b'AUGUST 21 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2023INTERMODAL 17A new premium intermodal(TURNAROUNDcontin- ers moving on the U.S. ClassWehavestressedthe ued from page 6) I railroads were down 9% inimportance of sustaining ser-option for Ohio shippers bearsthatout.WhileJ.B.the first quarter of 2023 andvice through a volume recov-Hunts intermodal volumes inweredown12%duringtheery, and thats where our focus UWLaddsClevelandandColumbustoitsSunthesecondquarterdeclinedsecondquarter.Containeristoday,Fieldadded.We Chief Express service. 7%,theyweredown9%inimportsdecreased20.0%inlike our position and feel con-April, 8% in May, and 4% inApril,20.1%inMay,andfidentinourrailproviders By Peter Buxbaum, AJOT June, suggesting an easing in18.6% in June, at the nationsability to handle more volume the downward trajectory. top10ports,accordingtoas a recovery develops.InJune,thefreightfor- modalprogram,partofitsBut Field doesnt want toThe McCown Report.warderandgloballogisticsSunChiefExpressservicesound too optimistic. ComingIn contrast to some othera NticipatiNg at urNaBoutprovider UWL announced thewithSwireShipping,pro- into the year, we relied heav- carriers, J.B. Hunt has addedAturnaroundinJ.B. expansion of its inland pointvides direct rail connectionsily on customer forecasts, andcapacityduringthisyearsHuntsintermodalfinancial intermodal (IPI) program forto shuttle freight between thethey were largely all wrong,freight downturn. That deci- performancewillbedriven theSunChiefExpressser- Port of Seattle and key U.S.he said, noting that many ofsionplacedthecompanybyincreasesinvolumes,not vice, which operates betweenMidwestlocationsincludingthem felt volume would returnunderadditionalfinancialprices,Field predicted. Price Southeast Asia and the UnitedChicago,Memphis,Min- to West Coast ports, an inter- stress, but, according to Field,willalwaysimproveour StatesandCanadabywayneapolis,Louisville,Kansasmodal stronghold once a laborinagoodpositiontoservemarginfasterthanvolume ofSeattle.TheservicenowCityand now Cleveland anddealwasreached.Today,customerswhenafreightwill,butvolumesaremore includes access to two loca- Columbus. UWL utilizes thewere still a little cautious onrecovery comes to fruition. likelytoincreasefasterthan tionsinOhioClevelandUnion Pacific (UP) and Nor- whatweexpectastheyearWerecarryingextraprices, he said. I dont antici-andColumbusenhancingfolk Southern (NS) railroadsgoes on. Were still in a wait- costs and we have extra equip- pate any sort of pricing market thereachofthetransporta- and provides both eastboundand-see mode.ment were not utilizing, hein the near term thats going to tion solution. and westbound service, bothJ.B.Huntiscertainlysaid. We took driver wageshelp with our margin as quickly UWLs goal in expandingwith on-dock rail at the T-18not alone in experiencing anupayearago. Thosewagesas we might see an opportunity the IPI program is to provideterminal at the Port of Seattle. intermodaldownturn,and,arecertainlygoingtostayto grow our volume.fast,reliable,transportationSunChiefExpresswason the brighter side, is argu- elevatedandyetthemarketThecompanysdecision with guaranteed capacity and(OPTIONcontinued onably outpacing the rest of thehas challenged us with pricing(TURNAROUNDcontin-equipment to North Americanpage 21) industry. Intermodal contain- and prices are negative. ued on page 21)retailers, fashion brands, and manufacturersinimportant Ohiomarkets.Weinitially added the service in response tocustomerdemand,and have been growing volumes eversince,saidDuncan Wright, the companys CEO. Weve been working with a lot of retail goods, including furniture,apparel,techand electronics, and some indus-trial consumer goods. The IPI extension will service several of those customers who need their goods to get on market shelves quickly and reliably.Duncan WrightUWL is headquartered in Cleveland,Duncannoted, andColumbusisagrow-ing fashion hub. According to the Columbus Partnership coalition, the city is the fourth largest U.S. metropolitan area forretailheadquarters,and, with a population of two mil-lion,oftenservesasatest market for retailers conduct-ingconsumertrialsoftheir newproducts.Columbusis a days drive of 150 million Americans,whileCleveland isacitywithaper-capita GDP of $72,400.Cleveland and Columbus eachserveaspowerfuleco-nomicengines,saidWright. Integratingthemintoour network bolsters coverage and accessibility of our transporta-tionsolutions.Byexpanding theexistingIPIprogramto include Cleveland and Colum-bus, UWL aims to cater to the growingdemandfromclients for access to the Midwest, pro-viding them with a true end-to-endlogisticssolutiontailored to their needs.UWLs inland point inter-'