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I think Intermodal concerns a variety of modes used in combination so that the respective advantages of each mode are advantaged. Although intermodal transportation applies to passenger movements, such as using the different, interconnected modes of a public transit system, it is over freight transportation that the most significant impacts of intermodalism have been observed. Containerization has been a powerful vector of intermodal integration, enabling maritime and land transportation systems to interconnect (Rodrigue, n.d). Each transportation mode has key operational and commercial advantages and properties. However, contemporary demand is influenced by integrated transportation systems that require flexibility in the respective use of each mode. As a result, modal competition exists at various degrees and takes several dimensions. Modes can compete or complement one another in terms of cost, speed, accessibility, frequency, and safety. There is modal competition when there is an overlap in geography, transport markets, and level of service. Cost is one of the most important considerations in modal choice. Because each mode has its price/performance profile, competition between the modes depends primarily upon the distance traveled, the quantities shipped, and their value. While maritime transport might offer the lowest variable costs, road transport tends to be most competitive over short distances and for small bundles of goods. A critical factor is the terminal cost structure for each mode, where the costs (and delays) of loading and unloading a unit impose fixed costs that are incurred independent of the distance traveled. Cost and fuel efficiency are two of intermodals major advantages over trucking, but the disadvantages include the relative inflexibility of the railroads, relatively slow speeds, and imperfect visibility into shipment status .