Intermodal volumes in North America in the second quarter of 2006 topped last year’s peak season volumes and grew by 5.9% compared with the same period of 2005, according to Intermodal Trends and Statistics, a quarterly publication from the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA).

Sharp rise in North America intermodal volumes

Intermodal loads totalled 3.58 million in Q2, compared with 3.56 million in Q4 2005 while, on a monthly basis, June’s volume of 1.24 million topped last October’s peak of 1.23 million. On a year-on-year basis, trailer volumes declined by 1.9% from Q2 2005 to Q2 2006, but domestic containers grew by 3.3%, domestic equipment by 1% and international containers by 9.4%.

International containers dominated growth, accelerating to their 9.4% increase from 7.6% in Q1, and accounting for more than 90% of the second quarter’s gain. The increase resulted from continued strength in container imports from Asia, particularly at Pacific Southwest ports, according to IANA.

Domestic intermodal growth also extended into the second quarter, although at a slower pace than Q1’s gain of 4.4%. The industry shift to larger domestic boxes continued, with 53 ft containers growing by 24%, following growth of 31% in Q1.