Equipment Type | 2009 | 2010 | Change |
Trailers | 407,206 | 383,364 | -5.9% |
Domestic Containers | 893,506 | 1,034,036 | +15.7% |
All Domestic Equipment | 1,300,712 | 1,417,400 | +9.0% |
ISO Containers | 1,485,753 | 1,601,910 | +7.8% |
Total | 2,786,465 | 3,019,310 | +8.4% |
Strong port volumes supported a 7.8% gain in international containers during the quarter. Like domestic container growth, interna'tional growth accelerated throughout the quarter. While international containers grew by only 1.0% in January and 3.0% in Febru'ary, they strongly advanced 18.0% in March. Gains in inter'national container shipments were broad-based across all regions except the Southwest, which dropped 2.8% during the quarter.
The rise in domestic and interna'tional intermodal shipments translated into an 8.4% intermodal volume gain year-over-year. Although total intermodal vol'ume was flat in January compared to 2009, by March total intermodal volume was 16.7% higher than during last year. All regions recorded total intermodal volume growth greater than 6.0% during the quarter, except the Southwest region, which experienced only a 2.8% uptick. With the first quarter off to a strong start, and the emerging economic recovery, contin'ued strong service levels, growing domestic container fleets, and rising fuel prices, intermodal appears poised for a strong rebound in 2010.