Schneider National, Green Bay, Wis., has introduced TruckRail Express, a new intermodal service combining truck-level transit -- between 500 and 600 miles per day -- with intermodal-level savings.

TruckRail Express offers customers all the advantages of the well-known Schneider orange trailers used for over-the-road business, as well as the high performance levels customers associate with the Schneider name. Schneider works closely with the railroads to achieve these service levels. The intermodal service is offered for direct routes with origins east of Kansas City and destinations in California, Oregon or Washington.
TruckRail Express includes a national network of on-site representatives who help ensure Schneider trailers are moving quickly through rail yards; more than 40,000, 53 foot trailers available to move shipments; the flexibility to load trailers for both over-the-road and intermodal shipping; and 24/7 customer service availability.
The target market for this service are shippers who want to use intermodal for its cost savings but who choose not to because of service or transit considerations. Now customers can achieve both cost savings and in many cases save a day or two in transit time compared to standard intermodal transit.
"Standard intermodal providers are generally not able to offer transits and reliability equal to a truck," said Tom Bartel, director of TruckRail. "Traditional intermodal transit is usually a day slower than over-the-road. No other broad intermodal provider offers the flexibility that comes with using a trailer."