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Cofc Vs Tofc

Container on Flat Car (COFC) and Trailer on Flat Car (TOFC) are two methods for transporting cargo by rail. In COFC, standardized containers are lifted onto flat rail cars using cranes or forklifts and transported long distances. In TOFC, entire trailers with wheels are driven directly onto flat cars like trucks and can be used for both rail and truck transport without unloading cargo. The key differences are that COFC transports detached containers while TOFC transports entire trailers, and COFC cargo is stacked while TOFC trailers cannot be stacked.

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352 views2 pages

Cofc Vs Tofc

Container on Flat Car (COFC) and Trailer on Flat Car (TOFC) are two methods for transporting cargo by rail. In COFC, standardized containers are lifted onto flat rail cars using cranes or forklifts and transported long distances. In TOFC, entire trailers with wheels are driven directly onto flat cars like trucks and can be used for both rail and truck transport without unloading cargo. The key differences are that COFC transports detached containers while TOFC transports entire trailers, and COFC cargo is stacked while TOFC trailers cannot be stacked.

Uploaded by

sanjeeishere
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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In Class Online Activity 2 COFC and TOFC

Trailer on Flat Car is the loading of truck trailers in flat rail cars. It involves loading of entire
trailers and semi-trailers in flat car and is common in shorter distance and where trucks
are necessary to complete the delivery. In COFC, the detached standardized container is
lifted by forklift or crane placed in flat rail cars and it is more commonly used for moving
long distance freight.

The difference between COFC and TOFC can be shown using the table below: -

SN Container on Flat Car (COFC) SN Trailer on Flat Car (TOFC)


1. COFC is also referred to as 1. TOFC is also known as Piggyback.
Containerization.
2. It is the method of carrying 2. It is the method of carrying full trailer
detached container in the flatbed of unit with wheels in a flat car of rails.
rails.
3. Containers are carried by cranes 3. Trailers are driven into the flatcars
and other equipment to load into just like they are driven and attached
the flatcars. to trucks.
4. Containerization is efficient method 4. Loading Trailer on flatbed is efficient
in intermodal transportation as it is and time saving as moving cargo
easier to transfer from one mode to from container to trailer isn’t required
another. and same trailer can be used in
whole transportation.
5. COFC is suitable to carry standard 5. TOFC is suitable to carry non-
cargoes. containerized cargoes.
6. It can only be transferred by rails. 6. It can be transferred by rails or trucks.
7. Containers can be stacked into 7. It is difficult to stack trailers on flat car
double stacks on flat cars. beds.

References

Averitt Express. (n.d.). Trailer on flatcar intermodal service: TOFC Transportation.


https://www.averitt.com/truckload/intermodal/tofc

Kucharski, T. (2019, October 18). A Quick Breakdown Between a Temperature Controlled


TOFC and a Temperature Controlled COFC. McCook Cold Storage.
https://www.mccookcold.com/blog/a-quick-breakdown-between-a-temperature-
controlled-tofc-and-a-temperature-controlled-cofc
In Class Online Activity 2 COFC and TOFC

Rodrigue, J.P. (2020). The Geography of Transport Systems (Fifth Edition). Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429346323

Supply Chain Management Education. (2022, March 11). Container on Flat Car.
https://scmedu.org/containeronflatcar_cofc_/

Trailer-on-flatcar. (2023, September 14). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer-on-


flatcar

Wikipedia Contributors. (2019, November 5). Containerization. Wikipedia; Wikimedia


Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Containerization

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