Steel Wheel Logistics · Serving shippers nationwide
Steel Wheel Logistics is an outsourced rail department for shippers. If you move bulk commodities by rail, or want to, and don’t have a rail desk of your own, we handle it: routing and pricing, railroad coordination, transload and equipment, demurrage control, and railcar brokerage. Built for new-to-rail shippers and bulk commodity shippers who would rather not build the expertise in-house.
What We Do
Everything an in-house rail department would do, without hiring one. Engage a piece at a time or hand off the whole function.
We route the lane, source the real railroad rate, and tell you what the move should cost before you commit. Start with an indicative rail freight quote, then we firm it up with the carrier. See current rail freight rates by lane for what a carload costs this month.
We deal with the Class I railroads and short lines on your behalf: carrier onboarding, car ordering, service issues, and the day-to-day calls nobody on your team has time for.
Rail-to-truck handoffs when a site isn’t rail-served, plus car tracking, pool ordering, and diversions whether you run private cars or railroad equipment.
The number one surprise cost on rail. We pre-plan car supply and loading windows, find the root cause of charges, and open the right conversation with the railroad on the ones that shouldn’t stand.
As a railcar broker we source lease and sublease cars, place your surplus cars, review lease renewals against the market, and pick the right car type before you shop.
All of the above, ongoing, as your outsourced rail department. One call a week instead of six people learning rail on the side.
About Us
Steel Wheel Logistics does one thing: rail. We don’t cover every mode and we don’t haul the freight. We coordinate bulk commodity moves with the Class I carriers and short lines — steel transportation by rail, scrap metal, grain, fertilizer, plastic pellets and more — and on the equipment side we work as a railcar broker. We never take title to your freight, so your dollars stay in your supply chain.
Our team has over 25 years of experience in rail operations.
No rail person on staff? We become one. Steel Wheel runs as your outsourced rail department — the whole rail function, handled.
Free Tools & Resources
Free shipper-grade tools and guides built from real Class I rate structures.
Indicative carload rate on any U.S. lane in seconds — line-haul, fuel surcharge, and accessorials. Free; we just ask for your email.
550+ indicative rate estimates for grain, steel, plastic, paper, and coal lanes — grouped by commodity and origin state.
Estimate per-car and total demurrage charges using current Class I rate structures (BNSF 6004-C source-of-truth).
Searchable directory of 2,785 transload facilities across North America. Filter by state, commodity, and on-site capabilities.
Rail freight coverage in 50 major U.S. cities — railroads, terminals, port access, and dominant commodities for each hub.
The complete shipper's guide to booking, equipment, transit, and delivery on a rail move.
Equipment, loading rules, scrap logistics, and cost factors for moving steel coil, plate, and structural by rail.
Transition guide for shippers moving from over-the-road truck to rail — lane selection, partner setup, transload prep, pilot moves.
Inside Class I rate structures — tariff vs contract, fuel surcharges, accessorials, and how miles roll into the all-in number.
When does rail + transload beat truck alone? Economics, site selection, equipment needs, and permitting.
Cities We Serve
City-by-city guides to local railroads, terminals, port access, and dominant commodity flows. View all 50 cities →
The largest rail hub in North America — six Class I carriers interchange here daily, with Joliet/Logistics Park as the dominant terminal complex.
Gulf Coast petrochemical capital — BNSF, UP, and KCS coverage with deep-water port access for plastic resin, NGLs, and chemical exports.
San Pedro Bay rail gateway — BNSF and UP service, ICTF and on-dock rail at the Ports of LA/Long Beach for Pacific imports.
BNSF Alliance and UP’s Dallas terminal — transcontinental crossroads for plastics, steel, and consumer goods moving north-south.
CSX Hulsey and NS Inman Yard — the Southeast's primary rail interchange, dominant in automotive, paper, and building materials.
Five Class I carriers at America's distribution center — BNSF, UP, NS, CSX, and CN converge with Mississippi River barge interchange.
Six Class I rail-to-water gateway — bulk grain, petrochemical, and steel exports through the Lower Mississippi port complex.
Second-largest rail hub by tonnage — KCS, BNSF, UP, NS, and CPKC interchange for grain, ag products, and Mexico-bound traffic.
Mississippi River rail gateway — six Class I carriers serve the Metro East terminals for coal, grain, steel, and aggregate flows.
Twin Cities rail hub — BNSF Northtown Yard and CP Shoreham serve grain country with CN and UP interchange to the south.
CSX Radnor and the South's auto corridor — major flows for steel, automotive parts, and building materials with Class I interchange.
NS Charlotte terminal — Carolinas distribution hub with CSX interchange and direct lanes to Atlanta and the Northeast.
From the Blog
Field-tested guides on documentation, equipment, accessorials, and the operational side of bulk rail.
Volume floors, transload partners, and the lane economics that decide whether a small shipper belongs on rail.
The shipper's first-move checklist — carrier outreach, BOL prep, equipment specs, and what to expect at origin and destination.
Bills of lading, waybills, STCC codes, AAR equipment IDs — every form a rail shipper actually has to fill out.
How Standard Transportation Commodity Codes work, why they drive your rate, and how to find the right code for your freight.
Pre-load and post-load inspection points — safety appliances, gates, hatches, and the AAR rules that govern reject conditions.
What it actually costs to build a private spur — track, switches, permits, and the volume thresholds that justify the capex.
Where short lines beat Class Is on service and rate — and where they don't. How interchange agreements actually work.
When dedicated unit trains pay off vs single-car manifest service — volume thresholds, transit speed, and rate structure.
The rules behind per-car demurrage, free-time clocks, and the operational moves that keep accessorials off your invoice.
How carriers hand off cars between each other — trip plans, run-through trains, and the interchange points that drive transit time.
Hopper requirements, hazmat rules, seasonal demand spikes, and the lane economics for ag fertilizer movements.
