August 17, 2026
U.S. Intermodal Freight Moderates in July, IANA Index Shows
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CALVERTON, MD (August 17, 2026) — The Intermodal Association of North America today released the latest reading of its Intermodal Volume Index (IVI), a measure of North American intermodal freight activity. The August 2026 estimate of 101.3 is a month-over-month decline from July, which is forecast to come in at 104.1, but maintains year-over-year growth.
“The August estimate, though down, reads as a continuation of the strength that we've seen for much of the 2026," said Andrew Sibold, Director of Economics. "Although this month's forecast carries a bit more uncertainty, we're seeing no reason for any near-term reversal of the positive trend we've seen this year."
The IVI is built to work as a pulse check, reporting where the current month is most likely landing while shippers, railroads, and logistics companies are still making decisions about capacity, equipment, and routing. A steady reading near the pre-pandemic baseline tells the industry that intermodal demand remains stable, neither accelerating into a capacity crunch nor sliding toward a downturn.
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