International freight drives Q3 intermodal gains

Highest-density corridors showed Q3 increases

(Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Total intermodal volume in the third quarter increased 9.8% year over year as international containers gained 15.4% and domestic containers were 6% better.

Trailers fell 11%, according to the Intermodal Association of North America.

“International volume continued to be the growth engine in the third quarter,” said Joni Casey, president and chief executive of IANA, in a release. “We expect this strength to drive overall traffic through the end of the year.”

The seven highest-density trade corridors, which collectively handled more than 60% of total volume, were higher in the quarter. The Southeast-Southwest led all gainers, up 25.9%, followed by the South Central-Southwest, 23.8%, Midwest-Northwest, 23.2%, and the highest-volume Midwest-Southwest corridor, 17%.

(Intermodal Associtian of North America)

Trans-Canada traffic was ahead by 7.4% percent, trailed by the Intra-Southeast, 2.7%, and the Northeast-Midwest, 0.4%.

Total intermodal marketing company volume grew by 2.8% from third quarter 2023 on intermodal traffic better by 9.5% and highway loads off 5.8%.

Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

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Stuart Chirls

Stuart Chirls is a journalist who has covered the full breadth of railroads, intermodal, container shipping, ports, supply chain and logistics for Railway Age, the Journal of Commerce and IANA. He has also staffed at S&P, McGraw-Hill, United Business Media, Advance Media, Tribune Co., The New York Times Co., and worked in supply chain with BASF, the world's largest chemical producer. Reach him at stuartchirls@firecrown.com.