On March 14, 2024, four companies signed a letter of intent to develop combined road-rail transport across Europe using digital shipping tools. The signatories include Luigi Ferraris, CEO of FS Group; Matteo Del Fante, CEO of Poste Italiane; Sabrina De Filippis, CEO of Mercitalia Logistics; and David Nothacker, CEO and co-founder of sennder, a German company specializing in the digitalization of road transport.
A statement released on March 14, 2024, reveals that this alliance seeks to increase the digitalization of combined transport to "optimize costs, flows, and distances traveled, while simultaneously reducing emissions." Poste Italiane has been collaborating with sennder since 2019 in the full truckload transport sector in Italy through a joint venture. On this new partnership, David Nothacker elaborates that "the technologies and algorithms based on artificial intelligence developed by sennder will support not only the digitalization of intermodal operations but also the increase in efficiency through the reduction of empty kilometers traveled."
Looking ahead, a technical-economic feasibility study is planned to explore the possibility of establishing a new company that would create a European multimodal operator. This new entity is expected to offer the market innovative and sustainable road-rail intermodal transport solutions.
