Is intermodal service holding up amidst surging truckload conversion?

As shippers convert (or consider converting) more of their truckload freight to intermodal in 2026, intermodal service appears to be handling the related volume surge well. The Spring Intermodal Service Scorecard from the Journal of Commerce shows intermodal and railroad customers saw continued reliability, with only a slight dip, even as volumes rose substantially.

What do the Spring 2026 intermodal service satisfaction numbers show?

Intermodal service satisfaction remained high in the first half of 2026 according to JOC's scorecard, with about 88% of shippers saying they were pleased with service through their intermodal provider. And 87% of intermodal providers indicated contentment with railroad service during the period as well. Those figures are down from over 93% and 91% measured in the scorecard covering the second half of last year.

The gentle pullback on both numbers comes with not so gentle growth in intermodal volume, largely due to truckload conversion thanks to over-the-road capacity and cost issues. Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) figures indicate domestic volume in Q2 was up a whopping 10.9% from the year prior. On top of that, the more than 100 shippers and 50 IMCs surveyed agree truckload conversion has been substantial.

More than 85% of intermodal providers say customers pivoted from over the road to intermodal so far this year. That's up from just under 11% in the final two quarters of 2025. And the shippers themselves agree, with 54% saying they've transitioned freight to intermodal in 2026, about three times the number in the prior survey.

Who are the best intermodal service providers so far in 2026?

According to shipper respondents, the highest scoring intermodal providers on service were the group of smaller asset-lite and non-asset IMCs (which includes InTek Logistics), followed closely by J.B. Hunt. In fact, J.B. Hunt and asset-lite & non-asset providers were also 1-2 - switching places in the shipper vote for best performing IMCs.  

Where is drayage creating service risk?

The one area that seemed to ding IMC satisfaction scores slightly in the first half of 2026 was drayage, not coincidentally the one area of intermodal most affected by the same factors the truckload market has dealt with (i.e. capacity shortages tied to a changing cost and regulatory environment). In particular, shippers cited worries about on-time pickups and tender rejections as their top issues in recent months.

J.B. Hunt, Hub Group and Schneider all saw drops of about 15% from their previous scorecards in tender acceptance. Smaller IMCs outpaced the larger ones on the drayage metrics, likely because of their flexibility in finding capacity allowing them to pivot faster when issues arise.

As we've noted on multiple occasions, most intermodal service issues are related to drayage, as it accounts for two of the three legs of a door-to-door journey and thus has more variables. Railroad linehaul tends to be the sturdiest feature of intermodal transit.

How are railroads responding to service pressure?

Railroads are responding well the increased volume, with IMCs spotlighting Union Pacific and BNSF particularly - UP for its pursuit of truckload conversions and BNSF for terminal execution. On the rails, BNSF received the highest score, while UP received the most votes (by a wide margin) for best intermodal service. Overall intermodal train speeds for the first half of the year averaged 30.3 mph, better than a year ago and even with the second half of 2026.

Beyond the scorecard, actions taken by the railroads show they are continuing to work on service (something that we noted was happening last year even as volumes were low).

Chronologically, in January, Norfolk Southern announced new "East Edge" double-stack intermodal service between Chicago and New England, designed to add capacity and reduce transits by up to 10 hours. A few months later, NS responded to customer demand by launching round-trip intermodal service between Cincinnati and Atlanta, speeding up connections between the Midwest and Southeast. Also around that time, CPKC and CSX officially launched Southeast Mexico Express trains, adding faster capacity to connect the Southeast with Texas and Mexico.

What does record Q2 volume mean for Q3, Q4 and beyond?

A roughly 11% annual domestic intermodal volume increase meant a record 2.35 million loads moved across the U.S. in the second quarter. The JOC projects even higher numbers for the current quarter, with a chance of seeing up to 2.53 million intermodal loads in Q3. Whether the volume continues to surge going forward depends on both the continued movement from truckload to intermodal (affected by capacity and the rate gap) and whether general freight demand persists, grows or slows. That second question is more tied to the economy as a whole, relating to consumer sentiment, inflation, interest rates, production and a variety of other factors.

How should shippers prepare for continued intermodal growth?

Shippers worried that intermodal service would struggle to support greater volumes can take heart in the results of the Spring Scorecard, which shows satisfaction levels remaining very high even with a significant jump in activity. With the service concern largely addressed, the question for shippers comes back to cost. As of now, savings is substantial versus truckload across the continent, with the gap noted by JOC in contract rates at about 30% and spot rates at 34% (costs vary based on product type and individual lanes).

If you're ready to convert truckload lanes to intermodal or add more to your intermodal mix, as you may have noticed, InTek is among those highly rated smaller IMCs. We offer flexible capacity and personalized service to ensure your shipments move seamlessly via door-to-door intermodal. Get started with us by filling out our brief form, or find more about what we offer on our Intermodal Service page.