Get an indicative carload rate on any U.S. rail lane in seconds. Use it to sanity-check a carrier quote, scope a new lane, or model a project move. It is an estimate, not a firm rate. For a benchmark before you run your own, see current rail freight rates by lane.
Calculating your rate...
Resolving origin and destination on the rail network...
This usually takes 5-15 seconds. Please don't close or refresh the page.
| Segment | Railroad | Miles | Line-haul | Fuel Surcharge | Total |
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Rail data © U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (NTAD) · Tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Enter your origin, destination, commodity and car type above to get an indicative rail freight estimate in seconds, free. The estimate is modeled on railroads' published tariff structures and adds each carrier's current fuel surcharge and the interline handoffs on the route. Use it to see whether rail is in the running before you ask a railroad for a rate.
For current numbers across the market, see rail freight rates by lane, which benchmarks 30 U.S. lanes monthly. For how a rail rate is built, see how much it costs to ship by rail, and for the comparison with trucking, rail vs truck freight cost.
Want someone to run the whole process? Talk through your lane with us.
Enter the origin, destination, commodity and car type in the calculator above for an indicative carload estimate on any U.S. lane in seconds. For a rate you can ship on, the serving railroad quotes from its published tariff or a contract; we can help you request it and check it against the market.
On our October 2026 benchmark of 30 U.S. lanes, a single car ran $4,900 to $15,000 including fuel surcharge, with a median of $8,400, or about 8.5 cents per ton-mile. Distance, commodity, car type, number of railroads on the route and the number of cars shipped together all move the number.
Line haul from the railroad's published tariff structure for your commodity and route, the current fuel surcharge for each carrier on the route, and interline handoffs where more than one railroad touches the car. It does not include transloading, trucking to or from the rail terminal, demurrage, or the cost of supplying private cars.
No. It is an indicative estimate to plan against. Railroads set the rate you actually pay through their tariffs and contracts, and Steel Wheel Logistics does not guarantee rates.
Usually, for heavy freight moving more than about 500 miles. Rail runs roughly 4 to 9 cents per ton-mile, and as low as 2 to 4 cents for unit-train bulk, against 8 to 20 cents for truck. Trucking to and from the railhead and transload fees can erase the gap on short lanes.
