The financial impact of the United States railroad industry on all facets of the nation’s economy cannot even come close to being understated.
May carload and intermodal volumes see another decline, reports AAR
United States rail carload and intermodal volumes were down again for the month of May, according to data released this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
Moore on Pricing: Rail merger activity just beginning
The briefly considered merger of the Norfolk Southern (NS) and Canadian Pacific (CP) railroads is illustrative of the changes rail shippers should be watching for in both intermodal and bulk rail services. These are smart companies, and they see a billion reasons why opportunity in this “sleepy” industry is better than many shippers realize.
AAR REPORTS WEEKLY RAIL TRAFFIC FOR THE WEEK ENDING MAY 14, 2016
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 14, 2016. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 498,379 carloads and intermodal units, down 9.2 percent compared with the same week last year.
Oil Hit by Stronger Dollar, Increase in U.S. Crude Stocks
Oil prices are drifting lower Thursday on a stronger dollar and an unexpected increase in U.S. crude inventories. The fall comes after a rally in recent sessions fueled by production outages in Africa and Canada. Production declines across the globe have propelled expectations of shrinking the global oversupply, but many countries are still pumping at […]
Canadian Factory Shipments Decline in March
Canadian factory sales fell in March on lower transportation and primary metals sales, and together with a downward revision to February’s sales, marked the steepest two-month drop in more than a year. (This article requires a subscription to the Wall Street Journal. To access, please click on the above link.)
Another Hike in Diesel Prices, Oil Nears $50 Per Barrel
The average price of diesel fuel increased once again last week, continuing a streak of price hikes that began in February, according to the latest numbers from the Energy Department.
Transportation Services Index tumbled in March
The combined Transportation Services Index (TSI) in March was tabulated at 121.3, down 0.5 percent from February’s level and 0.9 percent from March 2015’s mark, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).
New index helps shippers gauge when to convert truck loads to rail
A new North American intermodal index that can help shippers determine when it’s best to move truck loads to intermodal rail indicates “mildly favorable” market conditions. Research firm FTR Transportation Intelligence’s new Intermodal Competitive Index, which was unveiled Wednesday, is a compendium of different factors including relative rates in both modes, industry capacity and demand, […]
AAR REPORTS WEEKLY RAIL TRAFFIC FOR THE WEEK ENDING MAY 7, 2016
Total carloads for the week ending May. 7 were 233,047 carloads, down 14.8 percent compared with the same week in 2015, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 259,876 containers and trailers, down 6.4 percent compared to 2015. Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2015. They […]