Surface Transportation intermodal , however , is only up 1.8 % during the same period and only 0.7 % on an adjusted basis , a Journal of Commerce calculation that accounts for differences based on the day of the week found .
Intermodal is saving shippers 25 % on average across the US ; major freight lanes such as Los Angeles to Chicago and Los Angeles to Dallas are at least $ 1,000 per load cheaper using the rail .
Some shippers , however , are reluctant to tender “ tweener ” freight — loads that could go either on truck or rail without disrupting a supply chain — when trucks are so easy to procure .
One shipper said it ’ s all about risk when , for example , 20 loads go on a single train instead of 20 different trucks . If one truck is delayed , one load is impacted , but if one train gets delayed , 20 loads are affected , the shipper said .
“ It ’ s the consolidation of risk versus the dispersion of risk ,” the shipper said in the survey . “ It ’ s important to think how critical the product is , the cost of it , the exposure if there is cargo theft . Again , if I ’ ve got 20 loads stacked on a train and someone is breaking into boxes , that ’ s a bigger risk than if I ’ ve got 20 trucks going to different places at different times . Trucking disperses that risk , rail consolidates it .”
The shipper wrote that some “ tweener ” freight goes to
Nearly 90 % of shippers satisfied with IMCs
Q : How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your IMC partners ?
100 %
80 %
60 % 100 % 40 %
20 %
0 %
Source : Journal of Commerce survey
trucking for that reason , so long as capacity is abundant and available . If truck capacity is tight , the loads go on the rail , but that frieght will always cycle back and forth .
email : ari . ashe @ spglobal . com
Spring 2023 Fall L2023 Spring 2024 Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied
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