A lack of crews and a slowdown in system operations is squeezing intermodal capacity and shutting off an alternative for those looking to move away from trucks.
A Norfolk Southern executive suggested that the company’s management will have a lot to talk about on its next quarterly earnings call.
Advent Intermodal Solutions (www.adventintermodal.com), a leader in information technology and cloud-based software solutions for port and terminal operators and landside logistics, has joined the Blockchain in Transportation Alliance (BiTA).
Hub Group was looking at alternatives for Mode Transportation
This informative infographic highlights the value and benefits of intermodal.
Uber Freight is gobbling up $500M per year; the US and China hit each other with a new round of tariffs; Georgia Ports extends its inland intermodal network; Saudi Arabia’s Aramco IPO indefinitely delayed; cannabis supply chains mature; Houston is now an oil exporter.
Intermodal tightness has pumped the hub of hubs, the Chicago freight market especially on lanes paralleling major railroads; meanwhile a minor heatwave in St. Louis may have been behind a massive surge in reefer turndowns.
Universal is bullish on its intermodal division, and the Southern Counties acquisition will allow it to expand its footprint in that area.
Schneider National became the latest carrier to announce that it has benefited financially from the strong pricing and capacity squeeze when it announced its second-quarter operating revenues were up 15% year-over-year.
Hub Group’s earnings per share at $0.66 beat Wall Street’s consensus estimate of $0.50, but executives said that the third and fourth quarters will be even stronger, and margins will grow even against tough comps.
All of the metrics were strongly positive, but the CEO expressed disappointment with two of its main activities, automotive and dedicated
The asset-light expedited LTL carrier posted strong volume and yield growth, and is tacking on intermodal businesses by M&A, but playing catch up with its truckload brokerage.
The improved Operating Ratio posted by Norfolk Southern wasn’t enough to stop analysts from asking about its comparison to that of CSX.
Container line alliances are cutting capacity on their transpacific services in anticipation of a major slowdown in the US-China trade relationship due to tariffs. We see downside risk for Union Pacific and BNSF intermodal volumes, as well as JB Hunt.
CSX hit records on operating ratio while improving train speed and dwell time, but says intermodal still needs a “ton” of work and pricing will reflect CSX’s “superior product.”
A revenue increase boosted earnings for J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ: JBHT), as the carrier reported second-quarter net earnings of $151.7 million, or $1.37 per share, versus second-quarter 2017 net earnings of $97.9 million, or 88 cents per share.
Intermodal is clearly benefiting from price comparisons between rails and trucks, but it’s mostly macroeconomics that fueled the Deutsche report.
The economy remains strong, and capacity tight, although buffeted by some headwinds.
Canadian National is making good on its promises to fix some of their deteriorated infrastructure and ramp up in response to being challenged on their ability to handle surging freight volumes. The Fed is expected to raise rates while trucking companies invest in the future.
Data on producer prices shows that overall inflation pressure cooled in the economy last month, as big declines in food prices offset gain in other areas of the economy. Trucking prices remained essentially unchanged for the second consecutive month, but remain elevated relative to this point last year.
