 50% of all ore mines were exported in the mining sector alone, representing just over US$ 25 billion in exports.
The creation of intermodal terminals is one of the most effective strategies to improve the flow and improve internal production. Throughout the article, we will explain what an intermodal terminal is, why it is important for cargo transportation logistics and how it is inserted here in Brazil. Check it out below!
Content Index
Intermodal Terminal
A simple and objective explanation for the meaning of an intermodal terminal is as follows: it is a terminal that is characterized by the use of more than one mode of transport, be it rail, road, water or air.
In practice, an intermodal terminal is used so that cargo flow can pass through more than one sector. For example: a large cargo of ores needs to be taken to a national port. These loads leave the mining companies by trucks and are transported on the highways. Halfway to the port, the trucks stop at an intermodal terminal and transfer the loads to the trains, which will finish the transport by rail.
In order to facilitate the change of goods from one transport mode to another, the loads that pass through an intermodal terminal are usually transported by containers, as this not only facilitates the exchange of the transport vehicle, but also makes the storage of these goods more practical. items, preventing them from being dropped in the middle of the route or undergoing changes in the compositions due to exposure to the sun or rain.
Obviously, the choice of transportation in an intermodal terminal needs to be well planned and organized. First, the documentation of the goods and the type of transport is done individually, and it is essential that companies organize themselves for the correct issuance of this documentation.
Another strategic factor that implies in the planning of an intermodal terminal is the fulfillment of deadlines. As there is this exchange from one modal to another, it is essential that companies organize themselves to make a quick and efficient exchange, keeping the deliveries of goods within previously agreed terms.
Entenda a importância do terminal intermodal para a logística!
The use of an intermodal terminal can be advantageous in different aspects. For example: as this type of location is home to more than one mode of transport, this creates competitiveness between sectors.
The most important factor, which creates the need to use an intermodal terminal, is practicality and economy, largely due to transport logistics.
Let's think about it this way: a batch of extracted ores needs to reach a national port and, normally, the main modal used for this route is the road. But, completing the trip only in that sector can be problematic.
Often, the journeys made only on the highways are quite long, with numerous tolls along the way and with high operating costs for maintenance and fuel. Thus, if the company responsible for carrying out the transport chooses to change the modal in the middle of the journey, in an intermodal terminal, it can guarantee a cheaper and optimized trip.
Thus, the decrease in logistical costs is the main advantage of using intermodal transport, since the costs with railroad logistics, for example, are much lower when compared to highways. Among other reasons that make the flow by railroads more affordable, we have that this type of transport is not subject to tolls, it is able to transport a large number of loads in a single train and makes trips faster. You can see more about the logistical advantages of one sector over the other here.
Finally, another attribute of using intermodal transport is the condition of the transport routes. Despite the much more expressive number of mileages on the highways, which we will talk about next, little of this total is paved, which can affect the quality of travel.
Even if the railroads, for example, still do not fully meet the needs of companies, this exchange during a trip can reduce the risk of accidents and loss of materials.
Difficulties
Obviously, the railroad modality is still much lower when compared to other countries, since there is a large gap between transport modes. As we said in our introduction, the road sector is still dominant, with around 60% of cargo transported.
Railroad and road networks, for example, are totally disparate. While the highways have just over 1.7 million km, the railroads have only about 29 thousand km. Thus, it is more complicated to find routes that contemplate these two modes.
Another determining factor for this type of modality to be little known here in Brazil is, of course, the lack of investments. The precarious application of resources for the different modes of national transport makes it difficult to use the intermodal terminal, thus also hindering the growth of the main national production sectors.
Conclusion
We can conclude with the article that the use of intermodal terminals can bring several advantages for the productive growth, facilitating and improving the logistics of trips and the flow of inputs to the ports. However, on the other hand, this is a modality that still needs to grow in the country, since the transport sectors still suffer from a disparity in investments. Therefore, the growth and expansion of the quality of national cargo transport is intrinsically dependent on the need to increase investments in different sectors.
Searchs:
https://www.cobli.co/blog/transporte-intermodal-e-multimodal/
