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Intermodal news remains promising: Second-quarter North American intermodal volume rose 9.5 percent, with domestic-container moves increasing 12.6 percent and international-container moves, 13.5 percent, compared with second-quarter 2001, according to Intermodal Association of North America's (IANA) Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics Report released Aug. 13.


IANA officials believe the volume gains, which followed first-quarter declines, might be an early sign of a broader freight-industry recovery.
Quarterly intermodal volume grew in seven bi-directional corridors monitored by IANA, led by the South Central and Southwest corridors' 18 percent jump.


Meanwhile, IANA also released second-quarter intermodal marketing company data, which showed total transportation revenue rising 8.1 percent, intermodal revenue increasing 12.3 percent and highway revenue falling 0.3 percent compared with the same 2001 period.


Although quarterly total loads dropped compared with last year, average revenue per intermodal load rose 13.9 percent (tied to a higher reported average intermodal rate) and average revenue per highway load increased 0.3 percent.


And second-quarter total loads increased 13.8 percent compared with the first quarter, with intermodal loads rising 12.7 percent and highway loads, 13.8 percent. Quarterly total transportation revenue rose 10.7 percent — as did both intermodal and highway revenue by the same percentage — compared with the first quarter.