Quest for Quality 2024: Rail/Intermodal
High-level service in spite of unsteady volumes
As rail and intermodal shippers are well aware, the best way to summarize freight movement on the rails at this point in time is “uneven.” And if you’ve been following group news editor Jeff Berman’s coverage of rail and intermodal volumes since the onset of the pandemic, you may still feel a little queasy.
By mid-2020, volumes sank due to the shuttered economy, while 2021 saw some volumes recover. Driven by easy comparisons, 2022 was mixed, while 2023 also saw some ups and downs, with U.S. rail carloads up 0.7% and intermodal containers and trailers off 4.9%.
“Here in the middle of 2024, patterns have shifted once again,” reports Berman. “On a year-to-date basis through May, U.S. rail carloads are down 5% annually, slightly below 2022’s 4% annual decline for the same period, the lowest on record for this period, according to data issued by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).”
On the intermodal side, May U.S. container and trailer volume increased 7.6% annually, compared to an 11.1% decline for the same period a year ago, up annually for the ninth consecutive month. And, through the first five months of 2024, U.S. intermodal volume is up 8.7% annually, while off 3.1% compared to 2022.
And while top rail and intermodal consultant Anthony Hatch of ABH Consulting recently defined the year-to-date state of rail traffic as “solid, but uninspiring,” the editorial staff of Logistics Management is happy to report that the 10 service providers taking home Quest for Quality gold this year have gone above and beyond to smooth out the ride.
Florida East Coast Railway (47.42), Norfolk Southern (47.08), and CSX (47.06) pulled in with the top three weighted scores in the Rail/Intermodal Service Provider segment this year in one of the tightest races of the survey. And, Matson Logistics put up an impressive 60.45 weighted score, the highest in the combined segment.
Rail/Intermodal Service Providers
(Bold indicates leader in attribute category)
| On-time performance | Value | Information technology | Customer service | Equipment & operations | Weighted Score | |
| Florida East Coast Railway | 13.33 | 12.35 | 5.53 | 7.14 | 9.07 | 47.42 |
| Norfolk Southern | 10.82 | 10.33 | 7.01 | 9.97 | 8.96 | 47.08 |
| CSX | 11.50 | 10.61 | 6.94 | 8.84 | 9.16 | 47.06 |
| Canadian National Railway | 11.11 | 10.10 | 7.47 | 9.18 | 9.07 | 46.93 |
| J.B. Hunt Transport Services | 10.00 | 8.98 | 7.01 | 9.52 | 10.75 | 46.25 |
| BNSF Railway | 10.62 | 9.39 | 6.34 | 8.90 | 10.26 | 45.50 |
| AVERAGE | 10.83 | 9.89 | 6.55 | 8.60 | 9.37 | 45.23 |
Source: Logistics Management, Peerless Research Group (PRG)
Intermodal Marketing Companies
(Bold indicates leader in attribute category)
| On-time performance | Value | Information technology | Customer service | Equipment & operations | Weighted Score | |
| Matson Logistics | 12.69 | 13.47 | 9.96 | 12.24 | 12.09 | 60.45 |
| Johanson Transportation Service | 13.09 | 11.23 | 8.30 | 10.20 | 10.08 | 52.89 |
| Schneider Intermodal Services | 11.42 | 11.97 | 6.64 | 10.88 | 10.75 | 51.66 |
| Swift Intermodal | 11.90 | 10.10 | 7.47 | 10.20 | 9.07 | 48.74 |
| AVERAGE | 11.99 | 10.23 | 7.19 | 9.07 | 9.15 | 47.62 |
Source: Logistics Management, Peerless Research Group (PRG)
Article Topics
BNSF News & Resources
Proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger draws praise, skepticism ahead of STB Filing CSX and CN sign an MOU focused on a new intermodal service into Nashville Looking at the Intermodal market with Larry Gross, President, Gross Transportation Consulting CSX and BNSF launch national intermodal partnership Report points to the possibility of Union Pacific acquiring Norfolk Southern as increasing BNSF introduces new Los Angeles to Houston expedited intermodal service J.B. Hunt, BNSF, and GMXT launch Quantum de México, focusing on U.S.–Mexico Intermodal Freight More BNSFLatest in Logistics
FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index shows modest growth Trucking executives are set to anxiously welcome in New Year amid uncertainty regarding freight demand ASCM’s top 10 supply chain trends highlight a year of intelligent transformation Tariffs continue to cast a long shadow over freight markets heading into 2026 U.S.-bound imports see November declines, reports S&P Global Market Intelligence FTR Trucking Conditions Index shows slight gain while remaining short of growth AAR reports mixed U.S. carload and intermodal volumes, for week ending December 6 More LogisticsSubscribe to Logistics Management Magazine
Find out what the world's most innovative companies are doing to improve productivity in their plants and distribution centers.
Start your FREE subscription today.
December 2025 Logistics Management
Latest Resources
