Intermodal transportation services and multimodal
transportation infrastructure will play central roles in
the logistics systems of corporations competing in
global markets in the 21st century. Four trends are
fundamentally changing the business strategies of
manufacturing or processing activities at a single site.
Governments in cities and metropolitan areas in
which these facilities are located and corporations
with international supply chains that depend on
intermodal transportation to achieve and sustain
competitive advantage will also have to pay closer
attention to the environmental consequences of
emerging logistics systems. Developing beyond-compliance,
proactive environmental management systems
requires a clear understanding of the potential
environmental impacts of commercial transportation
services.