Volume

The state of the North American intermodal market could be described as somewhat bifurcated, based on a presentation at last week’s RailTrends conference in New York by noted intermodal expert Larry Gross, president of Gross Transportation Consulting.

Following respective 1.1% and 0.9% gains in July and August, ATA reported that its September advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index saw a 0.9% decline, coming in at 114.2 (2015=100).

The August reading of the ATA’s advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index came in at 115.3 (2015=100), topping July’s 114.3 reading by 0.4% (July was upwardly revised), following a 0.5% July gain. Through the first eight months of 2025, ATA said that SA For-Hire Truck Tonnage is up 0.1%.

For May, the most recent month for which data is available, the SCI came in at -0.9, slightly below April’s -0.6 reading.

On the revenue side, the report found that 71% of respondents forecasted positive revenue growth, down 3% from the second quarter, and up 6% compared to the first quarter. And it added that 16% of respondents are neutral, up from 12% in the second quarter, with 14% negative, matching the second quarter.

For January, the most recent month for which data is available, the SCI came in at 0.6, up from a -1.8 December reading and November’s 2.3 reading.

For January, the most recent month for which data is available, the TCI reading came in at -2.56, which nearly erased all of the growth seen in December, which posted a 2.67 reading.

For November, the most recent month for which data is available, the SCO came in at 2.3, topping October’s 1.3 reading, which fell from September’s 4.6 reading. The August SCI was 2.9, with July at 0.5; June at 0.3; May at 4.5, and June at 3.0—which was preceded by several months of declines.

The ATA’s advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index fell 1.6% in June, to 113.5 (2000=100), following May’s 115.3 reading. On an annual basis, the June SA reading fell 0.4%, after a 1% annual gain in May, which represented the first annual increase since February 2023.

Company officials explained that drop and hook services provide various benefits for shippers and carriers, providing flexible transportation solutions for the former, and enhanced efficiency and earnings potential for the latter.

The new edition of the DAT Truckload Volume Index (TVI), which was recently issued by DAT Freight & Analytics, noted that spot freight volumes rose to all-time highs, for the month of January, driven by what it described as a weather-related bump in demand for truckload capacity.

For October, the most recent month for which data is available, the TCI reading, at -6.07 saw improvement compared to September’s -8.97. That was preceded by August’s -12.54 reading (its lowest reading going back to November 2022), which was preceded by July’s -5.34 reading and June’s -6.29 reading.

The TCI reading, at -8.97, was an improvement compared to August’s -12.54 reading (its lowest reading going back to November 2022).

The report’s third quarter shipment index value, at 106.6, was down 3.4% compared to the second quarter and was down 9.7% annually, marking the fifth consecutive quarter of annual shipment declines. On the spend side, the report observed that the third quarter reading, at 106.6, fell 9.7% annually and was down 3.4%, from the second quarter to the third quarter.

For August, the most recent month for which data is available, the TCI reading was -12.54, well below July's -5.34 reading and June's -6.29 reading.