Combine the cost efficiency of rail with the flexibility of over-the-road trucking. Save 15–30% on long-haul lanes while reducing your carbon footprint.
Domestic intermodal freight combines two modes of transportation: over-the-road trucking for the first and last mile, and rail for the long-haul portion. A truck picks up your trailer or container, drives it to a rail terminal, and a train carries it across the country. Another truck takes it from the destination terminal to the final delivery point.
The economics are compelling. Rail moves freight at roughly one-third the fuel cost of trucking, and those savings translate directly to lower rates for shippers — typically 15–30% less than equivalent over-the-road truckload on lanes over 800 miles. The longer the lane, the greater the savings.
MyExpressFreight manages the entire intermodal process door-to-door: origin drayage, ramp booking, rail transit through BNSF, UP, CSX, and NS networks, and destination drayage. You get a single point of contact, a single bill, and real-time visibility from pickup to delivery.
| Lane Length | Typical Savings | Transit vs OTR |
|---|---|---|
| 500–800 miles | 5–15% | +0–1 day |
| 800–1,500 miles | 15–25% | +1–2 days |
| 1,500–2,500 miles | 20–30% | +1–2 days |
| 2,500+ miles | 25–35% | +1–3 days |
Savings vs. contract truckload rates. Actual savings vary by lane, season, and equipment type.
From cost savings to sustainability, intermodal delivers advantages that compound over high-volume, long-haul freight programs.
Rail is more fuel-efficient per ton-mile than trucking. On lanes over 800 miles, intermodal consistently beats over-the-road on price — especially during tight truck markets when spot rates spike.
A single intermodal train replaces over 280 trucks. Choosing intermodal over OTR can reduce your freight's carbon footprint by up to 75% on long-haul lanes.
Rail capacity is insulated from driver shortages and trucking market volatility. When the spot truck market tightens, intermodal offers stable capacity at stable rates.
Modern intermodal achieves 95%+ on-time performance on established lanes. Scheduled departures and arrivals that you can build supply chain plans around.
We manage origin pickup, ramp-to-ramp rail movement, and destination delivery under a single BOL. One point of contact, one bill, full end-to-end visibility.
The majority of domestic intermodal moves in 53-foot containers, the same size as a standard over-the-road trailer. No repackaging or repalleting required.
Access to Union Pacific's UMAX pool and the EMP (Equipment Management Pool) gives us flexible domestic container availability across the national rail network.
The longer the lane, the better intermodal economics become. On coast-to-coast moves, intermodal often beats OTR by 30% or more with only 1–2 additional transit days.
These high-volume domestic corridors offer the strongest intermodal economics — consistent service, proven transit, and meaningful savings versus OTR.
One of the highest-volume domestic intermodal lanes in North America. BNSF and UP both offer frequent, reliable service on this corridor with strong equipment availability.
Southeast-bound freight from the West Coast benefits enormously from intermodal — lower cost than OTR and consistent transit on a lane with high truck market volatility.
Central corridor intermodal via UP and BNSF. High frequency, strong on-time performance, and significant savings vs. dry van truckload on this major freight lane.
CSX and NS serve this northeast corridor with scheduled intermodal service. Strong transit performance and meaningful savings versus the congested OTR lanes in this corridor.
Southeast quadrant intermodal via NS and KCS/CPKC. Growing service frequency and improving transit reliability as intermodal investment continues in this region.
Westbound intermodal volume is slightly lower than eastbound, creating competitive pricing opportunities for shippers moving freight from the Midwest to the West Coast.
"We shifted 60% of our Chicago to LA volume to intermodal three years ago. The savings have been consistent — 22–28% below our OTR contract rates — and transit reliability is excellent on that lane."
"Our ESG report requires us to document emissions reductions. Intermodal through MEF has cut our freight carbon footprint by 68% on our long-haul lanes. That's real, measurable impact."
"Last year's OTR capacity crunch pushed spot rates up 40%. Our intermodal lanes didn't move at all. That stability is worth more than just the rate savings."
"MEF manages our intermodal program end-to-end — drayage, booking, rail, and delivery — under one roof. Our team never has to coordinate multiple vendors. It's been transformative for our operations."
"Coast-to-coast intermodal from LA to Newark saves us $800–$1,200 per load versus OTR. At 120 loads per year, that math adds up fast. MEF made the transition completely painless."
"We were skeptical about adding 2 days to our transit. MEF showed us the actual data — 94% on-time on our lane over the past 12 months. We adjusted our order cycles and now save $2M annually."
Tell us your lane and volume — we'll show you the savings versus over-the-road.