Beginning in 2023, Schneider will expand its intermodal service by moving its primary western rail partnership to Union Pacific, one of the largest railroads in the U.S.

Once the partnership commences, Schneider said, it will have the largest company-driver dray fleet of any intermodal carrier hauling freight on Union Pacific and be the first carrier with both company-owned containers and chassis. With the combination of Schneider’s eastern rail partnership with CSX, the transition will create more direct transcontinental connections for the company’s customers, Schneider officials said in a press release.

“Having a differentiated rail network is a key component to our intermodal growth strategy and our goal to reduce carbon emissions,” said Schneider President and CEO Mark Rourke.

Schneider has one of the largest intermodal fleets in North America with over 25,000 containers, and the company has plans to double that intermodal size by 2030.

According to Schneider, the carrier saves 700 million pounds of carbon dioxide annually by working with railroads that can move a ton of freight up to 500 miles on a single gallon of fuel.

“When we pair Union Pacific’s transcontinental rail solutions with our company-owned assets and professional drivers, we will be an unstoppable force in the intermodal marketplace,” said Schneider Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Jim Filter. 

Schneider will continue to move freight with its current western rail provider, BNSF, for the remainder of 2022 and transition to full service on the Union Pacific rail network on January 1, 2023.