US intermodal freight holds firm in July, IANA Index shows   

The Intermodal Association of North America today released the latest reading of its Intermodal Volume Index (IVI), a measure of North American intermodal freight activity. The July 2026 estimate of 106.8 fell month-over-month, which came in at 107.7 in June, but it is still the second highest reading of the year.

Against a 2017–19 baseline set to 100, IANA gauges what is happening right now — before the official monthly figures are published. It works by translating a high-frequency freight activity onto the same scale as the published index, giving shippers, carriers and analysts an early snapshot of current-month demand. The result is a real-time picture of the intermodal freight economy.

In recent months IANA's estimates have tracked the published index closely, as the chart below shows.

"The July estimate again confirms that the strength we've seen in the intermodal market is real and is showing up in the current month," said Andrew Sibold, IANA's Director of Economics. "We are anticipating the trend of domestic-led growth to continue this month fed by steady demand and capacity restrictions on long-haul trucking. These factors will likely persist in Q3, elevating intermodal demand as we enter the peak shipping season."