Domestic intermodal shipping involves moving freight on the ground via a combination of road and rail. Having loads travel via train for the long-haul portion of the journey allows intermodal companies to offer cost and sustainability advantages, while incorporating trucks for the short haul allows for flexible door-to-door delivery.
The top intermodal freight companies - known as intermodal marketing companies (IMCs) - work directly with Class 1 railroads to coordinate rail service. The largest intermodal transportation providers account for the majority of market share and own their containers.
InTek Intermodal Logistics is hardly the biggest IMC, but as a non-asset provider with extensive intermodal expertise, customers realize a number of advantages - with service being the key. InTek's people, relationships with Class I Railroads and trucking companies and technology mean solutions for freight of all kinds, across North America.
With 60 years of industry experience, J.B. Hunt has grown from five trucks and seven trailers to a Fortune 500 company listed on the NASDAQ with roughly a $17.5 billion market cap providing a variety of services for customers throughout the continental United States, Canada, and Mexico - placing it among the leading intermodal shipping companies.
With over 50 years of experience in the industry, Hub Group is another of the largest intermodal transportation companies, offering service across North America. More than 6,000 employees serve and support the company's asset-based intermodal program. Hub Group is listed on NASDAQ with roughly $2.5 billion in market cap.
Among the oldest freight providers in the U.S., Schneider National was founded in 1935 and now boasts a variety of transportation services. In addition to its substantial container fleet, it is among the largest intermodal trucking companies and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange with a market cap of almost $4.0 billion.
Founded in 1985 as a warehousing firm, STG Logistics now operates coast-to-coast across North America, offering port-to-door supply chain solutions. STG became one of the top intermodal logistics companies in the U.S. when it acquired XPO Logistics' intermodal operations in 2022.
Thanks to its merger with Knight (to form Knight-Swift), Swift Transportation considers itself America's largest full truckload carrier. Since its founding in the 1960s, Swift has also grown to be among the top five intermodal transport companies in the country. Traded on the New York stock exchange with a market cap of roughly $8.0 million.
Determining the largest intermodal carrier is simple when looking at the number of assets each of the top companies owns. The charts below breakdown the container ownership of asset-based intermodal shipping companies and class 1 railroads. Though not owners, non-asset IMCs like InTek can tap into most of this capacity.
Intermodal transportation companies are logistics providers that purchase intermodal capacity directly from railroads and trucking firms to give shippers door-to-door service. There are two types of intermodal companies - better known within the industry as intermodal marketing companies or IMCs - bi-modal and non-asset.
Intermodal marketing companies exist because U.S. class 1 railroads do not sell intermodal direct. IMCs handle sales, coordination and communication - serving as a single customer point of contact and biller.
Bi-modal intermodal marketing companies own most containers and dray trucks they use when handling an intermodal freight move. Examples include J.B. Hunt, Hub Group and others making up the largest IMCs.
Non-asset IMCs perform the same function as bi-modal companies, but they use railroad and privately owned containers and coordinate truck segments with private dray carriers. Examples include InTek and other companies of various sizes.
Now that you are armed with the basic information, there are a few important considerations for your business to additionally work through as you choose among the best intermodal shipping companies.
Does the IMC typically work with large, high-volume shippers or are their intermodal services geared toward small to medium-sized shippers? Consider which one reflects your business as you decide the best fit.
Service covers the speed and reliability of delivery and how the company handles areas like dray activities, the execution of loads, adaptability to issues and visibility throughout the journey.
Communication is key within the intermodal provider, between the provider and the railroad(s) and dray provider(s), and between the provider and you, the customer.
Consider whether your company will have a dedicated point of contact handling your shipments or go into a pool of customers passed around a call center.
It would be disingenuous to leave out price as a consideration, as while pricing can be fairly standardized, there are variations - and every little bit helps your bottom line. Just remember, it shouldn't be the only factor.
Does the IMC know what it's doing inside and out? Evidence of subject matter expertise includes blogs, articles, videos and other forms of thought leadership and knowledge-sharing.
In addition to sharing knowledge, look for independent certifications from the industry and a presence in major intermodal and transportation-related organizations.
Whether its route and rate optimization, shipment track and trace, transportation management system (TMS) software or other technology, ensure your IMC of choice is on top of it all.
While the largest providers own the majority of the assets they use, no intermodal company owns them all - and they all have to use the same railroads. Consider how important ownership is to you.
Technically, freight brokers can sell intermodal service. But consider that they must use an IMC to do so, meaning there is additional margin built into the cost - and an additional layer to follow (and adjust) the shipment.
InTek addresses many of the key considerations above, with proven intermodal expertise, service reliability and a dedicated operations pro handling each customer's shipping needs - meaning no freight shipper is too big or small.
Our partnerships with all class 1 railroads and relationships with private container owners (including some of the bi-modal companies in this piece) and dray providers make handling any shipping challenge possible. Just reach out to us to learn more.
An IMC buys intermodal capacity directly from Class I railroads and drayage carriers, then sells it to shippers as door-to-door service. U.S. railroads don't sell domestic intermodal direct, so any shipper moving freight by rail is working through an IMC whether they know it or not. One contract, one point of contact, one invoice covering all three legs.
Contracts. An IMC holds them directly with the railroads. A broker doesn't, so it has to buy the move through an IMC and resell it, which puts both margin and a communication layer between you and the people actually handling your freight.
Asset-based IMCs, also called bi-modal, own the containers and usually the dray trucks. Non-asset IMCs coordinate railroad-owned and privately owned containers with independent dray carriers.
Both buy from the same railroads, so the rail portion looks identical either way. Equipment is where it matters. An asset provider has every reason to fill its own boxes first, which can limit where it wants to quote. A non-asset provider picks whatever container and drayman fits the lane.
Around 750 miles. Below that, two dray legs and the ramp handling consume most of the line-haul savings. Above it, rail carries enough of the distance that the advantage survives drayage on both ends.
It depends on the lane, the season and the service level, but as an average shippers should expect roughly a 15% savings. The gap between truckload and intermodal pricing widens and narrows through the freight cycle.
Usually by a day or two, depending on rail service and where the ramps sit relative to your origin and destination. Most shippers absorb that inside their existing order cycle and their customers never see a difference. Tight appointment windows or same-day requirements are a genuine constraint.
Most of what fits in a 53-foot container. Consumer goods, paper, packaged food, building products and retail replenishment are routine, and temperature-controlled freight works with the right equipment. Hazmat, very high-value loads and anything on a same-day clock are the exceptions.
The primary intermodal railroad in the US include: BNSF, Union Pacific, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Canadian National and CPKC. Coverage splits east and west, so a transcontinental move usually involves an interchange between two of them. Your IMC arranges that as a single shipment.
Origin and destination ZIPs, commodity, weight, volume by lane and your transit requirement. Accessorials belong in that first request too, so also share special handling or dock needs.