Intermodal Sees Strong Q3 Gains
Total intermodal volume in the third quarter saw a significant increase of 9.8% year-over-year, with international containers rising by 15.4% and domestic containers improving by 6%.
However, trailer volumes experienced an 11% decline, according to the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA).
“International volume continued to be the growth engine in the third quarter,” stated Joni Casey, president and CEO of IANA, in a press release. “We expect this strength to drive overall traffic through the end of the year.”
Image: Intermodal Association of North America (IANA).
The seven highest-density trade corridors, which collectively accounted for over 60% of total volume, also reported gains during the quarter. The Southeast-Southwest corridor led the way with a 25.9% increase, followed by the South Central-Southwest at 23.8%, the Midwest-Northwest at 23.2%, and the high-volume Midwest-Southwest corridor, which saw a 17% rise.
Additionally, Trans-Canada traffic increased by 7.4%, while the Intra-Southeast and Northeast-Midwest corridors saw smaller gains of 2.7% and 0.4%, respectively.
Overall, total intermodal marketing company volume rose by 2.8% from the third quarter of 2023, with intermodal traffic up 9.5% and highway loads down by 5.8%.