Intermodal turns a corner in third quarter

Domestic moves outweigh international

Total intermodal volumes rose 1.2 percent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2020, according to the Intermodal Association of North America’s Intermodal Quarterly report. Domestic containers and trailers both gained 9.8 percent compared to Q3 2019, while international shipments dropped 6.5 percent.

“Inventory replenishment and increasing e-commerce activity, along with some capacity constraints on the trucking side, have helped intermodal to turn the corner this quarter,” said Joni Casey, president and CEO of IANA. “This trend is expected to continue, but dependent on the ongoing impacts of COVID-19.”

The seven highest-density trade corridors, which handled more than 60 percent of total volume, were collectively up 1.9 percent in the third quarter. Three recorded gains: the Midwest-Southwest and the Northeast-Midwest, both at 6.6 percent, and the South Central-Southwest at 4.9 percent. The remaining four corridors showed losses. For the Trans-Canada, this was a slight 0.7 percent. The Intra-Southeast came in at 1.5 percent; the Southeast-Southwest, 5.4 percent; and the Midwest-Northwest at 13.6 percent.

Combined IMC volumes improved over the third quarter as well, with a total 8.6 percent increase. Highway and intermodal loads were up 7.7 percent and 10.1 percent, respectively.