Page 33: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2020)

A simpli? ed look at shipping with and without a digitized

The Last Mile management solution platform.

Global commerce stakeholders are fa- miliar with the concept of the ‘last mile.’

The supply chain has done a good job ad- dressing what was once the Achilles Heel of the intermodal equation, especially here in North America. It wasn’t always that way.

In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, port authorities rushed to shore up holes in their security arrangements. This ad- dressed the obvious threats to commerce, but neglected the need to connect the ocean piece with the rail and trucking sectors.

Often, enhanced security protocols slowed the movement of cargo, especially as it passed across the docks shoreside.

In recent years, U.S. ports – Charleston,

SC and the Port of Virginia, for example – initiated effective rail and trucking in- termodal connections, with an eye on re- ducing emissions and road congestion.

Charleston’s rail connections to inland foreign trade zones and Virginia’s use of both rail and container-on-barge modes represent that region’s more successful in- termodal streamlining of the ‘? nal mile.’

Each ends with a short drayage run where the driver goes home at night.

De? ning the First Mile

Mercado’s platform focuses on the “? rst mile” – or, the ? rst 120 days of each shipment. The concept is simple; connecting buyers and sellers to help

Mercado Labs www.marinelink.com 33

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