This panel will discuss what observations and conclusions can be made of the Intermodal Service Scorecard and weekly service metrics supplied to the US government. Service was reliable and consistent in 2023, but have the railroads been able to keep it up with a strong service product in 2024? Can shippers tender more freight to intermodal and be confident the network will not become congested and logjammed if demand surges? Can railroads maintain a service with a low standard of deviation in transit times? What expectations should shippers have of their intermodal partners in the next five years, and will they be capable of meeting those expectations?
Hub Group is the second largest domestic intermodal provider and one of the Top 25 freight brokers and contract logistics providers in the US, providing capacity not only for freight on the rails but also traveling on trucks. For many intermodal shippers, Hub Group is first or second in their routing guide and a critical piece of moving freight on Norfolk Southern Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. For trucking shippers, Hub Group provides several services, including truckload brokerage and dedicated truckload capacity with more than 5,500 company branded trailers. In this session, Journal of Commerce senior editor Ari Ashe will talk with Phil Yeager about the current state of the intermodal and trucking markets, including the pricing environment in both modes and demand for rail and truck services. Other subjects will include the importance of relationships; how Hub Group approaches the customer experience from ground-level interactions between the customer service representatives and the shippers; and what shippers need to know going into 2025 with their trucking and intermodal business.
It’s been more than a year since the intermodal landscape in Mexico changed with the entrance of Canadian Pacific, now known as CPKC. Between CPKC, the Falcon Premium, and the BNSF-Ferromex partnership, there are several viable ways to route cargo between Mexico, Canada, and the US. Railroads aren’t only targeting freight to the US Midwest, but also the US Southeast and to Canada. This session will examine how progress has gone so far in growing Mexico intermodal freight, provide an update on services to the US Southeast and Canada, and discuss how to convince truckload shippers to consider using rail for some of their cross-border freight.