3Q Intermodal Traffic Falls but Domestic Jumps 10.5%
Intermodal freight volume fell 1% in the third quarter compared with a year ago, with a decline in international containers offsetting a surge in domestic units, the Intermodal Association of North America said.
International container traffic declined 6.1%, to 2.04 million containers, the group said.
Domestic container traffic jumped 10.5%, to 1.02 million units, marking the strongest performance since the second quarter of 2004 and biggest growth rate since 1999.
Year to date, international container traffic has declined 5.7%, and if economic weakness continues “it appears unlikely that we will see a noticeable rebound in international volume during the next few quarters,” the group said.
Domestic volumes should increase as road-to-rail options “are expected to remain an attractive transportation option for many shippers,” IANA said.
