Intermodal Spot Rate Pricing Trendline Analysis

Weekly discussion and analysis: Trends in the intermodal spot rate market

Intermodal Mileage Spot Rate per Mile (including fuel)-1

For the week of June 9, 2025, domestic intermodal spot rate index:

Down 0.6% from prior week.
Down 0.7% from prior year.

Intermodal Mileage Spot Rate per Mile (excluding fuel)-1

Year-to-Date Intermodal Volume by Region and Railroad vs. 2024

Volume declined for the fourth consecutive week, reflecting the impact of the China tariffs. We anticipate this trend will continue over the next few weeks, followed by a significant uptick as shippers rush to get ahead of the July 9th expiration of the pause on reciprocating tariffs.

North American Intermodal: 4.2%

United States: 6.1%

Railroad

BNSF: 6.1%
CN: -0.6%
CPKC: 9.1%
CSX: 2.8%
GMXT: -5.0%
NS: 3.5%
UP: 10.7%

Comparison of Truckload to Intermodal Spot Rate

National Truckload Spot Rate (as reported by the DAT Trendline Report):

Down 2.0% from prior week.
Up 1.0% from prior year.

Domestic 53' Intermodal Spot Rate:

Down 0.6% from prior week.
Down 0.7% from prior year.

For a full review of the 2025 US Intermodal Savings Against Truckload we point you to a tremendous piece of research the Journal of Commerce publishes quarterly.

Diesel Fuel Update

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported an average diesel fuel price of $3.471 per gallon this week, which is up $0.020 or 0.6% from the prior week.

The diesel price per gallon is down $0.187 or 5.1% from the same period last year.

The full spreadsheet of the historical weekly price moves of diesel full can be found at https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel.