Returning Freight to the Railways is the Key to Cutting Emissions

Trucks are carrying the majority of the cargo on American roads at the moment, with estimates that it accounts for 60% of all of the freight that travels across the country. With the current focus on reducing carbon emissions around the world, one of the key areas being examined is the way that we move this cargo around the country, to find ways to reduce the impact that it has on the environment. In recent years, the improvements to the intermodal freight networks in the US and across the globe have continued to put pressure on trucking companies to reduce their emissions. There have been many strategies implemented to try and do this, including the introduction of cleaner truck engines, altering driving styles to reduce idling time and speed, to cut down on the fuel expended. Even with these advances in the efficiency of truck freight, it will still take a fundamental rethinking of how freight is managed across the intermodal networks to make really significant reductions in the carbon emissions that are connected with logistics. One solution that is gaining a lot of momentum right now is to use the nation’s railway networks for more intermodal cargo, and there have been many significant upgrades of rail lines and rolling stock, as well as the development of several new intermodal hubs to support the move. The trucking industry is a powerful lobby group in the US, and they are quick to point out that trains and barges are limited in where they can go, and that trucks remain an essential part of the overall transport network. The energy used to transport cargo around America accounts for 18% of the nation’s total energy consumption. While light duty emissions are set to drop by 0.9%, the fuel consumption of freight trucks is estimated to rise by 1.2% annually at the same time. The solution to at least reducing the fuel consumption of the transport industry overall, is to use the most energy efficient means of transporting goods for the greatest part of their journey, which at present is to use the railways to ship goods as close to their destination as possible, and reserving the use of trucks for the remainder of their journey. This intermodal model is gaining more traction with US consumers now, but acceptance has been slow due to the current unfamiliarity that many have with the flow of goods through the network. As it becomes more common, this should see greater use of the intermodal rail services that produces significant reduction in carbon emissions across the board.