Shipping via rail is a great alternative when truck capacity is tight such as is the case in Florida, Texas and California every year when produce season rolls around. Another fact that may not be known to shippers who are new to shipping via rail is that intermodal shipping is very efficient considering that the average coast to coast shipment takes between 7 and 10 days. Shippers can use the rail as their ace in the hole to fill in for the inevitable capacity truck crunch and avoid service gaps to their customers.