Photo credit: Mahdi Abdulrazak

That’s where HML comes in. We’re currently developing a U.S. West Coast, north/south intermodal Marine Highway service that will provide shippers and carrier-partners a cost competitive and environmentally  friendly shipping solution.  We’re reaching out to surface carriers, retailers, manufactures, wholesalers, small businesses, break-bulkers,  wood product producers — virtually any shipper. Our service is designed to provide route and mode diversification, insulation from rising fuel prices, and door-to-door peace of mind — and all with a seamless transition from a surface to a waterborne mode.

For shippers and the freight industry, the insulation from raising fuel prices of container-on-barge (COB) transportation is impressive as are the positive effects on our environment.

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First, our intermodal COB programs equate to a 3.5 times greater fuel efficiency compared to long-haul trucking.  That means as fuel prices rise, the per-mile cost of truck transportation rises at a much faster pace to compared to intermodal COB transportation.  The operational fuel costs for intermodal COB transportation rise very slowly due to far less fuel being consumed. This results in a continually widening gap between the long-haul per-mile rates of truck and COB transportation.

An example taken from a 2008 study on the impact of high oil prices on freight transportation shows the long-haul per-mile costs for trucking and COB shipping at $1.95/mile and $0.35/mile respectively. Those numbers jump to  $2.65/mile and $0.50/mile respectively with fuel at $5.00/gal. Our intermodal Marine Highway programs calculate a long-haul per mile cost of $0.56/mile with fuel at $4.10 per gallon.

The environment also benefits from COB shipping.  Moving freight with our intermodal service will save 3.84 million gallons of diesel fuel per year, and when operating at capacity will transition up to 100,000 long-hauls off highways and eliminate approximately 40 million traveled truck miles per year. This dramatic reduction in fuel consumption and truck miles will save  37,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually as well as significant road damage and repair. Waterborne transportation is the most environmentally sensitive  method for moving goods.

We’ve completed our research and development phase for our intermodal COB programs, and are now in the early stages of building our intermodal freight service.  If you’re a carrier and are interested in becoming a part our West Coast intermodal  transportation solution, or if you’re a shipper with a West Coast north/south leg in your supply chain, please contact us.

Phone: (707) 616-5244
Email: info@humboldtlogistics.com
Contact form: Click here
Mail: PO Box 3153, Eureka, CA 95502