Using trains or the railroads to move large shipments of freight has always been popular. But with more and more companies looking for ways to conserve energy and keep our environment healthy, shipping by rail has seen an uprise. Freight trains reportedly move about 40 percent of American freight and are therefore critical to the United States economy. In addition to connecting businesses across the country, rail also contributes billions of dollars each year to the economy via their own purchases, jobs, and taxes. Rail cars or trains are used to carry industrial goods like coal, chemicals, non-metallic minerals such as phosphate rock, sand, crushed stone and gravel, food products, steel, lumber, paper, motor vehicles, and scrap materials. These are considered freight railroads.
Freight railroads in the U.S. fall into five categories: Class I, Regional, Local linehaul, Switching & terminal carriers, and Canadian carriers. Understanding these five categories is important prior to shipping by rail.
- Class I railways are the largest railroads, accounting for 70% of industry mileage and 92% of industry revenue. Class I carriers typically operate across many different states and usually concentrate on long-haul, high-density traffic lanes.
- Regional railroads are slightly smaller, linehaul railroads. They typically operate 400 to 650 miles of rail and serve two to four contiguous states. Most regional railroads employ between 75 and 500 workers.
- Local linehaul rail carriers operate fewer than 350 miles and earn less than $40 million per year. These rail companies typically perform point-to-point service over short distances. Most operate less than 50 miles of road and serve only a single state.
- Switching and terminal (S&T) carriers are railroads that perform pick-up and delivery services within a specified area for linehaul carriers. In some cases, S&T carriers connect load traffic between linehaul railroads.
- Canadian freight railroads, Canadian National Railway, and Canadian Pacific Railway have extensive U.S. operations
Shipping Large Freight by Train
Railcars are a great solution for shipping which is why Rail Car Deals offers a wide selection of railcars for the transportation of commodities throughout the U.S. Railcars can ship a wide variety of commodities including, salt, coals, scrap steel, rax materials, petroleum products, food, crude oil, and more without the restraints of road conditions and weather. RailCarDeals.com can help you find the right rail car to match your industry requirements. Our services cost you nothing and it only takes a few minutes to understand your shipping needs.
A Rail Car for Everything, and Everything in a Rail Car
You can ship just about anything by rail, and as you can see, there is a rail car for just about everything. To learn more about these rail car types and their specifications, check out additional details here – or contact us to learn how your products can move by rail.
If you would like to learn more about how railcars can help your organization with their shipping solutions contact RailCarDeals. We are your premier source for rail car sales. RailCarDeals is entirely focused on finding and placing railcars to match industry requirements. Contact us at 860-756-0302 or Email Information/Sales: information@RailCarDeals.com.
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