Sustainable Freight: Why Intermodal Should Be the Focus Over Today's Electric Truck Hype

The electrification of trucks dominates the headlines as the future of sustainable freight, with major players like Tesla, Volvo, and Daimler racing to develop zero-emission trucking solutions. Yet, the reality of bringing electric trucks to market remains fraught with challenges.

Nikola recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing tepid demand, rapid cash burn, and funding challenges. And Nikola is not alone—other high-profile EV startups like Fisker, Proterra, and Lordstown Motors have also collapsed in recent years as capital-intensive operations, high interest rates, and sluggish demand drained their resources.

Despite these setbacks, electric truck technology continues to be widely promoted as the ultimate solution to reducing carbon emissions in freight transportation. However, the reality is that electric trucks are still years away from mainstream adoption, facing range limitations, infrastructure gaps, weight concerns, and high costs.

Meanwhile, intermodal transportation—one of the most scalable, cost-effective, and sustainable freight solutions available today—receives little attention in sustainability discussions. Despite its proven ability to cut emissions and optimize long-haul logistics, intermodal is often overshadowed by the hype surrounding electric trucks.

So, why is the media—and the industry—so fixated on electric trucks while largely ignoring intermodal’s immediate benefits?

The answer lies in a mix of technology hype, industry lobbying, government incentives, and outdated perceptions about rail.

In this article, I break the conversation down to the following topics:

• Why electric trucks dominate sustainability conversations despite major obstacles.
• Why intermodal is an underutilized but proven solution for reducing freight emissions.
• How the trucking industry and media shape the sustainability narrative.
• What needs to change to make intermodal a bigger part of the conversation.

While the world waits for electric trucks to become viable at scale, shippers have a choice—buy into the hype or implement sustainable freight solutions today.

Let’s explore why intermodal deserves more attention—and how we can shift the conversation to help reduce the carbon footprint of freight now.

The Public and Media Love a High-Tech, “Revolutionary” Story

• Electric trucks = new and exciting
• Intermodal = proven and already in use

Let’s face it, innovation and disruptive technology are exciting topics for discussion and media coverage, and electric truck electrification fits the classic narrative of a futuristic, game-changing solution.

Why it Gets More Headlines:

• Electric trucks (EVs and hydrogen) sound cutting-edge and futuristic.
• Tesla, Volvo, and Daimler heavily promote their advancements, creating a tech race that gets media attention.
• Headlines like “The Future of Zero-Emission Trucking” sound more exciting than “Intermodal is Already Here.”

Meanwhile, intermodal has been moving freight efficiently for decades, so it lacks that “new tech” appeal to journalists and investors.

Reality Check: A solution doesn’t have to be new to be effective. Intermodal is already scalable, reliable, and sustainable, while electric trucks are still in development with infrastructure and range limitations.

The Trucking Industry is a Bigger Market and Has a Larger Voice

Trucking is a massive industry with powerful lobbying efforts.

Market Size Matters:

• The trucking industry moves roughly 70% of the total U.S. freight tonnage, while intermodal handles a smaller share.
• More money, more jobs, and more political influence = more media coverage.

Who’s Pushing the Narrative?

• Truck manufacturers (Tesla, Volvo, Freightliner, Nikola, etc.) spend billions on R&D and marketing to push electrification.
• Government initiatives, such as California’s zero-emission mandates, drive public conversation toward EV trucks.
• Big fleets, such as Walmart, PepsiCo, Amazon, FedEx, have made large sustainability commitments that often focus on truck electrification rather than shifting more freight to intermodal.?

By comparison, railroads and intermodal providers aren’t as aggressive in the PR battle.

• Class 1 railroads talk about sustainability, but don’t actively position intermodal as the primary trucking alternative in the way EV truck manufacturers market their solutions.
• Intermodal providers (like IMCs and shippers) don’t have the same centralized marketing to push the sustainability narrative and therefore then defer to price.
• The freight market is still very focused on cost, so without the kicker of electrification, RFP’s are often sorted by lowest to highest prices to determine awards.

Reality Check: Intermodal needs a stronger industry-wide push to position itself as a realistic, immediate sustainability solution.

Government Incentives Favor New Technologies Over Existing Ones

Electric trucks are getting major funding, while intermodal is overlooked.

Federal & State Incentives for Electric Trucks:

• The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and California's CARB regulations offer tax credits and subsidies for EV truck adoption.
• Grant programs like the EPA’s Clean Truck Program provide funding for fleets to transition to electric.

For the most current and detailed information on state-specific incentives, it's advisable to consult the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC), which maintains a comprehensive database of laws and incentives related to alternative fuels and advanced vehicles

Intermodal Doesn’t Get the Same Push

• Rail is already considered “low-emission”, so it doesn’t qualify for many sustainability grants.
• Infrastructure funding for intermodal expansion is out there with the latest being $2.4 billion in railroad grants to help pay for 122 projects nationwide, but nothing truly focused on incentivising the shippers that ultimately decide how to route their freight.

Before closing out this section, it's important to note that while shippers using trucking may not be directly incentivized to shift freight to electric trucks, many large shippers (as mentioned earlier in the article have private fleets) and therefore do receive incentives for transitioning their diesel fleets to electric or other low-emission alternatives. These programs provide tax credits, grants, and rebates that support fleet electrification efforts, even if the incentives aren't explicitly designed for third-party carriers.

Reality Check: If policymakers truly wanted to cut emissions today, they’d incentivize shifting freight to intermodal now, not just funding EV trucking that won’t be widely viable for another 10-plus years.

The Perception That Trucking = Faster and More Flexible Than Rail

Shippers often believe that truckload = better service and control

Even though intermodal has improved transit reliability and has a transit that is typically truck, plus one day, the perception of truckload flexibility still dominates:

Common Misconceptions About Intermodal:

• “Rail is slow and unreliable.”

Reality: Intermodal transit is predictable and consistent for long-haul moves on the rail. More attention needs to focus on IMCs for consistently, reliable intermodal transit because the vast majority of on-time KPI’s are associated with dray, not rail.

• “Intermodal is only good for low-value freight.”

Reality: High-value goods like electronics, beverages, and CPGs already move by intermodal.

• “Trucks can go door-to-door, but intermodal can’t.”

Reality: Intermodal already operates door-to-door with seamless truck-rail integration.

Meanwhile, electrification doesn’t change truckload’s core limitations (impending driver shortages and highway congestion), but because it doesn’t require a modal shift, shippers see it as less of a process change.

Don’t get me wrong, intermodal does come with some challenges which I outlined in an article entitled What’s Holding Back Shippers from Converting More Truckload Freight to Intermodal?, but not some of the most basic of service misconceptions outlined above.

Reality Check: Intermodal needs stronger education and positioning to overcome outdated industry perceptions, as it is often framed primarily as a lower-cost alternative to truckload rather than a strategic, scalable, and sustainable freight solution.

Electric Trucks Have a Big Sustainability Message, Even If They’re Not Ready

EV trucking has major limitations, but it’s marketed as the future of sustainability.

Challenges of Electric Trucks That Are Ignored in the Hype:

• Limited range (most under 300 miles per charge).
• Lack of charging infrastructure at truck stops and distribution centers.
• Battery weight reduces payload capacity.
• High costs and limited availability.

Meanwhile, intermodal rail can already cut carbon emissions by 30% to 50% (based on lenght of haul) today.

EV truck hype is about “potential” sustainability

• News stories focus on what electric trucks “could” do in the future.
• Rail is already 4x more fuel efficient than trucks and often cheaper than trucks, but it doesn’t get the same PR because it’s not “new.”

Reality Check: Sustainability isn’t just about the future—shippers should focus on what they can implement today to reduce emissions.

Final Thoughts: How Intermodal Can Win More Attention

Intermodal isn’t just a niche solution—it’s the fastest way to cut emissions right now.

Key Steps to Improve Intermodal Visibility:

1. Industry-Wide Advocacy – IMCs, shippers, and railroads need a stronger public voice.
2. Better Marketing & Education – More outreach to dispel intermodal myths and highlight its role in sustainability.
3. Push for Policy Incentives – Lobby for government-backed intermodal incentives, not just EV truck subsidies.
4. Showcase Real-World Success Stories – Case studies on how shippers reduced costs and emissions with intermodal.
5. Target High-Emission Lanes for Conversion – Promote intermodal for long-haul freight over 700 miles.

Bottom Line: Electrification of trucks is years away from mass adoption, while intermodal can be implemented today. But until the industry shifts the narrative and improves outreach, electric truck hype will continue dominating the conversation—even if it’s not the most practical sustainability solution.

Want to make intermodal part of your sustainable freight strategy? Contact InTek Logistics today or visit the InTek Logistics website to learn more.