Analysts and retailers had predicted a slow holiday season, but IANA says intermodal volumes are showing otherwise.
This year’s unexpectedly strong peak season for intermodal traffic suggests that shippers are getting ready for lots of packages under the Christmas tree, according to the Intermodal Association of North America.
Volume across the intermodal network in late summer and early fall “exceeded all expectations,” IANA said in its latest quarterly report. Much of the 20 percent third-quarter gain from the 2009 period was powered by import-dominated international shipments.
IANA said the next couple of months “will test the proposition that rail intermodal loadings are a leading indicator of economic activity.”