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In the post-pandemic trucking industry, there are two major trends: rising consumer demand is leading to strong freight volumes, and the price of diesel is steadily increasing. Taking the week of 5/31 as an example, diesel prices across the U.S. were up 36% year-over-year, with some regions seeing as high as a 44% increase. And according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), diesel costs are expected to remain at a higher level than the prior year in the coming months.

With intermodal taking out most of the mileage individual trucks have to drive due its reliance on rail transportation, it provides a cost advantage and greater efficiency by using less fuel in the movement of freight. In fact, one ton of freight can move 480 miles on one gallon fuel over the rail. The typical semi-truck usually only gets around 7 miles per gallon, so cutting trucks out of a large portion of the trip just make sense. For carriers, intermodal provides them with the opportunity to take shorter, well-paying trips while staying close to home.

The opportunity is there for intermodal to be the top choice for carriers and shippers in response to high diesel prices. Because of this opportunity, DrayNow is embarking on a new content series, explaining exactly why this is the case. As the first real-time marketplace for matching intermodal freight and carriers, we see firsthand the advantages for both sides of the equation.

Rolling out over the next several weeks, topics in this series will include looking at how intermodal can decrease mileage and fuel expenses for carriers, increase total revenue and reduce the time spent on each trip. For shippers/IMCs, we will be covering how intermodal lowers costs on this side plus the environmental benefit, which is integral to shrinking a business’s carbon footprint. We will be incorporating our own internal data into the series to provide clear evidence for these topics in the case for intermodal.

To get a perspective from every stakeholder in the industry, we will also be including our conversations with IMCs and other industry experts as well as carriers small and large. This way every voice is used to paint a complete picture of the intermodal advantage.

Check out the series below:

• Decreasing Mileage & Fuel Expense with Intermodal Trucking
• How Intermodal Trucking Affects a Carrier’s Net Revenue
• Staying Close to Home with Intermodal Trucking