The amount of available drayage capacity in the market to handle container movements has dwindled in recent months due to a combination of factors. Those include a quick rebound in volume at ports and inland rail terminals, a slowdown in shippers unloading and returning containers, and drivers exiting the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The […]

Intermodal freight operators entered the year expecting modest gains over a somewhat lackluster 2019 in which the industry handled some 13.7 million rail container units. Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Businesses shut their doors and sent employees to work from home. Consumers sheltered in place, unemployment skyrocketed, and the economy contracted to levels not seen […]

U.S. rail traffic on a weekly basis was mixed for the week that ended last Saturday, according to the Association of American Railroads. Intermodal volumes were up but carloads were down. The U.S. freight railroads originated 294,144 intermodal containers and trailers last week, a 5.5% increase from the same period in 2019. But carloads were […]

The industry is starting to see a significant uptick in intermodal originations out in Southern California and Western Canada. In a recent Journal of Commerce (JOC) article, CN President and CEO JJ Ruest noted that his railroad is returning furloughed labor (and by association that should include assets that may have been on storage, or […]

The average national spot rate for intermodal shipments by rail have increased 58% since early June, or $0.79/mile. The normally rational intermodal market, a safe haven for many shippers, has succumbed to the pressure of the surging freight volumes arriving on the West Coast. What is more impressive than the absolute rate, which is the […]

As was the case in July, August intermodal volumes mostly saw sequential gains, while year-to-date volumes, through August, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, were largely down, according to data provided to LM by the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA). Total August shipments—at 1,575,928—were off 2.7% annually. Domestic containers—at 695,999—were up 4.4%, while trailers—at 108,901—were up 3.2%. […]

In reporting U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 29, 2020, as well as volumes for August 2020, Association of American Railroads Senior Vice President Policy and Economics John T. Gray emphasized the importance that railroads have in moving consumer goods, as indicated by the ongoing recovery in intermodal loadings. “Despite the pandemic and […]

Although U.S. rail traffic declined 5.8 percent in August compared with the same month a year ago, total intermodal volume rose 3 percent to 1,122,954 containers and trailers, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data. U.S. railroads logged 898,227 carloads last month, down 14.9 percent from August 2019, while total combined volume fell to […]

Weekly U.S. intermodal volumes rose year-over-year for the second week in a row, according to the Association of American Railroads. The increase comes as the ports of Long Beach and Oakland in California reported that imports were up year-over-year in July. U.S. freight railroads originated 278,210 intermodal units for the week of Aug. 15, a […]

Union Pacific (UP) has done it again: for the third time in a month the rail operator has raised charges for traffic moving inland from southern California. Yesterday, surcharges on excess contract cargo rose to $3,500 per container, and spot rates out of Los Angeles are up $1,500. Early in August, UP slapped a $500 […]