U.S. rail traffic slump continued in week 14

U.S. weekly railroad traffic fell 14 percent for the week ending April 9, as both carload and intermodal activity posted decreases, according to data released yesterday by theAssociation of American Railroads (AAR).

AAR: U.S. carload, intermodal traffic drops 14 percent in week 11

Total U.S. weekly rail traffic continued its slide for the week ending March 19, with carloads falling 17.2 percent to 235,390, and intermodal volume declining 10.7 percent to 248,073 containers and trailers compared with traffic during the same week in 2015, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

LA-LB truck turn times stuck in low gear

Terminal operators in Los Angeles-Long Beach appear to be stuck in a new normal of average truck visit times of about 90 minutes, which has been the case now for the past two years, much to the displeasure of harbor truckers who believe a turn time of one hour should be standard. (This article requires […]

FedEx joins UPS in opposing potential CP-NS merger

FedEx, the largest less-than-truckload carrier in North America and the second-largest trucking operator in the U.S., has joined the league of logistics movers and shakers, including rival UPS, opposed to a proposed Canadian Pacific-Norfolk Southern railway merger. (This article requires registration at the Journal of Commerce. To access, please click on the above link.)

AAR reports mixed volumes for February 2016

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported this week that United States rail carload and intermodal volumes for the month of February were mixed on an annual basis.

Rail competition intense for even modest US intermodal growth

Intermodal volume growth slid to a near-halt in 2015, and the headwinds that stymied growth — high inventories, a strong U.S. dollar, decelerating manufacturing production, low fuel prices and flush truck capacity — show no signs of subsiding anytime soon. (This article requires registration at the Journal of Commerce. To access, please click on the […]

For intermodal, another double-digit gain

Intermodal continues to carry the day for the North American freight railroad industry, registering a gain of nearly 20% for the week ending Feb. 20, 2016, the third consecutive week of double-digit growth, compared to the prior-year period, and offsetting weak carload traffic—which includes a sharp drop in crude oil.

AAR debuts latest version of ‘Freight Rail Works’ campaign

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) yesterday unveiled a new installment of its “Freight Rail Works” campaign, which highlights the role freight railroads play in the national economy. The 2016 campaign explains the amount of freight — from cars to consumer goods to large-scale industrial materials — moved every year for each American, according to […]