Prior to the 1950s, ships transported cargo in two forms: bulk cargo and break bulk cargo.  Bulk cargo, such as grain, were transported unpackaged in large volumes, but manufactured goods had to be loaded and unloaded from the ship one piece at a time.  The process was laborious and time consuming, but it remained the industry standard.  American trucker Malcom McLean first started to develop an answer to the shipping problem in the 1930s and eventually thought of using standardized metal shipping containers to replace the break-bulk cargo system.

On this day, April 26th, in 1956, the first American container ship, carrying modern day intermodal shipping containers, embarked on a journey from Port, New Jersey to Houston, Texas.  McLean Trucking created a freight ship fleet by converting T2 tankers that had been used in World War II. The use of shipping containers allowed goods to be easily loaded and unloaded from ships and subsequently, reduced shipping time by more than 80% and reduced shipping costs by 35%.

Despite the apparent usefulness of shipping containers, the shipping industry resisted change.  After ten years of struggles, container ships were cleared for international shipping and the modern shipping industry was permanently changed. Today, 90% of non-bulk cargo is shipped using modern shipping containers and ships.  Intermodal shipping containers allow for goods to be transported from ship to train to truck with ease.