Services Linked To Intermodal Transportation

The evolving intermodal transportation network of North America is resulting in a concentration of traffic at a number of inland load centers. A wide range of services an; involved in the organization and transfer of unitized freight, and it is postulated that the traffic concentration has been particularly favorable to the growth of services in the hub cities. This paper examines the way in which services have responded to the evolving intermodal system. It reports on a survey of producer services undertaken in Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Columbus and Memphis. It reveals that despite the recent recession, producer services linked to intermodal transportation have been growing, but that the growth has come mainly from enterprises with a relatively small labor force. Many are branch offices of large national and multi†national corporations that are themselves directing the intermodal revolution. The evidence suggests that the vertical disintegration taking place in the broader service economy is not being repeated in the transport sector.