What specific feature differentiated the modern intermodal container from earlier unitization attempts?
Answer
Its focus on interchangeability across modes of transport
McLean focused on creating a container designed to be interchangeable between ship, rail, and truck. This focus on interchangeability, ensuring it could transfer easily and fit standard highway regulations, was the key innovation separating it from prior methods that only addressed transportability between two modes.

#Videos
History of the Shipping Container - YouTube
Related Questions
What was the traditional method of cargo handling before the standardization of shipping containers?In which year did W. C. Woods receive a patent for an early system of standardized containers?What crucial feature limited the true universal standardization of Seatrain Lines' system?What was Malcom McLean's initial profession or primary business before focusing on shipping logistics?What specific feature differentiated the modern intermodal container from earlier unitization attempts?What was the destination of the maiden voyage of the Ideal X in 1956?What material were the initial 58 containers carried on the Ideal X made of?How significantly could handling costs be reduced once the container system was fully implemented, according to estimates?Which organization established the first major international standards for freight container dimensions?What key physical specifications, among others, did the ISO standardization agreements of 1968 establish?