IANA Announces Academic Challenge Co-Honorees
The Intermodal Association of North America’s (IANA) 2021 Academic Challenge resulted in a tie; undergraduate teams from the University of Maryland and the University of North Texas shared the win.
Intermodal
Industrial Development Briefs
Intermodal service provider Tiger Cool Express will develop a logistics center at the former Union Pacific Cold Connect warehouse in Wallula, Wash. In addition, CSX has designated a third Tennessee property as a CSX Select Site; Bartlett, a Savage Company, will build a $325 million soybean crushing facility in Kansas, to be served by Watco; and the U.S. Economic Development Administration is awarding CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants for the construction of a new industrial rail spur in Arkansas and improvements to the Lubbock Rail Port in Texas.
Cowen 3Q21 Shipper Surveys Say …
An “incremental positive for orders” and “sequentially flat” rate increases characterized Cowen and Company’s third-quarter 2021 Rail Equipment and Rail Shipper Surveys, respectively, report analysts Jason Seidl (Railway Age’s Wall Street Contributing Editor), Matt Elkott and Elliot Alper.
AAR: North American Rail Volume Up 7.6% Through 40 Weeks
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) now has 40 weeks of traffic data for 2021. Total traffic (carload and intermodal) rose 7.6% in North America—climbing 8.7% in the U.S., 4.7% in Canada, and 4.1% in Mexico from the same point last year.
USDOT Releases Climate Adaptation, Resilience Plan
The U.S. Department of Transportation has published a climate action plan to ensure that “federally supported transportation infrastructure—as well as USDOT programs, policies and operations—both consider climate change impacts and incorporate adaptation and resilience solutions whenever possible.”
Supply Chains: Broken Beyond Repair?
Never before in our recent memory has so much focus been put on “supply chains.” The popular press has added the term to the language of the everyday person. We hear things like: “I went to the store today and the items I wanted were out of stock. Must be a supply chain problem.” Railroads are part of the supply chain, but few people realize or understand it.
AAR: No Single Solution to the Intermodal Problem
“Rail intermodal volume is clearly not what it has been and could be,” AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray noted in the association’s Oct. 6 rail traffic report, which found that September 2021 container and trailer volume dropped 6.7% from the prior-year period.
People News: HNTB, Quantix
HNTB’s Thomas Jenkins has earned the Mobility 21 Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, Quantix (formerly A&R Logistics) has named Jake Tendler Vice President of Sales for its 3PL Solutions business.
San Pedro Bay Ports to Speed Cargo Throughput
The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in California are expanding night and weekend hours to boost throughput and reduce delays as record cargo volumes move through the San Pedro Bay.
Quasar Platform Improves Rail Capabilities
Quasar Platform, an end-to-end supply chain visibility platform developed by Calgary, Alberta-based Cando Rail & Terminals, has added new features to its Shipment Management application that “significantly improve industrial shippers’ ability to