PST CLC Mitsui-Soko is seeing a growing interest from customers in intermodal transport. Companies are increasingly having price and time comparisons prepared with classic truck transport. Although the number of requests for intermodal solutions has recently increased significantly, the volume of completed orders remains more or less stable in the long term. The main decision-making criterion remains the price, and in many cases, customers end up choosing a cheaper transport option.
“Interest in intermodal transport is clearly growing. Customers ask more questions, they want to know the differences in price, time and organization of transport. In practice, however, it is still true that if truck transport is cheaper, most companies will opt for it,” says Jan Bláha, Transport Director at PST CLC Mitsui-Soko. This company provides intermodal transports, for example, from Rotterdam and to Rotterdam. From there, other transports follow towards England and Ireland. The company also uses intermodal solutions for transport from China, where the combination of different modes of transport can be an interesting alternative to standard transport models.
According to Jan Bláha, intermodal transport makes sense especially where the customer is looking for a stable solution for longer transport distances, more regular flows of goods, or wants to reduce dependence exclusively on road transport. The advantage can also be better planning and the ability to combine individual transport modes according to the specific route and customer needs.
“Intermodal transport is not a one-size-fits-all solution for every shipment. It depends very much on the route, volume, delivery date and customer expectations. Our role is to prepare a fair comparison of variants and show where the intermodal model really makes sense,” adds Jan Bláha.
In recent years, according to the company, the pressure on the efficiency of transport chains has been increasing. Companies deal not only with price, but also with the availability of capacity, reliability, delivery time and, in some contracts, environmental parameters. Nevertheless, it is the economy of transport that remains crucial in the final decision-making. PST CLC Mitsui-Soko therefore offers customers an individual assessment of each case. For selected routes, it compares truck transport with the intermodal option and evaluates which option is most suitable for a particular shipment. The goal is not to promote one type of transport, but to design a solution that will meet the client’s business, time and logistics requirements.
“We see more openness to alternative solutions in the market. At the same time, however, customers expect clear numbers and concrete benefits. Intermodal transport has the potential to grow if price, time and operational reliability can be reconciled,” concludes Jan Bláha.
