Intermodal freight is one of the most misunderstood segments in trucking. Brokers see containers moving through rail ramps and assume the whole thing is locked up by large rail-affiliated companies. That's partly true for the rail portion — but the drayage market on both ends of every intermodal move is wide open, and it's where most brokers actually build their book.
The Intermodal Stack
Intermodal freight uses two or more transportation modes in a single shipment — in domestic logistics, almost always rail for the long haul and truck for the short moves connecting origin and destination.
The sequence on a typical domestic intermodal move:
- Shipper tenders freight at origin
- Dray carrier picks up the container at the shipper's facility or port
- Container is dropped at an intermodal ramp (railyard facility)
- Rail haul carries the container to the destination ramp — this is the IMC's piece
- Dray carrier picks up at the destination ramp
- Container is delivered to the consignee
As a broker, your work is steps 2 and 5. Steps 3 and 4 run through an Intermodal Marketing Company (IMC) — companies like JB Hunt 360, Schneider National, or BNSF Logistics that have direct commercial relationships with the railroads and manage container inventory on the network.
Container Types You'll Encounter
53-foot domestic containers are the workhorses of US intermodal. They're owned by the railroads or by large IMCs and circulated through the network. Most domestic intermodal freight moves in these.
International ISO containers — 20-foot (TEUs) and 40-foot (FEUs) — come off ocean vessels at ports. Once they clear customs, they need dray to a consignee or to a rail ramp for inland movement. This is port drayage, which runs through a distinct carrier pool with port-specific access requirements.
The container type matters because it determines chassis requirements. Domestic 53s use domestic chassis; ISO containers use different chassis. Chassis availability is one of the operational wildcards in drayage — knowing which chassis pools are available at a given ramp is part of understanding the market.
Intermodal Economics: The 750-Mile Rule
Intermodal is typically 10-15% cheaper than truckload on the same lane, but it adds 1-3 days of transit time due to ramp handling and rail scheduling.
That tradeoff makes intermodal viable when:
| Factor | Intermodal Makes Sense | Truckload Makes More Sense |
|---|---|---|
| Distance | 750+ miles | Under 750 miles |
| Time sensitivity | Transit window of 4-7 days acceptable | Tight delivery window required |
| Shipper priority | Cost savings valued | Speed valued |
| Freight type | Non-perishable, stackable | Time-sensitive, perishable, or oversized |
Below 750 miles, the ramp handling time erases the cost advantage and transit becomes slower than a direct truck move. Above 750 miles — and especially on transcontinental lanes — the rail efficiency is significant.
High-volume intermodal corridors: Chicago to Los Angeles, Chicago to Dallas, Atlanta to Los Angeles, and most major east-west lanes over 1,000 miles.
How Freight Brokers Actually Participate
Most freight brokers don't operate as full intermodal providers. You're not buying rail capacity or managing container inventory. Here's the realistic picture:
Drayage broker — You source and dispatch carriers for the first and last mile truck moves. The shipper or IMC needs someone to handle the local moves; you supply the carrier. This is the most common broker entry point into intermodal.
Partnering with an IMC — Some brokers position themselves as the dray partner for a specific IMC. The IMC books the rail, you handle dray on the origin or destination end. This requires building a reliable dray carrier pool near specific ramps and proving you can execute.
Shipper-facing intermodal broker — More sophisticated, requires relationships with multiple IMCs and a deep dray carrier bench. You present the full intermodal solution to the shipper and coordinate with IMCs on the back end. This is a growth path, not a starting point.
Dray Carrier Requirements
Not every carrier can do drayage. Requirements vary by ramp and port but typically include:
- Ramp access credentials — carriers must be approved to operate at specific intermodal facilities
- Chassis knowledge and availability — understanding of chassis pools at each location
- Port-specific requirements for port drayage — some ports require TWIC cards, specific insurance endorsements, or terminal operator registration
- Equipment — day cab tractors are standard for dray; sleeper cabs are unnecessary for 30-150 mile moves
- Reliability — ramp and port facilities have scheduled windows; a missed appointment creates downstream problems across the rail network
Port drayage vs. inland ramp drayage use different carrier pools. Port drayage carriers know terminal operations, container release processes, and customs documentation flows. Inland ramp drayage carriers know railyard procedures. These aren't interchangeable; build separate carrier lists for each.
Building an Intermodal Book
Start geographically. Identify the intermodal ramps near your existing carrier relationships. In the US, major inland ramps include Chicago (multiple), Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Kansas City, Memphis, and Columbus. If you have dray carriers operating near any of these, you have a starting point.
Connect with the local IMC reps at those ramps. They have dray capacity needs and are often looking for reliable broker partners to fill gaps. Show up with a qualified carrier list and a track record of execution.
Develop the shipper angle by identifying customers on lanes over 750 miles who are currently moving all-truck. Run the math for them — cost savings vs. transit time tradeoff. Shippers who care about cost over speed are your intermodal prospects.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an IMC and how does a broker work with one?
An Intermodal Marketing Company (IMC) is a company with a commercial agreement with one or more railroads to market and sell rail intermodal capacity. IMCs manage the rail booking and container inventory; they often need dray providers on both ends of the move. As a broker, you can partner with an IMC to handle the dray portion while they handle the rail, or you can position yourself as the single point of contact for the shipper and subcontract the rail to the IMC on the back end.
What is drayage freight?
Drayage is the short-haul truck movement connecting a shipper, consignee, port, or intermodal ramp to complete a larger logistics movement. In intermodal, dray covers the first and last miles of the shipment — typically 30 to 150 miles. It's often charged as a flat rate per move rather than a per-mile rate, and it involves specific equipment and facility access requirements.
When does intermodal make sense vs. truckload?
Intermodal makes sense on lanes over 750 miles where the shipper has a transit window of four or more days and values cost savings over speed. Truckload is better for shorter lanes, time-sensitive freight, perishables, oversized or specialized cargo, and any shipment where the delivery window is tight enough that a day or two of variance is unacceptable.
What carrier qualifications do dray carriers need?
At minimum: active authority, appropriate insurance, and approval to operate at the specific ramp or port facility. Port drayage carriers often need additional credentials including terminal operator registration and, at secure federal facilities, TWIC cards for drivers. Equipment must match — day cab tractors, appropriate chassis availability or chassis pool access.
How do I find intermodal freight opportunities?
Start with shippers you already know on lanes over 750 miles. Identify which of those lanes have intermodal ramp access at both ends. Talk to IMC reps at the ramps nearest your carrier base — they can be a consistent source of dray work. Load boards also list dray moves near major ramps. Over time, shippers who value cost savings on long lanes become your natural intermodal customer base.