Faced with a trend towards increasing freight transport, a global market that is constantly growing and the need for a resource-saving transport system, it is mandatory that European transport policy shifts the balance between all transport systems.`Intelligent MegaSwapBoxes for Advanced Intermodal Freight Transport’ (TelliBox) as an all-purpose loading unit will actively promote the EU’s objectives of achieving intermodal integration and operational optimisation. By drawing together the ideas and contributions of freight forwarders, manufacturers and scientists, the scientific aim is to achieve an all-purpose, intermodal loading unit that is applicable to transport via road, rail, short sea and inland shipping. The advantages of containers and semitrailers will be combined by a MegaSwapBox. Challenges facing the development are that the MegaSwapBox has to - be trimodal, - be stackable and applicable for handling from the top, - use existing low floor wagons for rail transport, - provide an adaptable chassis for road transport, - have an optimised cargo volume of 100m³ with an internal height of 3m, - have loading facilities from three sides (completely openable doors), - offer improved safety features against pilferage. Within six decisive project steps, an interdisciplinary European consortium will realise three optimised and certified prototypes which will be tested on an intermodal European corridor (PL-D-NL-UK). TelliBox will achieve its objectives by combining new materials with innovative and intelligent constructions. A complementary bundle of scientific evaluation methods and profitability calculations will reduce project risk, and the integration of all interest groups will ensure that the MegaSwapBox is accepted. The project TelliBox seeks to successfully introduce the MegaSwapBox onto the market with a view to encouraging the standardisation of new loading units in the long run.