24.5.2026| Industry matters

Steve Collins, Managing Director of Fargo Group, asserts that although visibility has revolutionised logistics over the past decade, intermodal operators are now entering a second stage, characterised not by tracking but by control. As networks become more interconnected across roads, rail, and terminals, the emphasis is shifting from monitoring activities to organising and coordinating them.

Over the last ten years, logistics technology has centred on visibility.

Where is the vehicle?
Where is the container?
When will it arrive?

Real-time tracking revolutionised the industry. It reduced uncertainty, improved communication, and raised customer expectations. In road haulage, rail freight, and inland terminals, visibility bridged gaps that once defined daily operations.

But visibility was only ever the first stage of digital maturity. Watching an operation is not the same as managing it. And in intermodal logistics, that difference is becoming more significant.

The limits of dashboards

Most container operators now have telematics, tracking feeds, and reporting tools in place. They can monitor vehicle movements, receive alerts, and provide real-time customer updates.

Yet many would recognise that planning remains reactive.

Margins are still checked after decisions are made.
Workflows continue to span multiple systems.
Operational and commercial visibility are not always aligned.

A dashboard displays what is happening; it does not necessarily organise what should happen next.

That is where the industry is now shifting.

Intermodal complexity demands integration.

Intermodal logistics is non-linear; it is interconnected.

A road movement links to a rail departure.
A rail delay impacts terminal throughput.
Yard capacity affects driver allocation.
Subcontractor choice influences margin.

Small decisions carry wider consequences.

Historically, these interdependencies have been managed through separate systems – a TMS for roads, a TOS for yard activities, spreadsheets for commercial checks, and manual processes bridging the gaps.

That fragmentation has been accepted because the industry has evolved naturally.

However, increasing cost pressures, stricter service expectations, and growing operational complexity are revealing the limitations of disconnected environments.

The question is no longer whether operators possess technology. It is whether that technology functions as a cohesive operational framework.

From visibility to operational intelligence

The next phase of logistics technology isn’t about gathering more data; it’s about integrating decision logic into workflows.

Operational intelligence means:

• Linking planning decisions to real-time commercial impact
• Standardising processes across road, rail and terminal environments
• Reducing manual intervention between operational stages
• Protecting margins at the point of allocation, not weeks later

This is not artificial intelligence in isolation, nor is it merely automation. It is structured integration.

When planning, dispatch, yard control and financial workflows are integrated within the same operational framework, the business gains something more valuable than visibility: alignment.

Alignment between movement and margin.
Between capacity and cost.
Between operational activity and commercial outcome.

Why this matters now

Three structural forces are driving this change forward.

Margin compression. Increasing operating costs leave no room for inefficiencies hidden within manual processes.

Customer expectation: real-time information is assumed. Reliability and predictability are key differentiators.

Network interdependence. Inland terminals, rail operators, and hauliers are more interconnected than ever. Disruption in one part swiftly spreads throughout the network.

In this environment, reactive management is becoming increasingly unsustainable.

Intermodal operators require systems that anticipate, coordinate, and organise activity, not merely report on it.

Intermodal-first approach

Intermodal networks are specifically situated where road, rail, and terminal infrastructure meet. That introduces complexity – but also opportunity.

When operational systems are designed around intermodal from the outset, rather than adapted from single-mode transport models, they can accurately represent the true nature of the network.

They can embed rail schedules into road planning.
They can connect yard movements to dispatch decisions.
They can integrate subcontractor allocation with commercial safeguards.

This is not about replacing planners. It is about providing environments that mirror the realities of modern inland logistics.

Visibility helped the industry understand its operations. Operational control will decide how well those operations function.

Evolution, not disruption

This shift doesn’t necessitate tearing systems out and starting from scratch. Most operators already have digital foundations.

The evolution involves linking them together, transitioning from isolated tools to integrated operational platforms.

Visibility was phase one.

In intermodal logistics, phase two involves clear operational control, where technology not only enhances awareness but also enables smart, coordinated decisions across the entire network.

That could prove to be the key efficiency advantage of the next decade.

thefargogroup.com