Rural logistics: multimodal cargo shipments.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: TRANSPORTATION

For the majority of people living in Alaska, making a quick trip to the grocery store for milk or going to the mall for a new pair of shoes isn't such a big deal. But for those living in rural Alaska, buying these same commodities requires a lot more work than just driving a short distance to do a little shopping.

Living in the Bush means living without what most of us take for granted. Whether a family needs groceries, or a business needs fuel, or a construction company needs new equipment, all of these things have to be transported in from outside--and that's not always easy.

"I'd call us a lifeline--we provide the medical supplies, food and the equipment that people need to be able to live out in rural Alaska," says Mark Liland, director of sales for Northern Air Cargo. "Anything villages need that we can fit in a plane we'll carry, and that includes mail, food, household goods, project freight for construction and the oil and gas industries, mining equipment, hazmat and explosives, and even live animals. It runs the gamut."

"On a scale of one to 10, I'd say that we're a 10 when it comes to how important we are to rural Alaska," says Steven Smith, sales manager, Everts Air Cargo. "Not just our company, but any of the air cargo companies that serve the Bush communities. In many cases, there's just no other way to get these products to the villages."

Transporting cargo to rural Alaska often takes more than one mode of transportation, however. Depending on where freight is going, it may be barged in from the Lower 48, flown in from major hubs in Alaska, or even trucked in on highways or ice roads. What seems key to its delivery, however, is that all of the companies that provide these services work together to untangle what in most places would be a logistical nightmare.

YOU CAN GET THERE FROM HERE

Before products can be delivered to smaller communities, they need to reach the Last Frontier. Much of what is transported to Alaska comes by barge, through companies such as Totem Ocean Trailer Express, or TOTE. Now in its 37th year, the fleet sails twice a week from Tacoma to Anchorage, where its cargo is picked up and transported by road and rail to other hubs. It is then transported to outlying villages.

"We ship everything; most of what goes to Alaska goes by water--groceries, large construction materials, office equipment, military supplies--everything you can imagine," says Stephanie Holthaus, vice president of sales and customer service...