42nd Annual Quest for Quality: Rail & Intermodal

Another year brings more uneven market conditions for the freight rail and intermodal sectors. In recent years, fluctuations have largely been driven by pandemic-related volume shifts, followed by a partial rebound in certain segments, which resulted in mixed results for 2022 and 2023.

This trend continued into 2024. U.S. rail carloads declined 2.4% year-over-year, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR), marking the second-lowest total since 2020. In contrast, U.S. intermodal volumes reached 13.84 million containers and trailers, positioning 2024 as the third-highest year on record, behind only 2018 and 2021.

However, signs of a rebound are starting to emerge. As group news editor Jeff Berman reported in our extensive State of Logistics coverage last month, according to AAR data, U.S. rail carloads have increased by 2.5% year-over-year through May, signaling a steady flow of freight and a gradual recovery in the rail sector. Although May’s weekly total was slightly below March and April levels, it still reflects a resilient market.

For intermodal, year-to-date volume through May stood at 5.93 million containers and trailers, marking a 6.7% increase annually, continuing a trend of 21 consecutive months of growth. However, May saw only a modest 0.6% annual increase, with the weekly average dipping to its lowest in a year, aligning with the 10-year average.

Despite this, the overall outlook remains positive, with analysts suggesting that these early signs of stabilization may point to a stronger recovery as the year progresses. And indeed, we can report that the 12 carriers and service providers winning Quest for Quality gold this year continue to manage freight movements at a high level even through this challenging time.

In fact, this year the overall weighted scores of all seven Rail/Intermodal Service Provider winners were within a whisker of each other, ranging from Florida East Coast Railway’s 48.87 to BNSF Railway’s 48.05—this may be a first in Quest for Quality history. In Intermodal Marketing this year, Matson Logistics put up an impressive 58.04 overall weighted score to lead the way for the five winners in this category.

Rail/Intermodal Service Providers (Bold indicates leader in attribute category)

Intermodal Marketing Companies (Bold indicates leader in attribute category)