The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) recently 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 at 104.1, but it maintains year-over-year growth.

“The August estimate, though down, reads as a continuation of the strength that we've seen for much of 2026," said Andrew Sibold, director of economics, IANA, in a statement.

 "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.