Multimodal Logistics Planning Training Course

Duration 10 days 19 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Logistics Managers, Transport Planners and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-LD-215

Before you join: Participants should have practical exposure to freight transport, distribution, warehouse operations, procurement or supply chain coordination.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Multimodal logistics planning determines whether freight moves through reliable, cost-controlled and serviceable transport corridors. Planners must reconcile road flexibility with rail economics, terminal constraints, border processes, equipment availability, customer delivery windows and emissions targets. Weak planning creates avoidable trans-shipments, detention, missed connections, excess safety stock and disputes over responsibility. Strong planning creates viable lane designs, realistic schedules and clear operating controls for domestic and cross-border flows.

This course develops the planning methods used to design and operate integrated rail-road freight movements. Participants assess shipment profiles, select suitable modal combinations, map corridors, calculate route costs, plan terminal handovers and construct schedules around rail cut-offs and road collection windows. They apply Incoterms 2020, CMR Convention principles, rail consignment documentation, network design methods, capacity calculations and transport performance measures. The course also addresses disruption planning, carrier procurement, carbon measurement, customs interfaces and digital transport data.

Teaching combines focused briefings with worked logistics cases, route-design assignments, group planning tasks, transport simulations and structured peer review. Cases reflect industrial imports, agricultural exports, retail distribution, project cargo and regional cross-border movements. Participants progressively build a multimodal lane plan during the course, using their own freight lanes where suitable. They leave with a documented planning pack containing a route comparison, operating timetable, cost model, risk controls, service measures and implementation actions.

The course is suited to logistics professionals who already work with transport providers, freight planning, distribution operations, procurement or supply chain coordination and need stronger capability in integrated rail-road planning.

What you will be able to do

  • Analyse shipment profiles using volume, density, frequency, service and handling requirements
  • Design rail-road transport corridors using lane mapping, terminal analysis and route scoring
  • Calculate multimodal route costs using rate structures, accessorial charges and total landed cost
  • Build operating timetables around rail cut-offs, drayage windows and terminal dwell targets
  • Apply Incoterms 2020 and CMR Convention principles to transport responsibilities and claims
  • Evaluate carriers and terminals using weighted scorecards, service KPIs and capacity evidence
  • Prepare disruption response plans for missed connections, terminal congestion and border delays
  • Present a complete multimodal logistics plan with costs, risks, controls and implementation actions

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce defensible rail-road route recommendations supported by cost, service and risk evidence
  • Discuss terminal capacity, drayage requirements and rail schedules confidently with providers
  • Identify hidden transport costs before approving multimodal lane changes
  • Create practical contingency plans for missed rail connections and border delays
  • Build a portfolio-quality multimodal lane plan for current or future roles

For your organisation

  • Lower transport spend through better modal selection and route cost comparison
  • Fewer missed connections through aligned rail, terminal and road operating schedules
  • Improved carrier accountability through defined service measures and escalation controls
  • Reduced exposure to detention, demurrage, claims and documentation errors
  • More credible emissions reduction plans based on modal-shift and route data

Course modules

19 modules over 10 days

Participants can define a multimodal planning problem and identify the operational decisions required.

  • Multimodal transport structures: road, rail, terminal and feeder service roles
  • Shipment characteristics driving modal choice, routing and handling requirements
  • Planning horizons from daily dispatch control to annual lane strategy
  • Origin-to-destination flow maps showing physical, information and ownership handovers
  • Service, cost, capacity, risk and emissions planning trade-offs
  • Roles of shippers, carriers, freight forwarders, terminals and authorities

Participants can convert shipment data into planning requirements for multimodal transport.

  • Shipment segmentation by weight, volume, density, value and frequency
  • ABC analysis identifying high-impact lanes, customers and transport spend
  • Cube utilisation calculations for pallets, containers, trailers and swap bodies
  • Demand variability measured through average, peak and seasonal shipment volumes
  • Delivery promise analysis using order cut-offs and customer time windows
  • Handling constraints for dangerous goods, temperature control and oversized freight

Participants can assess when rail-road combinations fit a shipment and service requirement.

  • Rail service patterns: block trains, wagonload, intermodal and shuttle operations
  • Road drayage functions between shipper sites, terminals and final receivers
  • Transit-time components: collection, terminal dwell, linehaul and delivery
  • Train frequency, cut-off times and connection reliability evaluation
  • Equipment choices: containers, trailers, swap bodies, platforms and wagons
  • Modal suitability screening using distance, volume, urgency and infrastructure access

Participants can map feasible corridors and compare alternative multimodal network designs.

  • Lane mapping from origin postcode through terminals to consignee location
  • Hub-and-spoke, point-to-point and milk-run network configuration choices
  • Catchment analysis for rail terminals using road distance and collection time
  • Route scoring matrices weighted for cost, service, capacity and risk
  • Bottleneck identification at gateways, terminals, borders and urban delivery zones
  • Direct versus consolidated flows assessed through volume and handling economics

Participants can plan terminal handovers that protect train departures and delivery commitments.

  • Terminal process maps from gate arrival through loading and train departure
  • Gate appointment systems, documentation checks and vehicle turnaround targets
  • Cut-off management for late arrivals, load acceptance and departure protection
  • Dwell-time measurement by equipment type, customer and terminal process stage
  • Lift capacity, storage limits and stack planning constraints
  • Handover checklists for seals, damage, weights and transport documents

Participants can build comparable total-cost models for road-only and rail-road routes.

  • Cost-to-serve model separating fixed, variable and event-driven charges
  • Road cost elements: linehaul, fuel, tolls, driver time and waiting
  • Rail pricing structures: terminal fees, traction, wagon hire and surcharges
  • Accessorial charges including lifts, storage, detention, demurrage and re-delivery
  • Total landed cost comparison including inventory carrying and disruption costs
  • Break-even volume and distance calculations for proposed modal shifts

Participants can prepare an initial evidence-based multimodal lane recommendation.

  • Define lane scope, shipment assumptions and customer service commitments
  • Assemble origin, destination, volume, equipment and calendar data
  • Compare road-only and rail-road route options using weighted criteria
  • Draft first-pass transit times, handovers and operating constraints
  • Calculate indicative costs and identify missing commercial information
  • Document planning assumptions requiring validation with carriers and terminals

Participants can create workable transport schedules using rail and road capacity constraints.

  • Backward scheduling from customer delivery appointments and receiving windows
  • Weekly departure calendars aligned with production and order release patterns
  • Drayage dispatch plans matched to rail cut-offs and driver hours
  • Capacity buffers for demand peaks, equipment shortages and terminal queues
  • Load consolidation rules balancing fill rates against service lead times
  • Exception thresholds triggering alternate departure, road diversion or customer notification

Participants can assign transport responsibilities and documentation controls across international movements.

  • Incoterms 2020 allocation of cost, risk, carriage and export obligations
  • CMR Convention principles for road carriage liability and claims
  • Rail consignment note data, shipment instructions and handover records
  • Commercial invoice, packing list and commodity-code data requirements
  • Customs transit controls for sealed units moving through multiple territories
  • Document-control matrix assigning preparation, checking, release and retention duties

Participants can plan cross-border rail-road movements around customs, border and regulatory constraints.

  • Border process mapping from pre-arrival filing through release confirmation
  • Transit-time allowances for inspections, queueing, security and customs holds
  • Country-specific road restrictions affecting weekend, night and holiday movements
  • Gauge, electrification and network interoperability constraints on rail corridors
  • Border contingency routing for closures, strikes and infrastructure failures
  • Escalation protocols between brokers, carriers, terminals and customer teams

Participants can structure multimodal sourcing requirements and evaluate supplier proposals.

  • Request-for-quotation scope defining lanes, volumes, equipment and service requirements
  • Bid comparison tables normalising rates, surcharges, assumptions and exclusions
  • Weighted supplier scorecards covering capacity, reliability, safety and systems
  • Terminal due diligence covering handling capability, operating hours and security
  • Contract clauses for allocation, service failure, claims and rate review
  • Award recommendations balancing price, resilience, capacity and implementation readiness

Participants can establish measures and operating routines for multimodal service control.

  • On-time-in-full metrics defined at collection, terminal and final delivery
  • Schedule adherence measured against planned departure, arrival and handover milestones
  • Terminal dwell dashboards separating planned, operational and exception dwell
  • Exception management workflows for delay alerts, ownership and closure
  • Daily control-tower routines using shipment status, capacity and risk signals
  • Root-cause analysis using five whys and corrective action tracking

Participants can identify transport risks and specify preventive and recovery controls.

  • Risk registers covering operational, commercial, security and regulatory exposures
  • Failure mode and effects analysis for critical handovers and connections
  • Cargo security controls: seals, geofencing, secure parking and incident reporting
  • Damage prevention through loading standards, lashing plans and inspection records
  • Claims files assembled from evidence, notices, carrier correspondence and valuations
  • Business continuity triggers for terminal closure, network disruption and equipment shortages

Participants can incorporate emissions evidence and reduction options into route decisions.

  • Well-to-wheel and tank-to-wheel emissions reporting boundaries compared
  • Activity-based emissions calculations using tonne-kilometres, fuel and distance data
  • Modal-shift scenarios comparing rail-road and road-only carbon intensity
  • Load-factor improvement opportunities through consolidation and equipment selection
  • Empty repositioning reduction through backhaul matching and equipment circulation
  • Emissions reporting controls covering data sources, assumptions and calculation ownership

Participants can define data requirements for reliable multimodal planning and shipment visibility.

  • Transport master data: locations, equipment, carriers, rates and calendars
  • Milestone event models for collection, gate-in, departure, arrival and delivery
  • UN/EDIFACT transport messages supporting booking, status and invoicing exchanges
  • Data-quality checks for reference numbers, weights, dates and location codes
  • Exception alerts configured around cut-offs, dwell thresholds and delivery commitments
  • Control-tower reports combining planned schedules, actual events and forecast arrivals

Participants can manage multimodal disruptions using defined escalation and recovery decisions.

  • Disruption classification by severity, duration, customer impact and recovery options
  • Missed-connection response trees for held freight, rebooking and road diversion
  • Terminal congestion playbooks covering appointment changes, storage and alternate gateways
  • Rail service cancellation procedures for equipment recovery and customer communication
  • Decision rights for cost approval, service exceptions and priority allocation
  • Post-incident reviews translating disruption evidence into preventive control actions

Participants can establish governance routines that align commercial, operational and customer decisions.

  • Weekly planning cadence linking forecast, bookings, capacity and customer commitments
  • Responsibility assignment matrix for shipper, carrier, terminal and broker actions
  • Escalation ladders based on financial exposure, service risk and decision urgency
  • Change-control procedures for route, timetable, equipment and provider changes
  • Stakeholder communication plans for sales, warehouses, customers and transport partners
  • Management review packs using cost, service, risk and emissions indicators

Participants can prepare a controlled implementation plan for a new multimodal lane.

  • Implementation work breakdown structure from contract award through steady-state operations
  • Readiness assessment covering systems, equipment, facilities, documents and staff
  • Pilot design with controlled volumes, acceptance criteria and review gates
  • Standard operating procedures for booking, dispatch, tracking and exception escalation
  • Training requirements for warehouse teams, planners, drivers and customer service
  • Go-live scorecards tracking stability, cost variance and service performance

Participants can build, review and present a complete multimodal logistics plan for a defined freight lane.

  • Complete lane dossier integrating shipment profile, corridor map and service design
  • Route-cost model comparing baseline, recommended and contingency transport options
  • Operating timetable covering bookings, collections, terminal cut-offs and deliveries
  • Risk register with preventive controls, escalation triggers and recovery actions
  • Supplier and terminal scorecard supporting sourcing or performance improvement decisions
  • Implementation roadmap with owners, milestones, measures and review governance

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Multimodal lane assessment template
  2. Rail-road total-cost model
  3. Terminal handover checklist
  4. Transport timetable planning sheet
  5. Carrier and terminal scorecard
  6. Multimodal implementation roadmap

Who should attend

  • Logistics Managers — responsible for transport cost, service and carrier performance
  • Transport Planners — designing daily and weekly road and rail freight movements
  • Supply Chain Managers — balancing inventory, service commitments and transport capacity
  • Procurement Specialists — sourcing freight contracts and evaluating transport providers
  • Distribution Centre Managers — coordinating inbound and outbound terminal handovers
  • Import Export Coordinators — managing cross-border documentation, customs and delivery obligations

Skills and tools covered

Multimodal route designRail-road schedulingTransport cost modellingTerminal operations planningCarrier performance managementLogistics risk control

Tools and standards

Incoterms 2020, CMR Convention, UN/EDIFACT, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings followed by applied planning work. Participants interpret shipment data, compare transport corridors, construct route-cost models, assess terminals and build operating schedules. Group exercises test decisions against capacity limits, late collections, missed rail departures, border holds and customer delivery requirements. Simulations show how disruption propagates through a rail-road network. Participants receive structured feedback on their planning assumptions, calculations, controls and stakeholder communication. Time is reserved for adapting methods and templates to participants' own lanes and operating conditions.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical exposure to freight transport, distribution, warehouse operations, procurement or supply chain coordination. They should understand basic shipment terms such as lead time, delivery window, carrier, consignment, pallet, container and freight rate. Experience working with transport providers or reviewing transport invoices is useful. Participants do not need rail operations experience, advanced mathematics, specialist transport software knowledge or formal qualifications in logistics. The course explains rail terminology, cost calculations and planning methods before applying them to progressively more complex lanes.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should understand basic freight, distribution or supply chain operations and have some exposure to transport planning or carrier coordination. Rail experience is not required; the course introduces rail service structures, terminal processes and relevant documentation.

A laptop is useful for working with planning templates and route-cost calculations. Participants may also bring non-confidential lane data, carrier rate structures, service issues or route maps from their workplace.

It is designed for logistics managers, transport planners, procurement professionals, distribution managers and import-export coordinators. It is particularly relevant for people considering rail-road modal shifts or improving existing intermodal lanes.

General transport courses usually cover broad carrier management, fleet operations and distribution controls. This course concentrates on planning integrated rail-road flows, including terminals, train schedules, drayage, interchange, corridor design and multimodal disruption recovery.

Participants can use the route scoring matrix, cost model, timetable sheet, risk register and supplier scorecard on live freight lanes. The final planning pack can form the basis for a modal-shift proposal, tender requirement or lane-improvement project.

The first week establishes shipment analysis, route design, terminal planning, cost modelling and initial lane recommendations. The second week develops scheduling, documentation, sourcing, performance controls, risk response, digital data, implementation planning and the capstone presentation.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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