The choice between truck, train, or ship seems easy on the surface, but in practice it involves several factors that can only be internalized by evaluating them repeatedly. Start by choosing one type of shipment that you work with frequently, such as shipping pallets between two points in the same country. Look up the transit time, estimated cost per pallet, on-time percentage, and any minimum quantity requirements for that shipment via truck, train (if applicable), and possibly intermodal if the distance is long enough. Spend 10 minutes per day filling in these four items for the same shipment using the websites or rate sheets of the carriers. Repeating this process causes the information to become a series of questions that you automatically ask whenever you encounter a similar shipment.
A common mistake you might find yourself making as a beginner is always selecting the fastest mode whenever possible, regardless of the overall cost. Faster service usually costs more and will eat into your margins, especially for shipments you make on a regular basis. If you find that your daily entries keep showing that a truck will deliver something two days faster than a train but costs 30% more, you will learn to recognize the pattern. At this point stop and calculate how much more money per year it will cost if you ship that volume by truck every month. Usually the dollar amount will make you reconsider using the faster mode for every shipment. Maybe you can use trains for building inventory and trucks for rush orders. Learning this lesson will keep you from automatically choosing the fastest mode and paying too much.
Forming the daily habit will be easier if you do it at the same time every day. Mid morning is a good time since it allows you to look at any rate updates the carriers may have posted overnight. Try to keep your entries brief by filling in a template with the following information: date, commodity description, mode of transportation, transit time, estimated total cost, on time percentage, and a sentence or two explaining which mode appears to be the best in this situation and why. After five days, you will begin to see trends emerge from your sheet; certain modes are best for certain distances, and others should be used when you have large shipments. The trends will form the basis for your instincts that tell you when you should reconsider the obvious choice.
Your learning will plateau at some point because you will keep getting the same results from your comparisons and the exercise will seem repetitive. When this happens try concentrating on one of the criteria for several days. For instance, look only at on time performance during the winter months or in areas known for bad weather. Check historical records from the carriers themselves to find the data. If you find that trucks frequently experience weather related delays while trains run on schedule you will have learned something that will significantly influence your future decisions. Once you have a feel for how that single variable affects the decision, go back to comparing all of the modes again. You will have added another layer to your knowledge.
Ultimately your sheet will become a personal resource as you fill it with information. Once you have done it for two weeks, the differences between modes will cease to be theoretical and will become more apparent as outcomes that are tied to certain situations: distance, volume, time sensitivity, time of year, etc. When you actually have to make the choice in real life, you will be less likely to hesitate, and you will have enough confidence to ask questions when the situation is not normal. Performing this daily exercise for a short period will eventually turn transportation mode selection into a process you understand that you can refine as you gain more knowledge.