Q 01/05

Which American trucking magnate invented the modern intermodal shipping container?

A) Malcom McLean

B) Keith Tantlinger

C) Henry Ford

D) Fred Smith

Answer · why

A) Malcom McLean

He started with a single used truck in 1935 hauling empty tobacco barrels in North Carolina.

Q 02/05

In April 1956 the converted tanker Ideal-X carried the first containers from Newark to which port?

A) Miami

B) Houston

C) New Orleans

D) San Juan

Answer · why

B) Houston

It carried 58 35-foot 'trailer vans' along with its regular liquid cargo.

Q 03/05

McLean's container line, originally Pan-Atlantic Steamship, was renamed what in 1960?

A) Sea-Land Service

B) Matson Navigation

C) American President Lines

D) Evergreen Marine

Answer · why

A) Sea-Land Service

In 1967 the US government invited it to run container service to South Vietnam, which produced 40% of its revenue.

Q 04/05

Which engineer designed the twistlock and corner castings that lock shipping containers together?

A) Keith Tantlinger

B) Taiichi Ohno

C) Ford W. Harris

D) Jay Forrester

Answer · why

A) Keith Tantlinger

McLean met him at Brown Trailers and hired him as vice-president of engineering and research.

Q 05/05

Container ship capacity is measured in TEU. What does the T stand for?

A) Tonne-mile

B) Twenty-foot

C) Trailer-load

D) Terminal

Answer · why

B) Twenty-foot

A forty-foot box counts as two TEU, and 40-footers make up about 90% of container shipping.