J.B. Hunt, BNSF Launch Quantum Premium Intermodal Service – Fleet Administration

J.B. Hunt Transport Companies and BNSF Railway have teamed as much as launch Quantum, an intermodal service designed to fulfill the service-sensitive freeway freight wants of buyer provide chains.

Quantum clients can anticipate as much as 95% on-time supply service roughly a day sooner than conventional intermodal service, in keeping with the announcement.

The Quantum group has each J.B. Hunt and BNSF operators housed collectively at a brand new Intermodal Innovation Middle at BNSF headquarters in Fort Value, Texas. Their workflow is built-in at each step of the intermodal transport course of, from planning to execution and oversight to exception administration.

Planning begins with aligning forecasts for dray, container and rail capability with buyer wants. Precedence drayage and rail motion are included to supply sooner, extra constant transits. 

The Quantum group supplies 24/7 oversight of each Quantum load and may shortly detect and resolve points earlier than they have an effect on remaining supply. Service and know-how integration permit the Quantum group to determine variability and suggest an alternate resolution amongst normal intermodal, expedited intermodal and over-the-road. 

“Quantum permits clients with service-sensitive freight to profit from the fee financial savings of intermodal, whereas decreasing their carbon footprint and sustaining the extent of service and consistency wanted of their provide chains,” stated Darren Area, president of intermodal at J.B. Hunt, in a information launch.

34 Years of Intermodal Collaboration 

It is the most recent in a protracted collaboration between the 2 firms — and the Quantum identify is a nod to that historical past.

In 1989, J.B. Hunt and BNSF (then Santa Fe Railway) launched what they stated was the business’s first fashionable intermodal transportation resolution — additionally named Quantum — with 150 trailers. That led to extra improvements, corresponding to double stacking containers, creating company-owned chassis, and including onsite terminals and categorical gates. 

In 2022, the 2 launched a joint initiative to enhance capability within the intermodal market whereas additionally assembly the increasing wants of consumers. This included plans from J.B. Hunt to develop intermodal capability to as many as 150,000 containers within the subsequent few years.

BNSF dedicated to creating further capability at present intermodal amenities within the close to time period and likewise their intention to construct a brand new state-of-the-art grasp deliberate rail facility in Southern California, the Barstow Worldwide Gateway, serving the Southern California ports. Collectively, their efforts helped tackle container velocity and repair effectivity throughout a unstable market. 

In September, J.B. Hunt bought the brokerage operations of BNSF Logistics, an affiliate of BNSF Railway Firm.

Extra About Quantum

“Quantum will present a sooner and extra constant intermodal resolution to clients,” stated Tom Williams, group vp of client merchandise at BNSF. “Our new Intermodal Innovation Middle will foster continued collaboration between our firms to proceed evolving with our clients’ provide chain wants and create the intermodal resolution of the longer term.”

Options are custom-made particularly to every buyer’s wants, taking into consideration service expectations, transit necessities and operational procedures.

Quantum is a premium intermodal service, and pricing will range based mostly on want. Prospects can anticipate price to vary between that of conventional intermodal service and over-the-road service, in keeping with the announcement.

Based mostly on evaluation of J.B. Hunt 360° transactions and annual bid exercise, J.B. Hunt estimates that as many as 7 million to 11 million a great deal of freight assist conversion from over-the-road truck service to intermodal service, decreasing a cargo’s carbon footprint by a mean of 60 p.c in comparison with over-the-road truck transportation.

A Altering Intermodal Market

BNSF and J.B. Hunt aren’t the one firms pursuing intermodal choices extra aggressive with over-the-road trucking.

As HDT reported earlier this 12 months, Schneider Nationwide introduced it’ll provide “truck-competitive” intermodal service on the newly merged Canadian Pacific Kansas Metropolis railroad, furthering its plans to double its intermodal dimension by 2030.