Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics - 3rd Quarter 2015 - (Page 1)

Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics Quarterly Analysis of Industry Activities Intermodal Volumes Gain 3.4% in Q3 International and Domestic Container Growth are Nearly Tied at 4.0% and 4.1% Third Quarter 2015 Rail Volume Results Intermodal growth slowed slightly from Q2 to Q3, but that was to be expected: Q1's port-issues had caused a backlog of freight to accumulate, which then pushed Q2 growth higher than it would have been otherwise. Volumes climbed by 4.5% in Q2; they rose by 3.4% in Q3. Moreover, Q3's growth rate almost managed to keep pace with the 3.9% rate recorded over the whole of the first half of 2015. Growth in Q3 was also more consistent across the intermodal market segments than usual, with both domestic containers and international containers gaining just around 4.0%. Domestic container growth barely topped international container growth in Q3, advancing 4.1% over Q3, while international intermodal gained 4.0%. For much of the quarter, international growth actually outpaced domestic volume growth. However at the end of the quarter domestic container growth accelerated, pushing big box gains ahead of international increases for the full quarter. In fact, in July and August, domestic container growth was at 3.1% and 3.0%, respectively. It was only in September when domestic containers jumped 6.0% above previous year levels, resulting in a 4.1% growth rate for the full quarter. International rose by 4.0% in Q3, almost exactly in line with the 3.9% growth recorded over the first half of 2015. On a month-to-month basis, international growth has been very volatile through 2015. Much of this volatility was tied to the port disruptions earlier in the year, but there Third Quarter 2015  © IANA 2015 Third Quarter Totals 2014 Trailers 2015 Change 411,614 398,870 -3.1% Domestic Containers 1,666,274 1,734,863 4.1% All Domestic Equipment 2,077,888 2,133,733 2.7% ISO Containers 2,136,820 2,223,127 4.0% Total 4,214,708 4,356,860 3.4% Year to Date 2015 2014 2015 Change Trailers 1,239,035 1,203,407 -2.9% Domestic Containers 4,772,200 5,014,416 5.1% All Domestic Equipment 6,011,235 6,217,823 3.4% ISO Containers 6,154,256 6,396,649 3.9% 12,165,491 12,614,472 3.7% Total Third Quarter Equipment Loading Trends 28' Trailers/Containers 67,766 67,720 3Q 14-15 Growth -0.1% 40/45' Trailers 34,157 26,790 -21.6% 0.6% 48/53' Trailers 310,524 304,637 -1.9% 7.0% 20/40/45' Containers 2,136,820 2,223,127 4.0% 51.0% 48/53' Containers 1,665,441 1,734,586 4.2% 39.8% Total 4,214,708 4,356,860 3.4% 100.0% Equipment Size/Type 3Q14 were variations even in Q3. International growth seemed to settle down in July, rising 3.3% over the month. However in August, growth shot up to 6.3% only to fall to 1.6% in September. It is most likely the case that shippers simply moved freight slightly earlier in the year than usual, hence August's strong growth rate and Sep- 3Q15 3Q 15 Share 1.6% tember's correspondingly weak rate. International growth also had wide variations across the different IANA regions in Q3. Three IANA regions saw international gains greater than 10.0% (albeit one of those regions was the very small Mountain Central region), while three regions recorded an outright decline in inter1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics - 3rd Quarter 2015

3Q 2015 Rail Volume Results
Key Corridor Results
Regional Traffic Results
Seasonally Adjusted Intermodal Volume
3Q 2015 IMC Results
Intermodal Long-Term Trends
Intermodal Outlook
Trucking Industry Outlook
U.S. and Canadian Domestic Economies
Monthly Traffic by Type
Monthly Traffic by Ownership
Eastern Canada
Mountain Central
Midwest
Northeast
Northwest
South Central
Southeast
Southwest
Western Canada

Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics - 3rd Quarter 2015