Despite network congestion and macro-economic headwinds, intermodal achieved solid growth in 2015, according to the Intermodal Association of North America's fourth quarter and year-end Intermodal Market Trends and Statistics report. Domestic container gains more than offset declines in trailer volumes and marginal international increases to achieve overall 2.8 percent growth in total intermodal volumes.

As an asset class, railways have a worrying history. Railway mania in Britain in the 1840s left plenty of unwary investors nursing hefty losses; that episode sits in most lists of history's biggest speculative bubbles. But the prices of shares and bonds are dauntingly high, which has stoked interest in all manner of outlandish "alternative" assets in recent years. That, along with legal changes making it easier to repossess collateral that goes clickety-clack, may soon have investors funnelling cash into locomotives, carriages and goods wagons again.

FTR's Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) for May, at -3.1, reflects the current manageable capacity utilization, which is expected to remain in place through 2015. As a result of improved capacity and low fuel prices, shippers are getting a welcome respite from rate increases. This environment should be maintained throughout the year. However, conditions affecting shippers will deteriorate in 2016 as the pressure from expected new regulations will put a significant drag on capacity.

The Transportation Software market is a large and varied market. Most researchers understate the size of this market since they focus on a few big and well-defined companies. However, there are hundreds of software and content firms in the transportation market. And amazingly, more entrants all the time.

North American freight volumes bounced back in August from a normal July dip, but did not cause a similar increase in freight spending. Compared to July, spending was down slightly.

The freight logistics sector slowed in July, following a seasonal trend, with both freight shipments and freight payments down 3.9 percent from the previous month. This drop was consistent with previous summers' drops, so should not be seen as the start of a decline in freight for the second half of 2014.

Truckload linehaul rates paid by North American shippers in June were 5.2 percent higher than in June of last year.