CORE TERM
Intermodal Drayage
Container moves between an intermodal rail ramp and a warehouse or distribution center.
Intermodal drayage refers to container moves that originate or terminate at an inland rail terminal — also called an intermodal ramp or intermodal container transfer facility (ICTF). When a container ship arrives at the Port of Los Angeles, many containers don't go directly to a local warehouse. They are loaded onto BNSF or Union Pacific double-stack trains and moved inland to Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, or other distribution hubs. At those inland ramps, intermodal drayage carriers pick up the containers and deliver them to final destinations.
TWIC cards are not required at inland intermodal rail ramps (since they are not maritime security zones), but UIIA membership remains essential — BNSF, Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, and CSX all use UIIA-based chassis pools at their intermodal terminals. Chicago is the largest intermodal hub in North America, with major BNSF and UP ramps at Cicero, Logistics Park Chicago, and Global IV handling millions of lifts per year.
Intermodal drayage is sometimes called "street drayage" or "local cartage" in rail industry terminology. Carriers specializing in intermodal drayage tend to have strong relationships with specific ramp operators and thorough knowledge of local appointment systems, gate procedures, and chassis availability at those facilities.