Strong demand for US grain shipping remains
Growth in barge and rail shipments is driving robust logistics activity in 2025.
Demand for grain transportation in the US remains strong in 2025: barge volumes and Class I grain carloads are consistently above the average for the previous three years, according to the USDA’s Grain Transportation Report (GTR) dated December 4.
Rail grain shipments have been 9% above average over the past 12 weeks, and rail performance has improved, with train speeds exceeding the norm by 3% over the three-month period.
The lack of Chinese soybean purchases in October impacted the secondary block train market: the average BNSF rate fell almost half compared to last year.
Year-to-date, barge shipments have increased by 13% to 29.7 million tonnes, 10% above the average. Although soybean and wheat shipments remain below normal levels, recent purchases from China could boost demand for barge capacity.
Ocean vessel loading activity in the Gulf of Mexico and Northwest Coast remains stable and close to last year’s levels. GTR notes that the temporary waiver of tariffs between the US and China could improve the situation in the short term, but could potentially increase ocean freight rates.
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