8 American Journal of Transportation American Journal of Transportation ajot.com nacpc.org NACPC is your trusted partner for premium chassis solutions, designed to meet evolving market needs with uncompromising quality. Ensuring safety and reliability to keep you moving forward. Learn more at nacpc.org. GPS / Radial tires / LED lights / Auto-inflation systems ORANGE MOVES YOU FORWARD. their intermodal services. The Hub Group, a company with roots in the rail sector, now offers trucking, logis- tics, and other services. The company recently expanded its footprint in inter- modal services through the acquisition of the assets of Marten Transportation. The $51.8 million acquisition makes Hub North America’s second-largest provider of temperature-controlled intermodal services. In November 2025, Schneider launched Schneider Fast Track, a pre- mium intermodal service for shippers with time-sensitive freight and higher service requirements. The company said the program combines its asset- based truckload and intermodal capac- ity with strategic rail partnerships to offer faster transit times and 95 percent or better on-time performance. Partnership Across Modes Is Critical to Effective Intermodal Service Partnerships between shippers and all providers involved in inter- modal transportation are critical to success, especially at a time of strong growth in demand and as higher expectations from consumers are becoming the norm. “J.B. Hunt’s intermodal network relies on very strong communication and execution planning by our team; communication and visibility are key to the way we operate, and our rail providers operate,” said Field. Technology enables the company to provide the right information to the people, equipment, and systems that might interact with a customer’s shipment. Field said, “Our intermodal net- work relies on strong communication and execution planning by our teams. That communication and visibility are key to the way we operate, and the way our rail providers operate.” According to Field, technology gives J.B. Hunt an operational advan- tage by delivering the right informa- tion to the people, equipment, and systems involved in each customer’s shipment. Technology has also helped the company reduce costs of serving customers, further enhancing the value proposition. IANA Unifies the Interests of Multiple Intermodal Stakeholders The many individual improve- ments by companies and modes are supported by IANA, a unifying organi- zation that focuses on technology and practices to benefit all its members. IANA’s membership includes carriers, shippers, third-party logistics providers, and Intermodal Marketing Companies (IMCs). The organiza- tion developed uniform intermodal exchange agreements. These pro- vide a standard contract that governs equipment interchange in intermodal transportation, reducing liability and streamlining operations for carriers, railroads, and shippers. The organization also works with policymakers to advocate for rules to benefit intermodal stake- holders. In 2026, IANA supported a US Department of Labor rule pro- posal that would expand independent (GROWING – continued from page 6) contractor categorization under the Fair Labor Standards Act, potentially protecting hundreds of thousands of intermodal workers. From Competition to Collaboration The strong growth in inter- modal transportation reflects a much broader change in the industry. Before deregulation of the trucking indus- try in 1980, carriers were limited in their opportunities to compete with rail or intermodal transportation for cross-country moves. At the time some relationships between trucking companies and railroads appeared to be adversarial. J.B. Hunt was the first trucking company to collaborate with railroads and other providers to create a seam- less intermodal experience for ship- pers. Collaboration remains central to the company’s intermodal strategy and is essential to continued growth. Now, intermodal has become a complementary mode rather than a direct competitor, as truckers offer intermodal services themselves and as part of integrated supply chains. Today, modal lines are less of a pri- ority as shippers seek the most effi- cient ways to serve customers, and trucking companies, rail, and inter- modal providers are working collab- oratively to consistently deliver the reliability and efficiency that current supply chains require. “The goal is not to move freight between modes, but to create solutions that help customers operate efficiently as conditions change,” said Field. The successful addition of Cowan underscores Schneider’s proven approach to acquisitions.
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