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In the fourth quarter, the North American intermodal industry exceeded 1.6 million total domestic units, an 8.9 percent gain compared with fourth-quarter 2009’s level and the highest quarterly domestic volume ever recorded by the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA), according to the association’s latest Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics Report.

Total fourth-quarter volume jumped 12.8 percent to 3.4 million units while quarterly trailer volume rose 7.3 percent to 445,853 units and domestic container volume increased 8.9 percent to 1.2 million units. Fourth-quarter domestic container traffic helped make 2010 the best growth year for overall domestic business since IANA started reporting intermodal statistics in 1996, the report states.

“Unlike international volumes, domestic container volumes never declined during the recent recession,” IANA officials said in the report.

For the full year, total intermodal volume climbed 14.7 percent from 2009’s level to nearly 14 million units while domestic container volume shot up 13.3 percent to 4.5 million units. Trailer volume rose 3.7 percent to 1.7 million units and total domestic equipment volume increased 10.6 percent to 6.2 million units.

International container volume ended the year on a high note, too, surging 16.9 percent in the fourth quarter to 1.8 million units. For all of 2010, international container volume soared 18.5 percent vs. 2009’s level to 7.2 million units — the highest increase since IANA began reporting intermodal statistics.

“After several previous quarters of decline, international intermodal volume surged every quarter of 2010, driven primarily by retailers rebuilding inventories,” IANA officials said.