Intermodal declines in IMC buisness mix - intermodal marketing companies - Brief Article

Railway Age, Jan, 1998

Though intermodal marketing companies posted what the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) referred to as a "respectable gain" in third quarter 1997 compared to the prior year, intermodal loads, with a 49% share, accounted for less than 50% of the IMC business mix for the first time since 1994.

According to IANA Director of Research and Policy Michael J. Arendes, "Some of the shift in business is attributable to service disruptions, equipment shortages, and congestion in the intermodal industry. . . . The results of the next few quarters should indicate whether the shift was permanent or temporary." The overall results are positive, though, said IANA, with intermodal volume posting an 8.5% gain through the first nine months of 1997. Highway truck loads, however, rose 37.3%.