Global Multimodal Freight Transportation Market (2020 - 2025)

Market Overview

Multimodal transport systems have become the backbone of international trade - with the objective of reducing overall transport and handling costs within the supply chain while responding to the demand for just-in-time door-to-door cargo services. Global trade entails international sourcing, delocalization of production sites, and higher flows of goods - each of which represents challenges on the logistics front. To overcome them, supply chain actors are increasingly turning toward multimodal transportation.

Although globalization and major production hubs in Asia have played an influential role in the rapid development of maritime freight, other means of transportation are still necessary to reach end consumers. The greater portion of goods transit happens “overseas” - by sea or air freight - but the process cannot escape road transportation around trading ports and for home deliveries. So maritime freight hasn’t been the sole beneficiary of internationalization - road freight and other modes of transportation have managed to grow collaterally. And despite the clear complementarity between maritime and road freight, multimodality is more diverse. Switzerland and Austria, for instance, have developed rolling highways to carry entire road vehicle assemblages by train, to improve regularity and keep a cap on pollution.

With the increasing global economic integration, the sustainable development of the world economy and society needs the support of an efficient freight transportation system. By relying on two or more modes of transportation, multimodal transport can substantially improve transport efficiency and reduce transportation costs for the entire process integration organization transportation service. According to statistics, multimodal transport can improve transportation efficiency by 30%, reduce cargo damage by 10%, reduce transportation costs by 20%, reduce highway congestion by more than 50%, and promote energy savings and emissions reduction by more than one third. Multimodal transport has been vigorously promoted and developed all over the world. According to statistics, multimodal transport accounts for 80% of the total traffic in Canada and it is estimated that by 2040, the total freight volume of the United States will reach 3.575 billion tons, accounting for 12.5% of the total freight volume.

Scope of the Report

The global multimodal transportation market considers the geographic regions of North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. The report provides insights on segmentation by type (truck and rail, truck and water, rail and water, truck and air, and other multiple modes). The report also provides insights on the global multimodal transportation market with coverage of market overview, technology innovation, the impact of ecommerce, the impact of regulations, industry attractiveness - Porter's five forces analysis, price analysis, and trend for multimodal transportation. Additionally, insights on end-user is also covered in the report. Furthermore, company profiles of the top players in the global multimodal transportation market are also provided in the report.

Key Market Trends

Ecommerce Growth Driving the Market

Multimodal has significant potential to expand its role in supporting e-commerce, according to freight industry experts. E-commerce providers are being attracted to multimodal for the same reasons customers have utilized the service for years. It provides a cost-effective option for transit on certain lanes and certain commodities. Consistent service will be the most significant requirement for multimodal to be a viable option for retailers and e-tailers. Multimodal will play a significant role in filling the fulfillment centers, and it is believed this will be a strategic industry need for years to come as multimodal service complements other modes in completing order fulfillment, including final-mile delivery. The industry observes an increase in the preference for multimodal services as members continually re-evaluate their transportation strategy to meet burgeoning e-commerce demand.

In the past five years, ecommerce has increased the demand for freight visibility and accelerated transit times. Although truckload was quick to adapt to customer expectations, multimodal is putting a strong focus on meeting those expectations as well. The growth of ecommerce has increased the need for visibility through enhanced tracking, tracing, and faster handling of trade documentation. More companies are experimenting with multimodal, as they seek capacity and a collaborative approach that includes greater freight visibility and the drive to move more inventory closer to the customer.

Developing North America Intermodal Freight

Rail intermodal is the movement of shipping containers and truck trailers by rail. It has been the fastest-growing major rail traffic segment over the last 25 years. Around half of rail intermodal consists of imports or exports, reflecting the vital role intermodal plays in international trade. The private freight rail industry owns the vast majority of the country’s rail infrastructure and continues to make significant capital investment. The US freight railroads are categorized into three classes based on the distance served and earnings: seven large Class I railroads, 21 regional/Class II railroads, and 547 short line/Class III railroads. The freight industry in the United States is highly competitive. By investing in this sector, multinational firms position themselves to better facilitate the flow of goods throughout the world's largest consumer market.

The US freight railroads have been spending more in recent years than ever before. Over the past decade, the average US manufacturer spent about 3% of revenue on capital expenditures. The freight railroads in the United States, together with trucks and maritime shippers, carry nearly 54 metric ton of freight per capita, most of it via intermodal rail. The US intermodal volume has grown strongly over the years and rose from 5.6 million containers and trailers in 1990 to 9 million in 2000 to 11.1 million in 2010. In 2018, the US rail intermodal volume was a record 14.5 million units.

Competitive Landscape

• The market is fragmented with lower barriers to market entry. This has historically allowed very small enterprises to enter the market and compete effectively with the major players, depressing margins.
• With the wave of technological innovation and disruptive business models, both the possibilities and demand for making transport safer, more efficient, and sustainable have increased. Many companies are also aiming for sustainable solutions in the multimodal market, wherein there is not much environmental disruption and the consumers are not at any kind of loss, material-wise and health-wise, due to the pollution caused by pure road transport and the emissions by the road transport vehicles.
• With the market for multimodal freight transportation growing the number of players entering the market is expected to increase.

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