When you pour a glass of juice in the morning, enjoy an iced tea at lunch, or raise a glass at happy hour, you may be enjoying a product that shipped by rail. In fact, more beverages ship by train than you may think. To find out which ones ride the rails, take this quiz.
Why Do Companies Ship Beverages by Rail?
Beverage companies ship their products by rail for a number of very good reasons:
- Cost savings. On average, rail offers a lower cost per ton mile than truck. Because one rail car can carry the same amount of product as 3-4 trucks, shipping by train offers economies of scale that help shippers save.
- Equipment. Beverages typically ship in boxcars, refrigerated boxcars or tank cars. Union Pacific offers state-of-the-art rail equipment to maintain product integrity. For instance, Union Pacific recently developed a new refrigerated boxcar to keep refrigerated shipments cold.
- Product safety. Some beverages must be kept at optimal temperatures while others (like those in glass bottles) are at higher risk of damage. Union Pacific has experienced professionals whose sole focus it is to ensure shipment quality and prevent damage.
- Reliable service. Thanks to Precision Scheduled Railroading, railroads are providing more consistent, reliable service than ever before.
- Environmental responsibility. Rail is the most environmentally responsible way to ship freight by land. On average, U.S freight railroads can move one ton of freight more than 470 miles on a single gallon of diesel fuel. making trains up to four times more fuel efficient than trucks. That means moving freight by rail instead of truck reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75%.
- Tracks aren’t required. Thanks to a process called transloading, beverage companies can ship by rail even if their facility or their customer isn’t rail served. When shippers need help connecting to rail, logistics companies like Loup Logistics can help.
Learn More
Are you interested in shipping by rail? Get in touch and we can help you get started.
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