Rail Pulse is Steel Wheel Logistics' weekly read on what actually moved on the U.S. rail network last week. Every figure is sourced from public AAR, STB, EIA, and USDA filings and linked at the bottom. Every word of analysis is anchored to those numbers — no estimates, no extrapolation.
The Number
513,755 total units moved in the week ending May 9, 2026, up 3.7% year over year, with carloads at 229,592 and intermodal at 284,163. Total traffic slipped 0.97% week over week from 518,773, as carload volume pulled back 2.32% while intermodal held nearly flat at plus 0.15%.
Network Health
As of May 13, 2026, BNSF runs green on speed at 25.0 mph but yellow on dwell at 23.0 hours. UP is green on both, posting 25.0 mph and 19.9 hours dwell. CSX comes in green on speed at 24.16264763564881 mph and green on dwell at 21.4 hours. NS is red on speed at 19.6 mph and yellow on dwell at 23.8 hours. CPKC sits yellow on speed at 21.9 mph and green on dwell at 21.03 hours. CN speed data is not available this period; CN dwell is green at 18.39 hours.
Color codes: green = speed ≥24 mph or dwell <22 hrs; yellow = speed 21–24 mph or dwell 22–26 hrs; red = speed <21 mph or dwell >26 hrs. Source: STB EP724 weekly Class I performance filings.
Fuel Watch
Highway diesel closed at $5.596 per gallon as of May 18, 2026, down 0.76% from $5.639 the prior week, though the current month average of $5.625 sits 2.25% above the prior month average of $5.5012. Current mileage-based fuel surcharge factors effective June 1 stand at 61 cents per mile for BNSF, 69 for UP, 76 for NS, 44 for CSXT, 77 for CN, and 74 for CPKC; next-period factors are not yet published for most carriers, so shippers should monitor July 1 revision dates closely.
Want to see how a fuel-surcharge change hits a specific lane? Run a free rail rate quote — FSC is broken out per leg.
Commodity Spotlight
Grain leads all AAR commodities in year-over-year movement for the week ending May 9, 2026, posting a 16.7% YoY gain to 24,113 carloads. That strength is confirmed in USDA grain rail data, where U.S. Class I grain carloads reached 30,610 for the week ending 5/02/2026, up 17.4% from 26,068 the prior year. BNSF drove the bulk of that volume at 14,128 carloads, followed by UP at 7,186 and CPKC at 3,944.
Lane Watch
Lane data for Houston, TX to Chicago, IL on a covered hopper of grain returned a timeout error in this cycle, so no tariff total or mileage figure is available to cite. To get an indicative estimate on this lane or any grain movement, use the rate calculator or discuss your shipment at steelwheellogistics.com/tools/rail-rate-quote.
Pricing a specific carload move? Run an indicative estimate through the live rail rate calculator. Already have cars on the ground? The demurrage calculator uses current Class I rate structures, and the transload directory lists rail-served terminals nationwide.
Sources
- AAR Weekly Rail Traffic Report
- STB Class I Weekly Performance Data (49 CFR 1250)
- EIA U.S. Weekly Retail On-Highway Diesel Average
- USDA AMS Grain Transportation Report
Rail Pulse is published every Tuesday morning, after the AAR Weekly Rail Traffic Report releases. We pull, validate, and compose — no figures are introduced beyond what these sources publish.