intermodal

Freight transportation provider Averitt Express has begun providing intermodal services as part of its full-load/volume transportation services package. Averitt will provide intermodal coverage through strategic relationships with several railroads: Union Pacific and BNSF in the West, Norfolk Southern in the East and Midwest, CSX in the East and Midwest, and Florida East Coast in the states of Georgia and Florida.

Intermodal transport gained market share against trucks in the fourth quarter of 2009, reaching a new high in the process, according to analysis by FTR Associates. Intermodal's share of U.S. long-haul (550+ mile) movements of international and domestic containerized freight was estimated to be 13.3% in the fourth quarter, up 0.2% from the third quarter and slightly above the previous high-water mark achieved in Q4 2008.

Intermodal transport has in general been growing faster than just about any other transportation mode, but has a lot of room to grow even more.

That was clearly the message during a presentation on intermodal by Amy Rice of rail carrier CSX and David Slates of GE Lighting, at the CSCMP conference in Denver last week.

Rice said CSX has built a tool that analyzes a company's truckload shipments and looks for opportunities where intermodal might be a good option. Across more than 100 shippers, Rice said that on average 14% of those truckload moves are either an excellent or good fit for a switch to intermodal, with additional moves not included in the 14% also being potential candidates.

As companies evaluate new ways to reduce freight costs as well as their carbon footprint, alternative transportation mode options should be considered when moving freight long distances. While trucking remains the most dominant mode of shipping product domestically, intermodal freight transport offers opportunities for freight savings and reduced emissions, especially when transporting products over distances of 500 miles or more.

Asciano has delivered a strong result with underlying EPS up 39% and the final dividend up 56%, however, its Rail and Terminals Logistics division experienced significant weakness.

Asciano has reported a 41.2% increase in statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) to S340m compared with the previous corresponding period (pcp) on a 10.6% increase in underlying revenue (net of coal access) to $3.6bn. Statutory NPAT included material items (loss) of $8.1m after tax (compared to a $9.2m material item (loss) in FY12). Underlying NPAT increased 39.2% to $348.1m.

The result was driven by strong volume growth in Pacific National (PN) Coal following the commencement of new contracts in Queensland and organic volume growth from some existing coal haulage contracts in the HunterValley. In addition, there was strong growth in the Bulk & Automotive Port Services (BAPS) businesses driven by new contracts, growth in volumes at some regional bulk ports, a seven-month contribution from 100% ownership of C3 Limited and further growth in car storage volumes.

The share of domestic intermodal revenue movements accounted for by moves of 1,000 miles or less has declined in the past year, according to a recent analysis by FTR Associates.

Domestic intermodal equipment moving less than 1,000 miles accounted for 42% of total North American domestic equipment revenue moves, down 1% from the same period in 2009. Similarly, movements of less than 1,500 miles also declined in importance by 1.2% during the same period. Domestic intermodal equipment consists of trailers plus containers of 48 and 53 feet in length. The analysis is based upon Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) data.

The federal government’s opening of the tender process for the Moorebank Intermodal Terminal (as reported on Transport and Logistics News) has drawn praise from the rail industry, but also attracted criticism for its questionable numbers.

Rail industry

The Australasian Railway Association welcomed the federal government’s calling for registrations of interest into the development and operation of the Moorebank Intermodal Terminal.

Intermodal transport's share of U.S. long-haul truck traffic reached record highs in the first quarter of 2010, according to recent analysis by FTR Associates. Both total intermodal movements and movements of domestic intermodal equipment reached new market share highs.

Intermodal's share of U.S. long-haul (550+ miles) movements of international and domestic containerized freight was estimated to be 13.5% in the first quarter of 2010. The analysis utilizes equipment type, size and ownership data from the Intermodal Association of North America.

The NSW Government has appointed Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) the operator of the Enfield Intermodal Logistics Centre (ILC), which is located 18 kilometres from Port Botany.

Sydney Ports Corporation chairman Bryan Smith said the appointment of HPH, which is also the operator of the new third container terminal at Port Botany, was a major milestone in the intermodal project.

“In terms of logistics and efficiency, it is only natural for a port terminal operator to also operate a key inland facility of this kind—and HPH has the international experience and expertise to do so,” Mr Smith said.

When selecting the carrier partners, shippers say rates are their top consideration, according to “Freight Transportation 2013,” the first annual study conducted by NASSTRAC, otherwise known as the National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council. More than half of the shippers surveyed (50.9 percent) gave that answer.