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Intermodal providers

News and analysis of intermodal marketing companies (IMCs), rates, services, routes, cost savings

The latest Intermodal providers News & Analysis

UP shippers facing delays on key Chicago-LA corridor

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Mar 24, 2023, 9:56 AM EDT

Intermodal providers say they are struggling to bring 53-foot containers into UP’s terminals in Chicago and nearby Joliet, causing delays of several days to move cargo to the West Coast.
Intermodal providersNorth-American rail

CP-KCS could benefit from rising tide of cross-border freight from Mexico

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Mar 16, 2023, 4:43 PM EDT

The combined railroad has an opportunity to divert more than 64,000 truck shipments to intermodal rail, according to S&P Global, but that’s only the crest of a wave of US imports from Mexico. 
SurfaceTruckingRailInternational railIntermodal providers

US chassis market nearing ‘equilibrium’ after disruptive shortages

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Mar 13, 2023, 1:37 PM EDT

Chassis providers believe the equipment shortages that bogged down inland supply chains in 2021 and 2022 will soon no longer be an issue for shippers, allowing the industry to return to a more typical supply/demand balance.
Container shippingTruckingIntermodal providers

Intermodal share data point to opportunities: analyst

Larry Gross, president and founder, Gross Transportation Consulting; and JOC analyst | Mar 13, 2023, 11:05 AM EDT

It stands to reason that the more miles one spends on low-cost rail, the better the comparative economics versus truck should be, but that’s not what happens in the real world, writes analyst Larry Gross.
SurfaceTruckingIntermodal providersNorth-American rail

Southern California volume declines cause truck, rail rates to plunge

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Mar 8, 2023, 12:23 PM EST

Trucking and intermodal providers are offering discounts to secure freight in Southern California, where volumes are declining as imports from Asia fall.
SurfaceTrans-PacificNorth American portsTruckingIntermodal providers

TPM23: Intermodal providers banking on transloading surge

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Mar 2, 2023, 9:50 AM EST

Transloading is gaining popularity even as US imports have cooled in recent months, but shippers should weigh the pros and cons of transferring ocean containers into domestic boxes, TPM23 attendees were told.
Intermodal providersContainer shippingNorth-American rail

UP ending chassis policy that rendered containers inaccessible

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Feb 27, 2023, 11:10 AM EST

The policy — known informally as the “no cherry picking” rule — prohibited trucking companies from coming into terminals with private chassis when there were no pool chassis available.
RailIntermodal providersNorth-American rail

Idle domestic containers being stacked as intermodal volumes tumble

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Feb 24, 2023, 9:00 AM EST

Volume declines are forcing intermodal providers to stack containers, unable to find cargo to fill the boxes because shippers have too much inventory, while trucking prices are so low that the freight is moving on highways.
Intermodal providersNorth-American rail

Southeast, Gulf ports expect container uplift from electric vehicle plants

Michael Angell, Associate Editor and Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor | Feb 22, 2023, 11:31 AM EST

With just under $50 billion in fresh investments unveiled last year for electric vehicle manufacturing plants in North America, ports in the Southeast and along the Gulf Coast are expecting additional volumes to soon be moving across their docks.
North American portsContainer shippingIntermodal providersNorth-American rail

Russia picks up rail freight slack as China-Europe volume slumps

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Feb 21, 2023, 2:15 PM EST

Official data shows overall volumes on the China-Europe rail network rose 6 percent last year over the then-record throughput handled in 2021, but there is no distinction between cargo destined for Europe or Russia.
RailForwardingAsia-EuropeInternational railIntermodal providers

UP shifting to stacked container operation at Joliet for California imports

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Feb 21, 2023, 1:52 PM EST

Union Pacific is changing operations at its terminal outside Chicago in a bid to prevent future disruption by creating stacks for containers arriving from California, a move that will affect tens of thousands of ocean boxes per month.
RailNorth American portsIntermodal providersNorth-American rail

WiseTech continues acquisition campaign with $414 million Blume purchase

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Feb 16, 2023, 9:09 PM EST

WiseTech Global is doubling down on its reach into US intermodal networks with its $414 million purchase of Blume Global three weeks after acquiring drayage tech provider Envase.
Logistics technologyMaritimeForwardingInternational railIntermodal providers

Cap European rail electricity price hikes or lose out to road: intermodal group

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Feb 16, 2023, 10:11 AM EST

Long-haul rail freight in Europe, the main alternative to road transport, is being undermined as the cost of electricity far outstrips diesel, say combined transport stakeholders.
RailTruckingLTLInternational railIntermodal providers

Intermodal contract savings fell in Q4 ahead of 2023 bids

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Feb 1, 2023, 7:59 AM EST

Shippers saved less than in prior quarters on their intermodal contracts to close 2022, setting up a race to the bottom this year to keep freight on the rails.
RailIntermodal providersNorth-American rail

Norfolk Southern adds to Southeast intermodal capacity with new cranes

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jan 31, 2023, 4:02 PM EST

Norfolk Southern’s plan to bring more capacity to its international intermodal business this year has kicked off with new cranes enabling the stacking of marine containers at its Austell ramp in Georgia.
North-American railContainer shippingNorth American portsIntermodal providers

Bridge repair along UP’s LA/LB-Midwest network nearing completion

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Jan 26, 2023, 1:37 PM EST

The approximately 72-hour repair on a bridge in New Mexico would appear to mitigate what could potentially have been a major disruption for UP’s international and domestic intermodal shippers.
North-American railIntermodal providers

Virginia lawmakers propose funds for state’s second inland port

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jan 24, 2023, 4:49 PM EST

Some Virginia state legislators are looking to fund a second inland port, but the project’s prospects hinge on railroad and shipper demand, according to a study.
North American portsRailIntermodal providers

UP says all container traffic halted on its network between LA and Midwest

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Jan 24, 2023, 3:51 PM EST

An outage involving a bridge in New Mexico in the heart of Union Pacific’s network is causing major delays for intermodal and automotive shippers between Southern California and two major inland hubs.
Intermodal providersNorth-American rail

Customer service, not falling rates, the focus for 2023: UP

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Jan 24, 2023, 2:19 PM EST

The Class I railroad vowed it would focus on providing better service to shippers in 2023 and move to heal wounds from tense labor negotiations by addressing quality-of-life issues affecting its workforce.
North-American railIntermodal providers

Waning demand, service issues to weigh on international intermodal volumes

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Jan 20, 2023, 12:16 PM EST

If inland rail ramps remain congested due to chassis shortages and discretionary imports continue to flow away from the West Coast to the East Coast, international intermodal volumes could decline for a second straight year.
Intermodal providersSurfaceNorth-American rail