Railroad Freight

Rail carloads, at 266,240, headed up 10.3%, and intermodal containers and trailers, at 288,887, increased 5.3%.

Last week, Rep. Earl Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) made another push, in the form of new legislation, to make a short-line railroad tax credit permanent.

2018 U.S. rail carloads increased 1.8%, or by 238,857 carloads, annually to 13,640,641, compared to 2017’s 13,401,784. Intermodal containers and trailers increased 5.5%, or 751,217 units annually to 14,472,849.

In this webinar our panel will provide a comprehensive update on the current state of the rail/intermodal markets and offer an in-depth look at the pain points shippers have been experiencing, including the recent service challenges, capacity issues and rising rates.

Rail carloads, at 267,000, headed up 0.3% annually, and intermodal containers and trailers, at 303,225, saw a 5.7% annual gain.

Earlier this week, top membership for the Railroad Customer Coalition (RCC), a large coalition of trade associations representing the manufacturing, energy, and agricultural industries reliant on railroads, penned a letter to President Trump, calling for the “urgent need” to fully staff the Surface Transportation Board (STB), an independent adjudicatory and economic-regulatory agency charged by Congress with resolving railroad rate and service disputes and reviewing proposed railroad mergers.

Rail carloads, at 1,032,067, were down 0.2%, or 2,418 carloads, annually. Intermodal containers and trailers headed up 2.5%, or 27,142 units, to 1,100,815.

The short line railroad tax credit, known as 45G, may receive a permanent extension based on a tax package released by the House Ways and Means Committee last week. When that happens, though, remains to be seen, as a date for a vote on the bill has not been scheduled yet.

Carloads, at 1,066,826, rose 2.6%, or 26,826 carloads annually. Intermodal containers and trailers increased 6.2%, or 65,801 units, to 1,127,385 in September on an annual basis.

The growing driver shortage, capacity imbalances, federal government regulations, meteoric e-commerce growth and overall robust economic conditions are all wreaking havoc on ground transportation costs and causing multiple pain points for nearly everyone moving freight domestically or internationally.

Rail carloads, at 268,612, saw a 3.1% annual gain, and intermodal containers and trailers, at 284,391, were up 6.5%.

Taking steps to lower its operating ratio (OR) and reach its objective to operate a safe, reliable, and efficient railroad, Omaha, Neb.-based Class I railroad Union Pacific (UP) this week rolled out its Unified Plan 2020.

Carloads, at 275,334, were up 1.8% annually, which trailed the week ending August 18 at 278,701 and topped the week ending August 11 at 271,718.

But UP CEO Fritz warns Trump initiatives on trade threaten growth prospects.

Rail carloads were up 3.5%, or 35,208 carloads, to 1,048,293, and intermodal trailers and containers rose 6.9%, or 71,782 units, to 1,108,142.