SONAR Rate Intelligence Reveals Intermodal Pricing and Truckload Conversion Savings

SONAR Rate Intelligence Adds Intermodal Rates and Truckload-to-Intermodal Conversion Savings

SONAR has added intermodal contract and spot rates to its Rate Intelligence platform, giving shippers, brokers, carriers and transportation professionals a way to compare rail-based intermodal pricing with truckload rates on the same lanes.

The new tools include intermodal rate data, ramp information, volume trends and a “Conversion Savings” view. That view estimates how much a shipper could save by moving freight from van truckload to intermodal, including the estimated savings per load and potential savings across an annual lane volume.

For professional drivers and motor carriers, the update provides another indication of where shippers may consider shifting longer-haul freight away from over-the-road service. Intermodal conversion generally involves rail movement between terminals, with trucks handling the first and final portions of the trip. The economics are most relevant on lanes where transit times and service requirements allow rail to compete with highway transportation.

SONAR’s comparison shows intermodal contract pricing averaging about 21% below van contract rates, or approximately $593 per load, on one example lane. On the Chicago-to-Elizabeth, New Jersey, corridor, intermodal contract pricing was listed at $2.77 per mile and $2,220.92 per load. Van contract pricing was $3.58 per mile, or $2,813.88 per load, while the van spot rate was $3.92 per mile, or $3,081.12 per load.

The Chicago-to-Elizabeth example covers an average of 808 intermodal rail miles. SONAR identifies Chicago 14th Street as the in-gate ramp and a Norfolk Southern ramp in Elizabeth as the out-gate facility. The intermodal rate estimate was based on 46 observations over a 41-day period, with a reported range of $2,075 to $2,435.

SONAR also rated the lane’s conversion potential as high, supported by 283 domestic intermodal containers. Intermodal contract rates on the lane were up 11.55% year over year, showing that lower pricing compared with truckload does not mean rail rates are standing still.

Another prominent example is the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Atlanta lane. SONAR data showed van spot truckload rates on the lane increasing approximately 42%, while van contract rates rose about 26%. Intermodal rates increased about 16% over the same period.

That difference has placed Harrisburg-to-Atlanta among the strongest savings opportunities in SONAR’s intermodal dashboard. East Coast corridors connected to Atlanta and Harrisburg are leading the platform’s savings rankings, with other notable lanes including Atlanta to Chicago, Atlanta to Joliet and Atlanta to Elizabeth, New Jersey.

The dashboard also shows intermodal volumes trending higher on key lanes. U.S. intermodal volume was reported up 4.7% year to date compared with 2025, while North American volume was up 4%. Rising volume alongside wider truckload-to-intermodal savings could increase the number of lanes receiving closer attention from shippers and transportation planners.

SONAR’s new data is designed to show more than a simple linehaul comparison. Users can review resolved intermodal lanes, suggested in-gate and out-gate ramps, ramp distances from the shipment’s origin and destination, rate-per-mile and flat-rate comparisons, fuel surcharge information, and month-over-month and year-over-year changes.

Intermodal spot-rate coverage is available on roughly 100 high-volume corridors. On lanes outside that coverage area, users can still compare intermodal contract pricing with truckload rates. The platform also allows users to enter their own annual shipment volume and rate assumptions to estimate total potential lane savings.

Fuel remains an important part of the broader transportation-cost picture. The rate comparisons cited by SONAR exclude fuel, while truckload spot-rate data is identified as coming from DAT and diesel information is based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s national average. In the cited market snapshot, truckload spot rates excluding fuel were up 46.3% from the prior year, while diesel was down 2.3% week over week but up 70% year over year.

Intermodal contract rates could also be influenced by railroad industry developments. A pending railroad merger may limit rate increases that had previously been estimated at as much as 8%, as the involved carriers avoid moves that could generate additional shipper opposition. SONAR’s market observers will be watching whether increased intermodal adoption eventually places upward pressure on intermodal contract pricing.

For truckload carriers and drivers, the new comparison tool does not mean every long-haul shipment is a candidate for rail. Service requirements, terminal locations, drayage availability, equipment, appointment schedules and transit-time expectations all affect whether a conversion is practical. It does, however, make the cost difference easier to identify on specific lanes.

By putting intermodal and van pricing into the same lane-level workflow, SONAR is highlighting where rail may be gaining a larger role in freight planning. The strongest opportunities currently appear concentrated on selected East Coast corridors, where intermodal rates have risen more slowly than comparable truckload pricing and shipment volumes are moving higher.