The intermodal transport tactical planning: A literature review on the use of transportation modes for cargo delivery

Effective freight transportation planning through different modes drives countries economic growth by ensuring the delivery of goods safely and sustainably. This article provides a systematic literature review focused on intermodal transport tactical planning, addressing logistical technical factors for efficient transportation modes management in cargo delivery. The methodology is based on the research questions definition, search process, and article selection criteria, exploring the network structures evolution to verify technical factors influencing network structures, including mode combinations, geographical distribution, and mathematical models' decision variables and constraints. According to the research question proposed, the most relevant technical factors for intermodal planning network structures are flow cargo, transport modal activation, flow conservation, delivery time, and vehicle management, generally found in countries with extensive road infrastructure and a high modal integration capacity, as China, Europe, and USA. Considering the decision variables and constraints, flow conservation is a common element observed in intermodal transport mathematical models. Thus, a balance between transportation costs and transportation modes utilization was verified, and insights into the relation between technical logistics factors application and network structures for cargo delivery efficiency were revealed. Finally, the systematic literature review contributes to understanding the main intermodal transportation planning evolving landscape, offering valuable insights for future research and practical implementations.