Employee headcount at the U.S. Class I railroads fell both year-over-year and sequentially in August, amid a rise in U.S. carload traffic but a decline in intermodal volumes.
Employees working at the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads in August totaled 114,431, a 2.83% decline from August 2020 and a 1.07% drop from July 2021, according to data submitted to the Surface Transportation Board.
The steepest declines year-over-year came from the maintenance of equipment and stores category and the transportation (other than train and engine) category amid the railroads’ continued adoption of precision scheduled railroading, an operating model that seeks to streamline operations.
In mid-August, the number of employees in the maintenance of equipment and stores category totaled 17,205, a 10.23% decline from August 2020 and a 1.79% drop from July 2021.
The number of employees in the transportation (other than train and engine) category totaled 4,659 in August, an 8.09% drop year-over-year and a 1.52% decrease from July 2021.
The only category that grew year-over-year was transportation (train and engine), which tends to be sensitive to market demand and network capacity needs. The total, 47,109 employees, was 1.85% higher than August 2020 but 0.82% lower than July 2021.
As employee headcount, U.S. rail volumes were flat in August, with a 4.1% gain in carloads offset by a 3.3% decline in intermodal traffic, according to the Association of American Railroads.
August rail volumes totaled 2.02 million carloads and intermodal units and were flat with August 2020.
On a sequential basis, U.S. rail volumes were up 2.5% between July and August, with carloads rising 3.3% to 934,762 and intermodal traffic increasing by 1.8% to nearly 1.09 million containers and trailers.
Subscribe to FreightWaves’ e-newsletters and get the latest insights on freight right in your inbox.
Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Joanna Marsh.
Related links:
Freight Fraud Symposium
Double brokering. AI deepfakes. Identity theft. Freight fraud is an existential threat to the industry. Get ahead of it.
Supply Chain AI Symposium
Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.
Future of Rail Symposium
Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.
Double brokering. AI deepfakes. Identity theft. Freight fraud is an existential threat to the industry. Get ahead of it.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame • Cleveland, OH Register NowPast the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.
The Old Post Office • Chicago, IL Register NowReshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now