Q&A: Matt Everson, SVP of Sales & Marketing at IntelliTrans
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Q&A: Matt Everson, SVP of Sales & Marketing at IntelliTransU.S. container imports jump 9.1% in September as AI investment and consumer demand drive growth, reports S&P Global Market IntelligenceMore than 80% of supply chain leaders say their workers aren’t ready for AISeptember truck tonnage sees a modest gain, reports ATANational diesel average heads up for the first time in four weeks, while remaining high, reports EIAMore 3PL
LM Group News Editor Jeff Berman interviewed Matt Everson, SVP of Sales & Marketing at IntelliTrans, about various topics, including: tariffs, USMCA, Canada, intermodal, and AI, among others in the Q&A below.
Everson has more than 15 years of experience driving growth and building strong customer relationships in the transportation and logistics technology industry. He leads the company’s sales and marketing efforts with a focus on delivering measurable value and long-term partnerships that help customers succeed. He leads the commercial and customer engagement strategy that connects shippers with technology designed to simplify logistics complexity and deliver measurable value.
Logistics Management (LM): Let’s start with Canada and the cross-border freight market. Given the significant volume of freight moving between the U.S. and Canada every day, how do you view the potential impact of shifting sourcing patterns on rail freight moving in both directions across the border? Could this be a permanent game changer?
Everson: I look at it this way: tariffs aren’t necessarily changing the overall volume of freight, although there are some volume trends worth discussing. What they’re really changing is the map. Where are shipments being sourced from, where are they going, and which lanes are they traveling?
There are downstream effects to consider, including new lanes that shippers need to understand and new benchmarks they need to establish. What we’re seeing is that changes in where and how companiespers
LM:Turning to volumes, it’s been a strong year for intermodal for a variety of reasons, including reduced capacity on the truckload side. How do you view the current state of cross-border rail volumes, and where might they be headed?
Everson: One interesting statistic is that, during the first 30 weeks of 2026, Canadian railroads were up approximately 1% cumulatively, while Mexican railroads were up 11.5%. I think that’s a very telling story.
You also have to look at the data at a micro level by examining the commodities actually being shipped. One of the advantages of our systems and customer relationships is that we have deep visibility into raw commodities, and each industry operates differently.
For example, statistics I reviewed recently showed metallic ores and metals up approximately 2,000 carloads, and chemicals up about 1,900 carloads. Meanwhile, motor vehicles and parts manufacturing were down roughly 1,800 carloads. Those figures tell you that commodities are moving in opposite directions within the same network. Overall, rail volumes were up approximately 2.7%, but that figure includes coal. Many industries remain down, while commodities such as metallic ores and coal are helping lift the overall network growth rate above the 2% range.
LM:Shifting cross-border volumes can leave railcars and capacity out of position as shippers change suppliers or facilities. Can you explain how that affects rail operations?
Everson: When your sourcing changes, you start using different lanes. Your inbound sourcing today might look very different from what it did three or four years ago.
That introduces new variables. Your railcars might sit longer at certain carrier terminals because transit windows and pickup schedules have changed. You might experience additional storage time or incur demurrage charges. We see customers making changes to their rail carriers, and that can be beneficial in some cases. But what you don’t want to do is make a major change at the last minute without planning.
You need to understand where congestion might occur and what happens if shipments are delayed by an additional two, three, or four days. Those delays have downstream effects. If transit times increase, your cycle times get longer, which means you may need more railcars to move the same volume of freight. For a supply chain executive, that’s a significant financial issue. Adding railcars to compensate for longer cycle times can be expensive.
LM:Rail often gets criticized for service problems, sometimes without much consideration for the broader operational challenges. How much of that comes down to shifts in volume and demand rather than the railroads themselves?
Everson: As a supply chain leader, I can decide to switch rail carriers in a week. But if everyone makes the same decision, it might take a railroad a quarter or even two quarters to catch up.
So, when congestion develops, it’s not necessarily because the railroads are incapable of handling the freight. It’s also because many shippers may be making similar changes at the same time. Summer is generally the best time of year for railroads to catch up on congestion, and we’re not in a particularly bad cycle right now. But when winter arrives, weather and storms in the Southeast can create additional constraints and backlogs that slow carriers down. Shippers need to be mindful of those risks. I don’t think enough planning goes into rail transportation in some cases.
LM:What should shippers monitor in terms of transit times, dwell, and transportation costs as cross-border freight patterns become less predictable?
Everson: Dwell is a major consideration, but shippers also need systems that provide real-time visibility across a broad dataset. Dynamic estimated times of arrival (ETAs) are more important than ever. You need to know where a particular railcar is and when it’s likely to reach its destination.
If you’re opening a new lane, you may not have enough historical data to know what normal transit time looks like. That’s where data aggregators can help establish benchmarks. They can help you understand whether 11 days is normal, whether 13 days indicates a delay, or whether nine days is achievable. Rail also offers opportunities for detailed tracking. If you’re monitoring a railcar closely, you can see when it passes a particular tracking point and estimate when it should reach the next one. If it doesn’t arrive as expected, you need indicators that alert you to a potential problem.
Out-of-route movements are especially important. If a railcar is traveling in the wrong direction, identifying the issue on day one instead of day three can make a significant difference. Otherwise, you might have to turn the shipment around after it has already traveled hundreds of miles in the wrong direction. Monitoring dwell and out-of-route movements creates opportunities to improve efficiency and avoid unnecessary charges.
LM:Let’s turn to trade policy and tariffs. With uncertainty surrounding U.S.-Canada relations, Mexico’s position in North American trade, and the future of USMCA, how do you see these developments affecting the North American freight rail and intermodal network?
Everson: I can’t really speak to whether the tariffs are good or bad. What I can say is that there is clearly uncertainty in supply chains right now.
If that uncertainty isn’t managed properly, it becomes a significant risk factor that companies need to consider. Part of the situation may be intentional, with an effort to encourage U.S. companies to examine their sourcing options and bring more activity back into the United States. But the U.S. doesn’t produce every commodity it needs, so the situation is complicated.
It’s difficult to comment on the broader trade policy implications, but there’s no question that uncertainty is affecting supply chain planning.
LM:The potential for ongoing uncertainty around USMCA raises questions about long-term predictability. Could that change how companies plan their sourcing and transportation networks?
Everson: The key issue is managing uncertainty and understanding the available options. Companies need to evaluate where their commodities come from, which facilities they use, and what alternatives might be available if their current arrangements become less attractive.
Those decisions can have a significant impact on transportation costs and operational performance.
LM:Assuming the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger is approved and creates a single-line network, how might that affect shippers from both a domestic and a broader North American perspective?
Everson: Shippers need to pay close attention to what’s happening because the merger could change their transportation options. For example, shippers may currently be able to negotiate rates using Rule 11 arrangements across two rail carriers. In some circumstances, a merger could eliminate that option for certain movements. Through-lane alternatives that are typically more expensive could become unavailable under the same arrangements.
On the other hand, there could be benefits. Better customer service or improved transit times might justify the change, although it would take time for a combined network to realize those potential improvements.
Generally speaking, having more railroads rather than fewer gives shippers more options. Ultimately, it comes back to operational planning. Companies need to understand their options, know where their plants and sourcing locations are, and evaluate alternative routes and transportation arrangements. Depending on how well they plan, the resulting impact on procurement and transportation expenses could be substantial.
LM:IntelliTrans has visibility into a significant portion of North American rail freight. What is your data telling you about the resurgence in intermodal? Is the freight recession really over, or are there still mixed signals in the broader economy?
Everson: Intermodal is an option for virtually any company shipping freight by truck, but there are advantages and disadvantages.
One major benefit is that intermodal takes pressure off the truckload market by freeing up trucking capacity. That’s something the market needs right now.
We’ve seen this cycle before. In 2001 and 2002, intermodal was very strong. Then shippers realized they could get comparable pricing on full truckload and shifted back to trucks. It’s a pendulum that swings back and forth.
Right now, capacity is tight. The driver shortage is real, and commercial driver’s license requirements are becoming more demanding. Instead of paying high rates for full truckload, shippers are asking whether intermodal might be a better option.
There was a recent Wall Street Journal article discussing an increase of around 5% in intermodal, and we’re continuing to see that growth.
However, the broader rail network is not slowing down. As I mentioned earlier, overall rail volumes are up roughly 1% to 2%, depending on the measure. When intermodal traffic is added to that network, it can increase transit times.
Some shippers switching to intermodal will experience delays in getting their products to their destinations. Depending on their industry, customers, and delivery requirements, that may be acceptable. For others, it won’t be.
I think intermodal will continue to grow in the foreseeable future, but this is my personal opinion rather than necessarily the position of everyone at IntelliTrans: I expect a relatively quick shift back toward full truckload once more drivers become available.
If shippers continue to experience longer transit times, they may reconsider their decisions. The additional intermodal traffic can also affect bulk rail customers. Even if those customers aren’t particularly sensitive to transit time, longer cycle times mean they may need more fleet cars or additional non-fleet shipments.
Ultimately, adding intermodal traffic to the rail network can increase costs for shippers.
LM:Looking ahead a couple of quarters, what are you and IntelliTrans paying the closest attention to as we move through the remainder of this year and into next year?
Everson: The merger is always on our minds because it affects a number of our customers.
AI is another major focus. We’re looking at how we can use the data we have to help customers streamline the operational planning we’ve discussed throughout this conversation.
Rail transportation involves many moving parts: equipment leases, maintenance schedules, cycle times, and various car events, including CP, AP, and release events. Understanding the timing between those events—and how it compares with previous periods—can help companies make better decisions about fleet sizing. We can use that information to determine how effectively a company is managing its fleet and what adjustments might be necessary.
If a shipper needs to source a commodity from another location, there may be alternative options. Even if the sourcing location stays the same, there could be another route worth considering. For example, are we seeing more traffic routed around Chicago when congestion develops? Are alternative routes becoming more attractive? What would those routes mean for mileage, cost, transit time, and fleet utilization? Bringing all that data together can produce valuable insights, provided companies know how to use it effectively.
LM:Many senior supply chain executives come from trucking backgrounds and may be less familiar with rail’s operational complexities. How significant is that knowledge gap?
Everson: I speak with senior vice presidents of supply chain and chief operating officers quite often, and many have strong backgrounds in truckload transportation. Very few have similarly extensive experience in rail.
That means a lot of companies shipping by rail may be operating without a complete understanding of the data available to them. It’s a concern because these factors are becoming more important than ever. Companies need to understand what’s happening across their rail networks if they want to manage their supply chains effectively in the future.
LM:How do you see AI affecting rail operations, network fluidity, and the ability to keep freight moving efficiently?
Everson: Prescriptive insights are the big opportunity. AI agents can act as the worker bees that help generate those insights. Many people tell us they don’t know what they don’t know. That’s true in supply chain management in many ways. If we can identify opportunities or risks that customers haven’t even realized they should be looking for, we can create significant value. For example, we might identify an alternative routing option involving different rail carriers. Instead of using one established route, a shipper might be able to move freight through another combination of carriers. But the analysis needs to go beyond simply identifying a different route. We need to understand the mileage, estimated cost, potential changes in transit time, and the resulting impact on fleet cycle times.
Once you can master the data and give AI agents specific tasks to understand the long-term implications, you can start generating recommendations that help customers rethink their existing strategies. That’s what we’re working on at IntelliTrans, and it’s incredibly exciting. I also think AI can help senior executives who don’t have extensive rail experience develop a much better understanding of the mode. It can make rail’s complexities easier to navigate and help them make more informed decisions.
LM:Could AI help close the knowledge gap in rail transportation while also improving operational decision-making?
Everson: Absolutely. The potential is significant. The key is getting involved, mastering the data, and using it to generate actionable insights.
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IntelliTrans News & Resources
Latest in Logistics
Q&A: Matt Everson, SVP of Sales & Marketing at IntelliTransU.S. container imports jump 9.1% in September as AI investment and consumer demand drive growth, reports S&P Global Market IntelligenceAddressing the impact of AI on logistics and the supply chain, now and into the future, with Alan AmlingMore than 80% of supply chain leaders say their workers aren’t ready for AISeptember truck tonnage sees a modest gain, reports ATAStrong U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are sustained in September, reports AARNational diesel average heads up for the first time in four weeks, while remaining high, reports EIAMore Logistics
About the Author
Jeff BermanJeff Berman is Group News Editor for Logistics Management, Modern Materials Handling, and Supply Chain Management Review and is a contributor to Supply Chain 24/7. Jeff works and lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, where he covers all aspects of the supply chain, logistics, freight transportation, and materials handling sectors on a daily basis.Follow Logistics Management on FacebookLogistics Management on LinkedIn
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