Glossary of: Terms

Glossary of Terms

The following terms are in common use in intermodal transport operations; many are used in this book.

Accompanied vehicles: Road vehicles travelling on RO-RO ferry ships or on Eurotunnel s freight shuttle service through the Channel Tunnel where the driver travels with his vehicle so as to be available to drive it through to it final destination.
ADR: Accord Dangereux Routier International agreement concerning the international transport of dangerous goods by road.
Alternative transport modes: Road, rail, inland waterway, sea and air transport.
Articulated lorry: Heavy lorry combination comprising a powered tractive unit and a semi-trailer attached so that at least 20 per cent of the weight of the load is borne by the tractive unit.

Berne Gauge: European standard rail loading gauge. Exceeds normal UK standards.
Bimodal transport: The carriage of goods by two separate modes of transport, usually road and rail.
Bimodal trailer: Specially built road-going semi-trailer with retractable running gear that can be mounted on rail bogies for transport by rail.
Block trains: Trains that run between two terminals without intermediate marshalling or transhipment of loading units.
Bogie: The wheeled undercarriage of a road or rail vehicle, usually comprising a number of axles (e.g. two or three on a road vehicle) joined together by a compensating suspension arrangement.
Bulk freight: Generally, grain and granular products, sand and gravel, coal and other extracted minerals, chemicals and other liquid products, oils and petroleum, etc. carried...