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The increase in demand has been especially pronounced in Southern California, where UP’ s domestic intermodal volume has jumped more than 20 % year over year, according to rail visibility provider RailState. That includes rising demand for EMP and UMAX containers, the rail-owned equipment used by many asset-light and non-asset intermodal marketing companies( IMCs).

Sources told the Journal of Commerce that UP has been moving quickly to return idle domestic containers to service after stacking the equipment during the freight downturn of the last several years, underscoring how abruptly supply has tightened.

While most shippers are exempt from the surcharge, that could change if demand for rail-owned domestic boxes continues to outpace supply in the coming weeks.

One factor to watch is whether international shippers frontload cargo ahead of Section 122 tariffs scheduled for July 24. Even when freight enters the US in ocean containers, some of that cargo is transloaded into 53-foot domestic boxes before moving inland, adding demand to the same equipment pools UP is now trying to protect.

In early June, UP announced it would raise spot prices across more than 100 intermodal lanes, effective June 17, in response to the surging truckload market. The increases affect shippers using asset-light and non-asset IMCs.

On average, UP rose spot rates nearly 12 % across the affected lanes, with increases approaching 25 % on 40 lanes originating in Southern California.

“ Union Pacific is experiencing an increase in the demand for EMP and UMAX domestic containers across our network.”

The actions come as some shippers are already paying more for intermodal capacity than they were in the second half of 2025, even before a broader reset on contracts in 2027. In some cases, the existing 2026 contracts are proving to be a“ paper” rate only, as primary and secondary providers reject tenders at previously negotiated rates. That forces shippers deeper into their routing guides to secure coverage from a higher-cost provider.

email: ari. ashe @ spglobal. com

ILWU chief slams‘ foreign shipping companies’ ahead of contract expiration

By Bill Mongelluzzo

Work disruptions during the last ILWU contract negotiation resulted in cargo losses at West Coast ports. Orjan F. Ellingvag / Corbis via Getty Images

The president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union( ILWU), Bobby Olvera, accused US West Coast employers of being dominated by foreign shipping companies and of caring more about the profits they send back to their headquarters than the port communities in which they operate.

Olvera spoke at the annual meeting of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition( AgTC) in Tacoma, Washington, sending a warning shot to employers— and cargo owners— ahead of the expiration of the union’ s coastwide contract in 2028.

The previous contract, in which the ILWU scored a 32 % increase in wages, was finalized in 2022 after work stoppages and slowdowns that resulted in a significant diversion of cargo to East and Gulf Coast ports.

“ The foreign shipping lines, they should not be operating our terminals here in the United States. That should be American stevedoring companies,” Olvera told the AgTC event.“ They don’ t care about our ports. It’ s all [ about ] profit generating. It’ s control generating.”

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Olvera said the ILWU is advocating for strong West Coast ports and their customers, which include agricultural importers and exporters, in discussions with the appropriate state and federal agencies regarding legislation and regulations that impact the flow of cargo.

“ But things have changed. What they’ ve done, in my opinion, is turned the PMA into a one-trick pony. All they advocate [ and ] lobby for are tax incentives, tax breaks, dollars for tax breaks and tax funds for the terminals,” Olvera said.

July 6, 2026 | Journal of Commerce 17