Third-Quarter Intermodal Volume Jumps 20.3%
Intermodal traffic volume rose 20.3% in the third quarter, led by a 28.1% jump in international containers, the Intermodal Association of North America said.
Overall domestic volume hit an all-time quarterly record, with its all-time peak 11.7% higher than the same quarter last year, according to IANA’s intermodal market trends & statistics report, released Thursday.
Domestic containers rose 13% and may have been higher, as data indicates that some domestic container shipments may have been limited by capacity constraints.
Those constraints may have forced compelled some shippers to use trailers, as trailer volume rose 8.5%, the group said.
International containers were the largest by number, rising to 2.01 million units, compared with 1.16 million domestic containers and 429,000 trailers.
Domestic containers continue to outpace the overall economic recovery, as containers are increasing their share over other transportation modes, IANA said.
IANA is co-sponsoring the annual TransComp/Intermodal Expo in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Nov. 14-16. (Click here for previous story.)
