IANA: Intermodal volumes up 3.4 percent in Q3

Despite volatility in the international market, intermodal volumes climbed 3.4 percent in third-quarter 2015, the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) reported yesterday.

The international market's volumes climbed 3.3 percent in July and 6.4 percent in August, then slowed to 1.6 percent growth in September. Still, the segment ended the quarter with a 4 percent increase compared with third-quarter 2014, IANA officials said in a press release.

The domestic container market rose 4.1 percent during the quarter, they said.

"The international market segment normalized this quarter after dealing with the lingering effects of Q1 port congestion that were still felt during the second quarter," said IANA President and Chief Executive Officer Joni Casey. "Overall we are seeing international container trends approaching pre-recession levels and domestic volume gains returning to numbers that are comparable to international."

In a quarter-over-quarter comparison, the domestic trailer market segment decreased 3.1 percent, which made Q3 the fifth consecutive quarter of dipping trailer volumes. September's domestic container growth of 6 percent helped lift overall domestic numbers, however.

Growth rates for each individual corridor varied widely. The intra-Southeast corridor, positively affected by stronger imports and rising market share over trucking, experienced gains of more than 20 percent, IANA said. The South Central-Southwest corridor volumes decreased 5.9 percent, with international particularly affected.