trailer-on-flatcar

Also known as: TOFC

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July 14, 2026

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Trailer-on-flatcar (TOFC), also known as piggybacking, is a method of intermodal freight transport where highway truck trailers are placed on railroad flatcars. This system has been a significant area of growth for rail freight in North America and Europe since World War II. TOFC combines the long-distance hauling capabilities of railroads with the flexibility of highway transport for shorter distances, making rail accessible to manufacturers not directly served by rail.12

Overhead costs for TOFC include terminals with specialized cranes and space for moving and storing trailers. A drawback is the added weight of the trailer's running gear. Railroads have worked to improve TOFC economics by concentrating on strategically located hubs for terminal-to-terminal trainloads and by reducing the tare weight of rail vehicles.1

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railroad
Development
…the rail piggybacking of highway trailers on flatcars (TOFC), which the Southern Pacific Railroad pioneered in 1953. By 1958 the practice had been adopted by 42 railroads; and by the beginning of the 1980s U.S. railroads were recording more than two million piggyback carloadings a year. In Europe, few railroads…
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…the rail piggybacking of highway trailers on flatcars (TOFC), which the Southern Pacific Railroad pioneered in 1953. By 1958 the practice had been adopted by 42 railroads; and by the beginning of the 1980s U.S. railroads were recording more than two million piggyback carloadings a year. In Europe, few railroads…
Read More