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Pennsylvania trucking company files for bankruptcy

A Greensburg, Pennsylvania, trucking company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

CLB Trucking filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on Friday. The filing was made by company owner Traci Peters.

According to the bankruptcy filing obtained by FreightWaves, CLB Trucking has $1 million-$10 million in liabilities to one to 49 creditors. The company has between $100,001 and $500,000 in estimated assets.

Top creditors are the U.S. Small Business Administration, claiming $474,507, PACCAR Financial of Bellevue, Washington, claiming $264,573, and 1st Equipment Finance of Pittston, Pennsylvania, claiming $236,252.

According to SAFER data, CLB Trucking hauls metal, coal, dry bulk commodities and asphalt. The company operates nine power units.

Over the last two years, CLB Trucking has had eight vehicle and 11 driver inspections – none of which resulted in drivers or vehicles being taken out of service.

The company has reported one crash over the last two years resulting in one injury.

Saudia adds A330 cargo jets from charter operator

A Saudia Cargo plane with green accents. Viewed from side on tarmac with blue sky.

The cargo division of Saudia has signed a long-term transportation agreement with Ireland-based ASL Aviation Holdings to provide and operate two Airbus A330-300 converted freighters to boost its capacity, the companies announced Thursday.

ASL Airlines Ireland, one of five airlines ASL airlines based in Europe, will begin operating the first A330 on Saudia Cargo’s behalf early in the fourth quarter.

ASL is leasing the A330-300 from U.S.-based Air Transport Services Group, which paid Elbe Flugzeugwerke, a joint venture between Airbus and Singapore-based ST Engineering, to change the used aircraft from passenger configuration to an all-cargo one. The aircraft originally was in service with Taiwan-based China Airlines, according to database Planespotters.

The first cargo jet arrived at Shannon Airport in Dublin in mid-June where it was painted in the Saudia Cargo livery. ASL Airlines Ireland is in the process of reintroducing the A330 to its air operators certificate and obtaining approvals for operating specifications. The second A330 will undergo similar steps before entering service with Saudia later in the fourth quarter.

The A330-300s will supplement ASL Ireland’s existing fleet of Boeing 737-800 converted cargo jets and ATR 72 turboprops. 

ASL Ireland ceased flying A330s earlier this year for DHL under an arrangement in which DHL provided the aircraft and ASL provided crews, maintenance and insurance. DHL this year has culled some of its airline partners as it adjusts capacity around the world in response to shifting transportation demand and cost pressures. The wet lease with Saudia Cargo covers all aspects of operating the aircraft — including the airframe. 

The A330-300 is suited for express parcel operations because of its volumetric capacity, but also can carry heavy cargo. It has a revenue payload of more than 115,800 pounds, with space for 26 pallets on the main deck and 11 smaller pallets in the lower hold. 

Saudia Cargo has four Boeing 777 and four 747-400 freighters in its fleet. Air Atlanta Europe operates the 747s on behalf of Saudia Cargo, according to Airfleets.net.

“Expanding our capacity and global reach is a strategic imperative for Saudia Cargo, ensuring uninterrupted supply chains for our customers. The integration of this A330-300P2F, in partnership with ASL Aviation Holdings, will significantly support our network capabilities, enabling us to connect

markets with greater agility and efficiency. This pivotal addition directly supports our vision to

solidify our position as a leading global air cargo carrier and solidifies the Kingdom’s role as a

global logistics hub,” said Eng. Loay Mashabi, CEO and managing director of Saudia Cargo, in a news release. 

ULS Airlines

In related news, Air Transport Services Group also announced Thursday that it had delivered its second A330-300 passenger-to-freighter aircraft to ULS Airlines Cargo in Turkey. Conversion work was done by Turkish Technic in Istanbul under a subcontracting arrangement with EFW. ULS Airlines operates in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. It operates three Airbus A300 freighters in addition to the A330 it received earlier this year.

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com.

DHL cuts ties with cargo airlines as efficiency initiative ramps up

Turkey’s ULS Cargo Airlines to receive first A330 freighter in March

DOT moves to clear the road for self-driving trucks

Waymo truck being tested

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is beginning work to iron out challenges to an eventual nation-wide rollout of automated vehicles (AVs), including commercial trucks.

In a Request for Information (RFI) published on Friday, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R) seeks feedback over the next 60 days from the trucking industry, technology developers, operators of automated driver system (ADS) vehicle fleets, transportation agencies and researchers on the data and research needed to support full deployment.

“OST-R intends to enhance the current understanding of the technical, data, and resource needs to improve the ability of software-driven AV systems to operate and interact with other road users and infrastructure safely and efficiently at scale on roadways across varied U.S. geographies and operational design domains,” the office stated in the announcement.

“This understanding will help OST-R develop a research agenda to facilitate nationwide AV deployment.”

The office emphasized the RFI will not cover safety topics over which DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration already have regulatory jurisdiction.

DOT began the groundwork towards autonomous trucks during the first Trump administration, culminating in an AV “Comprehensive Plan” published just days before the administration left Washington in 2021. Little progress was made during the Biden administration on finalizing a regulatory framework.

Pressure on AV deployment is coming from Capitol Hill as well, with legislation introduced last month that would codify into law FMCSA’s interpretation that safety regulations don’t require a human driver, and would exempt fully autonomous trucks from human-specific requirements such as hours of service and drug testing.

Specific information required

The ROI lists six areas for which DOT seeks answers to specific questions, including:

Data Standards and Integration

  • What additional research is needed to improve understanding of operational needs related to automated fleet operations (including both commercial motor vehicles and non-CMV fleets such as ride hailing), e.g. transcontinental automated truck trips, including fueling, inspection, emergency maintenance and other services.
  • What interoperable digital data would be valuable in supporting these services for automated fleets?
  • What are the near-term infrastructure-related data needs for deployment of AVs, including roadway operations, maintenance, and planning?
  • Which data needs require standardized information exchange, and how should this occur?

Edge-case characteristics identification

What research is needed to understand the data capture and support for longitudinal tracking of AV impacts on transportation system operations across varied roadway environments?

Supervision dynamics and human interaction

  • What methods can incentivize AV operator transparency while protecting proprietary information?
  • What research is needed to optimize human-machine interfaces for diverse user groups, including emergency responders, pedestrians, cyclists, other human drivers and passengers, to enhance safety, accessibility, and trust in mixed traffic environments?

Evidence-based evaluation

What research is needed to support safe, transparent, and equitable nationwide evidence-based evaluation of AV operational impacts on the transportation system?

Transparency and building public understanding

  • What statistical methods are suitable to adequately capture emerging anomalous behavior or rare-event factors associated with AV impacts or interactions on the transportation system?
  • What areas and resolution of nationwide mapping is required or would be used for roadways, intersections, bridges, tunnels, interchanges, right of ways, and/or parking areas, be they public, private, paved, unpaved or otherwise?
  • Would your company use the map data if it was at no cost?
  • If there was a charge for the map data, what is the reasonable estimated charge for the map data, and would your company be willing to pay this reasonable estimated charge?

Interactions with other road users and the transportation system

What research is needed to develop new or improved standardized methods to evaluate vehicle behavior consistency (e.g., car following, lane changing, pedestrian/cyclist detection) across diverse environments (e.g., rain, fog, snow, work zones, potholes), interactions (e.g., unpredictable human drivers, emergency vehicles), and situations (e.g., sensor failure, loss of cellular network, mechanical failures) when ADS-equipped vehicles are involved?

Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher.

US tariffs impacting Mexican trucking industry, exports drop over 50%

Exports, production and domestic sales of Mexican-built heavy-duty trucks saw steep year over year declines in July.

Mexican trucking industry officials attributed U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum and copper for the sharp contractions, along with the uncertainty in the market created by increased duties on goods from Mexico to the U.S.

“The impact we’re having is primarily related to steel, aluminum and now copper,”  Rogelio Arzate, president of Mexico’s National Association of Bus, Truck and Tractor Producers (Anpact), said during a news conference on Tuesday. “[Tariffs] generate uncertainty, and we see it reflected in the results we’ve had so far this year.”

Exports of Mexican-made trucks fell 51.6% year-over-year in July to 7,867 units, while production plummeted 55.1% year-over-year to 9,668 units, according to data from Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography.

The U.S. market was the main destination for exports of trucks made in Mexico, accounting for 94.9% in July, followed by Canada at 3.5% and Colombia at 0.7%.

On July 31, the U.S. and Mexico agreed to extend an existing trade deal for 90 days while negotiations continue for a long term agreement.

The 90-day extension means a 25% tariff rate will stay in place for Mexico instead of a 30% levy that would have started Friday as part of the Trump administration’s global “reciprocal” tariff policy.

Imported goods from Mexico covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement remain exempt from tariffs.

Guillermo Rosales, deputy director general of the Mexican Association of Automobile Dealers, said the trade uncertainty between Mexico and the U.S. is hurting demand for trucks.

“We expect that during the rest of 2025 and 2026, as long as there is no clarity on the terms under which the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement will be renegotiated, we will continue in a negative environment for the sale of heavy commercial vehicles,” Rosales said during the same news conference.

The 16 members of Anpact in Mexico are Freightliner, Kenworth, Navistar, Hino, International, DINA, MAN SE, Mercedes-Benz, Isuzu, Scania, Shacman Trucks, Foton, Cummins, Detroit Diesel, Daimler Buses Mexico and Volkswagen Buses.

Wholesale sales of trucks in Mexico dropped 60.1% year-over-year to 2,175 units in July, compared to 5,452 in the same year-ago period.

Freightliner was the top truck producer and exporter in Mexico in July, producing 5,977 trucks, a 39% year-over-year decline. The truck maker exported 5,540 units during April, a 36.3% year-over-year decrease.

International Trucks Inc. was the No. 2 producer and exporter, manufacturing 2,218 trucks in July, a 74.7% year-over-year decrease. The truck maker’s exports fell 74.8% year-over-year to 1,739 units during the month.

Kenworth came in third for production and exports during July, manufacturing 953 truckings, a 52% year-over-year decline. The company’s exports decreased 10% year-over-year to 588 units.

C.H. Robinson gets an upgrade at S&P Global, reduced headcount a key reason

C.H. Robinson is back to its long-time debt rating of BBB+ from S&P Global Ratings, after about 15 months at a level one notch below that. 

The ratings agency on Wednesday increased the rating of the giant 3PL by one notch to BBB+. It had cut that rating to BBB in May 2024, after the company had held a BBB+ since at least 2018. 

But the May reduction came right about the same time that C.H. Robinson (NASDAQ: CHRW) was beginning its turnaround, at least as far as its earnings demonstrated. A strong first quarter 2024 report sent the company’s stock price soaring, and that has been followed by continuing solid financial reports and a rise in its stock price of about 73% since the end of April 2024. The stock is up almost 24% just in the last month.

The S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) rating is considered one notch above the Moody’s (NYSE: MCO) rating of Baa2 for C.H. Robinson. Moody’s affirmed that rating in late June.  Both ratings are in investment-grade territory. 

Headcount cuts came faster than expected

Geoffrey Wilson, the San Francisco-based S&P Global analyst who conducted the analysis leading to the C.H. Robinson upgrade, said the relatively quick turnaround in C.H. Robinson’s fortunes owed to several developments. But one stood out. 

“One is that they significantly and very quickly rightsized their head count,” Wilson said in an interview with FreightWaves. 

Wilson said many 3PLs, during the post-pandemic freight boom of 2022, were facing “rising rates that made for some good times.”

“And what we saw were a lot of companies that wanted to take advantage of the good times and maybe take a disproportionate piece of market share that was growing there,” Wilson said. That push came with adding headcount.

But the problem these companies encountered when the good times slowed is that they were dealing with a new capital structure that was now facing low freight rates and rising interest rates. “The capital structure was completely different from how they foresaw the next two years,” Wilson added.

Wilson alluded to last year’s S&P Global downgrade of C.H. Robinson and its proximity to the evidence of a turnaround. “When we ultimately downgraded them, it was early days of the head count restructuring but we just didn’t see how it could be done quick enough to give them the sources of liquidity needed,” he said.

At C.H. Robinson, Wilson said, executives were saying on earnings calls as early as the fourth quarter of 2022 that cutbacks were likely. “What we’ve seen since then is a very quick headcount restructuring that to this day is still going on,” Wilson said.

The S&P Global report notes that personnel expenses at C.H. Robinson have dropped 19% since a fourth quarter 2022 peak. Average headcount is down 27% since then. 

Ultimately, ratings agencies rely on numbers in deciding whether to upgrade, downgrade or hold steady a company’s debt rating. In its release announcing the change, S&P Global said the metric of funds from operations to debt at C.H. Robinson has been above 45% since the fourth quarter of 2024, a key metric. 

The ratings agency said it expects C.H. Robinson to sustain that coverage at “well over” 45%,”which comfortably exceeds our previous upside threshold for our rating.” That metric was another key number that led to the upgrade, S&P Global said.

Debt load is reduced

Another development cited by S&P Global was debt redemption by C.H. Robinson. The ratings agency said the 3PL has fully repaid a $141 million balance on its revolving credit facility and reduced its borrowing under an accounts receivable lending facility by $70 million.

Other metrics cited by S&P Global are efficiency-driven. For example, the agency said,  shipments per person per day “have grown at a double digit percentage for over two years, supported by automation and digital capabilities.”

The upgrade came with an outlook of stable. A stable outlook means conditions are such that an upgrade or downgrade in the short to medium term is not likely; C.H. Robinson had a negative outlook prior to its 2024 downgrade.

“The stable outlook reflects our view that operational efficiencies gained over the past few years can offset potential industry headwinds arising from trade policy uncertainty,” the report said. It added that S&P Global expects the FFO to debt metric to be in the mid 50% range for this year. 

In a prepared statement, C.H. Robinson said the upgrade “reflects the meaningful progress we’ve made in strengthening our financial profile, driven by disciplined capital allocation, sustained market outgrowth, margin expansion and productivity improvements, and a resilient operating model. Despite persistent freight market headwinds, our strong business performance and focus on operational improvement initiatives have enabled us to maintain healthy leverage ratios and consistent cash flow, which S&P recognized as key contributors to our improved credit standing.” 

 The increase in C.H. Robinson’s debt rating is particularly notable given what has happened to the debt ratings of the small group of other 3PLs that have publicly-traded debt.

RXO (NYSE: RXO) was cut by S&P Global to BB, a non-investment grade rating, in May 2024. Echo Global Logistics has been at B- since October 2023. Odyssey Logistics’ move to a B- rating took place in early June. 

More articles by John Kingston

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Yellow Corp. to sell Ontario terminal, 2 others for $16M

A Yellow Corp. tractor pulling a Roadway trailer exiting a terminal

Bankrupt Yellow Corp. has entered a motion with a federal bankruptcy court in Delaware to sell three terminals valued at approximately $16 million, according to a Thursday filing.

A $15.6 million sale agreement has been inked for a 42-door terminal in Ontario, Canada. A local concrete supplier appears to be the buyer.

The other properties include a 14-door location in Jacksonville, North Carolina ($300,000) and an 8-door terminal in Quebec ($115,000).

All three properties are owned by the defunct less-than-truckload carrier’s estate.

Proceeds from the sales will settle claims against the estate, including employee claims for PTO, sick time and amounts sought under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.

Yellow’s estate has sold roughly 215 terminals for nearly $2.4 billion.

A monthly operating report for June showed the estate had $608 million in cash and has paid out $220 million in professional fees and expenses since the August 2023 bankruptcy filing.

More FreightWaves articles by Todd Maiden:

Ports to DOT: Time for a maritime reboot

Vincent Thomas Bridge

WASHINGTON – Seaports, waterway operators, and shippers are telling the Trump administration that a national freight plan will be incomplete without a significant focus on maritime transportation.

Comments filed with the U.S. Department Transportation by the Port of Los Angeles, the American Waterways Operators (AWO), and the National Waterways Conference echo a common theme: that maritime freight is undervalued and should be a higher priority within DOT’s National Freight Strategic Plan (NFSP), which is under review by the department.

“The lack of recognition and inclusion of waterborne freight transportation, and the omission of maritime facilities and networks in this national freight transportation framework creates a disconnect between the essential role of our ports and waterways and the broader goals of freight transportation, and highlights the need for a more balanced and inclusive approach in the NFSP,” said Julie Ufner, President and CEO of NWC, whose members includes ports, barge operators, and agriculture exporters.

Ufner also pointed out that the map designating the current National Multimodal Freight Network (NMFN) – which is to be used in conjunction with the NFSP – includes only 138 public ports, despite data showing more than 350 public ports “and thousands of private terminals in active use,” Ufner said. “At the same time, other modes, including privately held railroads, are abundantly represented on the map.”

Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, stressed that a “whole-of-government approach” to maritime policy is needed, recommending DOT integrate a National Maritime Strategy with the NFSP “which is critical for improving supply chain resilience, enhancing economic competitiveness, and advancing national security,” he wrote in comments filed with DOT.

Seroka told DOT that a $1.5 billion project he announced last month to raise the Vincent Thomas Bridge, a suspension bridge that traverses the port and is used heavily by trucks hauling in and out of the port, is an example of how integrating road and marine strategies can benefit both sectors.

“The current clearance of the bridge is a constraint on the newest, supersized cargo vessels, barring access to 40% of the port’s terminal capacity,” he said. Raising the bridge by 26 ft. to 211 ft. would open the port to larger container ships “and preserve a significant amount of the nation’s port capacity” he stated.

The port also pushed DOT to expand the criteria for identifying corridors providing access to manufacturing and agriculture to include those that provide access to logistics hubs and retail centers, “which represent a significant portion of the modern economy.”

AWO, which represents barge companies and others that operate on inland waterways and along the coast, urged DOT and the Maritime Administration (Marad), an agency under DOT, should coordinate with other federal agencies to better integrate domestic Marine Highway Routes into the strategy “to ensure shippers are aware of the benefits of maritime transportation … to achieve full multimodal transportation network integration,” said Caitlyn Stewart, AWO’s vice president for regulatory affairs.

Steward also suggested that DOT and Marad coordinate with shippers “to identify opportunities to use maritime transportation to meet their needs.”

Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher.

BMO’s transportation group, major lender to trucking, may be for sale: report

The transportation group of BMO, one of the largest lenders to the trucking industry, may be up for sale.

According to a Wednesday report from Bloomberg, BMO (NYSE: BMO), the former Bank of Montreal, is “exploring” a sale of the transportation finance business. Bloomberg, quoting “people familiar with the matter,” said the group could bring a sales price of about $1 billion.

If the deal was concluded in the next few months–if there is a deal–it would mark an almost even decade that BMO had the business. It bought the unit from GE Finance in late 2015.

The quarterly earnings at BMO provide granular data on various performance metrics of its divisions, including transportation. Figures on writeoffs, allowances, provisions and impaired loans, as well as the size of the transportation unit’s total book of business, can be used to draw some inference about the state of the industry. 

For example, gross impaired loans in the second quarter were $503 million. In the strong freight market of 2022, the quarterly figure for gross impaired loans were generally between $70 and $80 million, reflecting the radically different conditions for trucking.  

With a sale, that data presumably will no longer be available unless the new owner publishes it each quarter.

Approximately 90% of BMO’s transportation book of business is believed to be trucking. 

BMO’s view of the importance of that sector can be seen at numerous trucking trade shows. The bank often secures the first spot at the various conferences’ trade shows, impossible to miss when attendees walk through the door.

An email sent to BMO seeking comment had not been returned at publication time. The bank also declined comment to Bloomberg.

In its latest quarterly report for the second quarter of fiscal 2025, released in late May, BMO reported gross loans and acceptances in its transportation unit of over CA$14 billion (U.S. $10.1 billion). That was down from approximately $14.9 billion in the prior quarter. The highest book of business reported by the company’s transportation sector was approximately $15.6 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023. 

Of the various sectors broken out by BMO, that bank of business for transportation is well down the chart compared to other lending books at BMO. The largest in the second quarter was commercial real estate at $76.9 billion.

More articles by John Kingston

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Supply chain disruptions feared as Air Canada prepares for strike

A flight attendant on a picket line holds an orange sign "UnfAir Canada"

Air Canada has begun canceling long-haul international flights, which carry most of the airline’s cargo, in preparation for a planned work stoppage by flight attendants on Saturday, executives said Thursday.

The news conference in Toronto was cut short after union members walked in front of the stage with signs, such as “Unpaid work won’t fly,” critical of Air Canada’s negotiating position in stalled contract talks. 

Air Canada (TSX: AC) will gradually suspend flights until all flights are grounded by Saturday morning. Dozens of flights will be canceled Thursday and by the end of Friday about 500 flights will be canceled, impacting more than 100,000 travelers.

“This will also impact our cargo operations and have consequences on the supply chain,” said Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, chief human resources and public affairs officer. Air Canada’s fleet of six Boeing 767-300 freighter aircraft will operate with modified schedules, which will protect about 20% to 25% of usual volumes, a spokesman informed FreightWaves by email. 

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday urged the federal government to intervene to prevent a prolonged disruption to travel and commerce, if the sides can’t resolve their differences. Nearly half of all Canadian pharmaceuticals shipped by air are carried by Air Canada. Shipments of agriculture, perishable food products, parts and machinery for manufacturing will all be delayed if Air Canada is forced to shut down, the business group said.  

“At a time when Canada is facing unprecedented economic challenges and trade uncertainty, a service disruption would interrupt air cargo connectivity, directly impacting Canadian businesses that are working to diversify their customers in provinces across the country. The impact on business will be felt internationally too, and would lead to losses for Canadian exporters, further compounding the impacts on industries throughout our economy,” the Chamber said in a statement.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses expressed similar concerns and interest in government intervention. 

Once the strike is over it will take a full week for Air Canada to fully restore operations, said Chief Operating Officer Marc Nasr. 

Air Canada has characterized the flight attendants as not serious about reaching an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. 

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 10,000 flight attendants, started negotiations demanding a compensation increase of more than 100%, according to the airline, which countered with a 38% increase in total compensation, including benefits and pensions, over four years. The offer also includes an increase in ground pay, which is calculated separately for work carried out when planes are not in flight. 

CUPE blames Air Canada for the breakdown in talks, saying the airline’s offer is below industry standard and fails to make up ground on inflation since the previous contract was signed in 2015. It says the employer’s offer would only raise wages by 17.2% and has refused to participate in binding arbitration as a way to resolve the labor dispute. Air Canada has requested the Canadian government impose arbitration on the parties if there is no resolution by Saturday.

The union claims flight attendants aren’t paid for much of the time worked while the plane is at the gate.

“Flight attendants should be paid for every minute they spend on the job. It’s as simple as that,” said CUPE National President Mark Hancock. “But instead of negotiating in good faith, Air Canada is asking the federal government to help get them off the hook.”

CUPE said it tabled a proposal at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, but Air Canada has not responded. 

Air Canada operates more than 250 aircraft to 200 destinations in more than 65 countries.

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com.

Air Canada flight attendants announce strike date, cargo shipments at risk

Air Canada agrees to new contract with pilots, avoids strike

Air Canada labor dispute puts supply chains at risk

Ore, automotive lead rail freight ahead of 2024 levels

U.S. weekly rail traffic remained ahead of 2024 levels for a sixth consecutive week, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads.

For the week ending Aug. 9, traffic totaled 511,194 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3% compared to the same week a year ago. That includes 227,327 carloads, up 2.4% compared to the corresponding week a year ago, and 283,867 containers and trailers, an increase of 3.4.%

For the year to date, total traffic is 15,673,805 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.8% over the first 32 weeks of 2024. The overall figure includes 7,055,736 carloads, up 2.8%, and 8,618,069 intermodal units, an increase of 4.6%.

Chemicals, a premium category for rail and bellwether among raw materials input for manufacturing, was off 0.4% y/y, one of only three commodities to decline. 

The intermodal gains are likely driven by international shipments, as the ports of Los Angeles-Long Beach reported record volumes in July.

North American volume for the week, from nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, was 695,674 carloads, containers and trailers, a 2.7% increase over the corresponding week in 2024. The overall figure includes 324,349 carloads, down 0.04%, and 371,325 intermodal units, up 5.3%.

Year-to-date North American traffic comes in at 21,639,091 carloads and intermodal units, a 2.9% increase over the same period in 2024. That includes 5,194,861 carloads, containers, and trailers in Canada, an increase of 1.6%, and 770,425 carloads and intermodal units in Mexico, down 4.8%.

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Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

Related coverage:

July rail freight better but indicators cloud outlook

Union Pacific upping West Coast ports-to-Chicago intermodal stakes

Grain, automotive keep U.S. rail traffic ahead of 2024

Planned US-Mexico rail route advances with environmental report