Patent ID: 8756167

Claim:
A method for generating a plurality of transmodal shipment routes from a first location to a second location, comprising the steps of: receiving by a computer processor shipping data defining requirements for a transmodal shipment; accessing by a computer processor shipping provider data, the shipping provider data having shipping provider rules associated therewith; determining by a computer processor a plurality of segments of the transmodal shipment route interconnecting the first location to the second location, each segment of the plurality of segments selected using the shipping data, transportation modes available, a size of the transmodal shipment, a shipping provider's licensing certificates and skill requirements, operational constraints and equipment required to load and unload the transmodal shipments, wherein at least two of the plurality of segments use different shipment modes; determining by a computer processor a plurality of shipping providers for providing shipping services on at least one of the plurality of segments responsive to the shipping data and the shipping provider rules; generating by a computer processor the plurality of transmodal routes from the first location to the second location from the plurality of segments and the plurality of shipping providers responsive to a plurality of requirements defined by the shipping data and the shipping provider data, each of the plurality of transmodal routes having at least two of the plurality of segments using a different shipping mode and a different shipping provider; determining by a computer processor a segment cost associated with each of the plurality of segments and a selected shipping provider for the segment and a route cost comprising a plurality of segment costs for each of the plurality of transmodal routes; and displaying via a graphical user interface the plurality of transmodal routes and the associated route cost and segment costs associated with the route cost.