North American intermodal freight volume increased in May, with strong domestic container performance.

According to data provided by the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) to *Logistics Management*, North American intermodal freight volume in May 2026 increased by 4.4% year-over-year, reaching a total of 1,618,761 units, reversing the 0.6% year-over-year decline in April.

By segment, trailer volume was 39,839 units, up 7.9% year-over-year; domestic containers totaled 783,590 units, up 8.6% year-over-year; and all domestic equipment (including trailers and domestic containers) combined for 823,429 units, also an increase of 8.6%. In contrast, international containers (ISO) edged up just 0.4% to 795,332 units.

For the first five months of 2026, cumulative volume reached 7,725,501 units, a slight year-over-year increase of 0.8%. Among this, domestic containers accumulated a 5.1% increase, trailers fell 2.1%, total domestic equipment grew 4.8%, while international containers declined 4.7% cumulatively.

Supply Chain Impact

During a recent conference call, IANA Economic Director Andrew Sibold noted that the Iran conflict has had a significant impact on domestic intermodal. In March and April, the domestic intermodal market share exceeded 50%, a proportion he described as "unusual," and which has been trending since January. As the Iran conflict pushed up fuel prices, some long-haul trucking shifted to intermodal, boosting domestic volumes.

Regarding the weak growth in the first five months, Sibold said that the same period last year saw a large amount of tariff-driven front-loading activity, affecting year-over-year comparisons. The current high domestic share is more of a structural change—international imports are weak due to tariffs, while some domestic freight volumes are replacing imported goods.

Industry Perspectives

Larry Gross, President of Gross Transportation Consulting, pointed out on the same call that there are now two independent trends in the intermodal market: one is international imports being suppressed by tariffs and thus sluggish; the other is that the domestic side is benefiting from rising fuel costs and tightening truck capacity. Gross emphasized: "Government regulatory measures targeting English proficiency, non-resident CDLs, and 'zombie truck drivers' are tightening trucking supply, leading to rate increases, which creates conversion opportunities for intermodal."

Sibold also mentioned a "small uptick" in domestic manufacturing, driven by AI data center construction and a federal settlement bill signed last summer ("a grand bill") that incentivizes companies to invest in domestic manufacturing. These factors together support the growth of domestic intermodal.

Outlook

Analysts generally believe that in the short term, domestic intermodal will continue to benefit from high fuel costs and tight truck capacity, but the timing of a recovery in international imports remains uncertain. If tariff policies ease, international container volumes may rebound, but the structural growth trend in domestic intermodal is likely to persist. The long-term impact of truck capacity regulations also requires further observation.

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