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11/20/2025
Total intermodal volume in third-quarter 2025 climbed 2.8% to 4.8 million units compared to volume in the same quarter a year ago, the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) announced yesterday.
International containers rose 4.4% to 2.4 million, while domestic containers increased 2.5% to 2.2 million in the quarter versus a year ago. The volume of trailers fell 18.7% to 115,950 units.
"The North American intermodal market has shown notable resilience this quarter, extending a positive growth trajectory despite increasing volatility and economic headwinds,” said Andrew Sibold, IANA’s director of economics, in a press release. “Domestic intermodal may see the greatest opportunity going forward as trucking conditions tighten.”
In Q3, domestic container traffic was at its highest September volume ever, climbing 5.8% year-over-year. The segment's growth was supported by increasing manufacturing activity and a successful capture of modal share from trucking, which experienced low rates and high operating costs.
In July, record volume was achieved, as domestic suppliers increased shipping of goods in anticipation of tariff increases, with rapid weakness following in August. That volatility caused overall annual growth for inland point intermodal to slow to 0.6% year-over-year in September.
IANA officials anticipate that, despite a current sluggish freight environment, future tightening in the trucking market will benefit domestic intermodal significantly. Pressures such as a surge in insurance premium costs and declining Class 8 truck orders are aligning to constrain the available driver supply and fleet capacity, they said.
“While total North American intermodal moves were up through the first nine months of 2025, the fourth quarter will be the most challenging of the year,” said IANA President and CEO Anne Reinke.