Transporting heavy commodities can be time consuming, costly, and cause stress on the nation's highways and interstates.

Julie Pearce tells us how a new system hopes to change that by combining the roads with the rails.

Railmate as its termed, uses custom fitted trailers that are designed to ride the rails.

A piece of equipment called a bogie and it creates the perfect union between the train and the semi.

Here's how it works.

The bogie is connected to the trailer.

The new combination of truck and train is backed onto the rails.

A hydraulic system then lowers the truck onto the tracks.

Once the bogie is in the locked position, the trailer wheels are lifted, tucked, and locked into place.

The unison creates a hybrid transportation system that can accommodate several cars and haul thousands of tons of heavy commodities.

With the ever–increasing shortage of truck drivers and rising fuel costs, advocates of Railmates say it is an economically smart option.

Betty Juntune, Vice President of American Surface Lines, the manufacturer of Railmate says that, "You have no transfer costs, you save time, you save money, you save labor, it truly is an efficient way to move that commodity product."

They also believe the system enables flexibility and in the spirit of Earth Week, the crossbreed of rail and road is considered green technology.

Juntune continues, "Through reducing fuel emissions into the air and removing heavy trucks off of the highway, with the noise factor, it will not only improve the environment, but it will improve all of us to reduce taxes for repairing the roads."

The new technology is still being tested and developed.

Developers are waiting for a production waiver from the Federal Railroad Administration.