Intermodal Takes Record Share From Trucks

U.S. freight shippers sent their highest shares yet by intermodal combination moves in the 2009 fourth quarter, compared with using trucks only, said transportation consultants FTR Associates.

Intermodal, which pairs short-haul trucking with long-haul rail service, took an estimated 13.3 percent of the long-haul market for international and domestic containerized freight, FTR said.

That is up 0.2 percent from the third quarter and is “slightly above the previous high-water mark” in fourth-quarter 2008, FTR said.

“Intermodal has gained share for three consecutive quarters since the freight meltdown” began, said Lawrence Gross, senior consultant for FTR.

Gross also produces the group’s Intermodal Monthly Update, which reports the market share analysis in its February issue. Long-haul intermodal covers shipments moving 550 miles or more.

Gross said the latest share increase “has been driven by improvement in the international sector rebounding faster than domestic traffic. The market share of the domestic intermodal sector, which had been growing earlier in the year, was flat in the fourth quarter.”

But he said that if “the railroads maintain their current high levels of service, we see a variety of factors leading to a resumption of domestic share growth even as the international sector continues to rebound.”

Contact John Boyd at jboyd@joc.com.