2012 intermodal container volume at all-time high

   Intermodal container volumes ended 2012 at a record high with 13.1 million moves, surpassing the previous year by 5.9 percent, according to the latest Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics report from Intermodal Association of North America (IANA).
   Total intermodal shipments closed 2012 with a 4 percent gain.
   For the full year, domestic container movements grew 12.2 percent to 5,528,185 and movements of international ISO containers grew 1.7 percent to 7,580,488. Trailer movements were down 10.1 percent to 1,523,556.
   “For the third straight year, domestic containers were the driving factor,” IANA said. It said 48-foot and 53-foot domestic boxes accounted for 38 percent of all container movements for the year. Despite some year-end softening, international volumes continued to have the largest share of intermodal loadings at 52 percent of the total.
   In the fourth quarter, intermodal movements were up 2 percent over the same period a year earlier. Domestic container moves were up 10.4 percent in the fourth quarter to 1,444,919, but ISO container volumes were off slightly, 0.7 percent to 1,846,635, and trailer volumes were off 12.2 percent to 379,698. – Chris Dupin