Quest for Quality 2022: Rail/Intermodal

Since the beginning of the pandemic, LM has been reporting that U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes have both seen their fair share of ups and downs.

In 2020, the pandemic knocked a serious dent into volumes, whereas a year ago at this time, U.S. rail carload volumes showed an emergence from the pandemic-driven doldrums with a 7.3% annual gain through the first six months of 2021, as more people got vaccinated and the economy started moving again.

However, through the first six months of 2022, there’s been a retreat of sorts for volumes, according to data from the Association of American Railroads (AAR). For the month of June, rail carload and intermodal volumes both saw annual declines, according to AAR data, with carload down 1.5% compared to June 2021 and intermodal containers and trailers falling 4.6% compared to June 2021.

The general uneasiness felt across the country continues to be reflected on the nation’s rails, according to AAR senior vice president John Gray: “As conjecture grows about the direction of the U.S. economy, June rail traffic doesn’t offer definitive answers on whether a recession is looming or not. Like many other economic indicators today, rail traffic is a mix of red, yellow, and green, with some traffic lines providing generally positive indicators, with others being a bit more subdued than they were earlier in the year.”

While volumes may be wavering, we can be certain that the 13 service providers taking home Quest for Quality gold this year have provided world class service during one of the most difficult operating environments we have ever known.

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

	On-time performance	Value	Information technology	Customer service	Equipment & operations	Weighted score
J.B. Hunt Transport Services	10.23	10.35	7.67	8.57	9.65	46.47
Canadian National Railway	10.87	9.06	8.41	7.38	8.84	44.57
Canadian Pacific Railway	10.23	9.34	7.36	788.00	8.66	43.47
BNSF Railway	10.42	9.76	6.57	7.52	8.35	42.62
AVERAGE	10.04	9.14	7.22	7.80	8.41	42.62

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
CJ Logistics America	14.49	13.59	10.68	12.30	12.06	63.12
Celtic International	14.49	12.08	8.31	8.20	8.04	51.12
APL Logistics	10.47	11.33	8.90	10.25	10.05	50.99
Mason Logistics	12.08	9.06	8.31	9.57	9.05	48.05
XPO Logistics	11.86	10.19	7.12	8.20	8.61	45.98
Mode Transportation	12.56	9.06	7.12	8.20	8.04	44.98
Worldwide Express	11.27	9.06	7.12	8.20	8.04	43.69
J.B. Hunt Transport Services	10.73	9.51	7.12	7.74	8.54	43.65
C.H. Robinson	9.98	9.47	7.12	8.20	8.04	42.81
AVERAGE	10.60	9.25	6.76	7.77	7.64	42.02

Source: Logistics Management, Peerless Research Group (PRG)

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In our Rail/Intermodal Service Provider category this year we have four winners, with J.B. Hunt Transport Services posting a top weighted score of 46.47. J.B. Hunt put up highest marks in Value (10.35), Customer Service (8.57), and Equipment & Operations (9.65). Canadian National Railway pulled with the highest On-time Performance attribute score (10.87) as well as the top mark in Information Technology (8.41).

It’s interesting to note that in our Intermodal Marketing Companies (IMC) category this year, which hosts nine winners, CJ Logistics America posted an impressive 63.12 overall weighted score, marking the highest overall weighted score of the entire 2022 survey. While tying Celtic International with an On-time Performance score of 14.49, CJ Logistics America posted top marks across all the other attribute categories this year.