Multi-modal freight is a fact of life for most mid-to-large brokers. A shipper calls with a lane. You need to know whether truckload or intermodal makes more sense on price, on timing, on capacity. You pull TL rates from RateView. Then you pull IMDL rates from somewhere else. Then you try to reconcile two different data sources with different methodologies, different geographies, and different levels of transparency.
It’s a workflow problem that produces pricing errors. That changes today.
Intermodal rates are now in DAT iQ RateView
DAT iQ now includes intermodal (IMDL) benchmark rates as a distinct mode and equipment type within RateView, alongside dry van, reefer, and flatbed. For the first time, brokers and shippers can compare TL and IMDL contract rates side by side, in the same platform, on the same lane, with the same data standards.
This isn’t a separate product or an add-on. IMDL rates are available across all RateView subscription tiers, included at no additional cost.
What’s behind the data
IMDL rates in DAT iQ are built from shipper-to-carrier contract transactions, alongside DAT’s existing RateView contributor network. That network reflects more than $150 billion in annual contributed freight transactions.
Where legacy IMDL data sources aggregated rates at the KMA level, DAT iQ calculates intermodal benchmarks at the 3-digit ZIP code level. That’s more granular geography, which means more useful lane-level data for pricing decisions.
Every IMDL rate comes with the same transparency you get on TL lanes: average rate, rate range, report count, contributor count, and standard deviation. No black-box model. No regression output to interpret. Just the market, clearly presented.
For brokers: Price multi-modal freight with confidence
Side-by-side TL vs. IMDL comparison. When a shipper asks whether intermodal is worth considering on a lane, you can now answer with data instead of a phone call to a rail partner. Pull the TL rate and the IMDL rate in the same workflow, compare them directly, and make a recommendation grounded in market reality.
RFP and bid support at scale. The Multi-Lane Rate (MLR) tool now supports IMDL lanes, which means you can run intermodal alongside truckload in batch analysis for large-scale quoting and bid submissions. If your RFP workflow runs through MLR, IMDL is now part of it.
API and Snowflake integration. If you’ve already built IMDL rate logic into a TMS, pricing tool, or internal model, the RateLookup API and Snowflake/DAS delivery channels have been live since December 2025. IMDL is a distinct equipment/mode type, so it integrates cleanly into existing schemas without disrupting your TL rate pulls.
For shippers: A benchmark for the buy side
Shippers using DAT iQ gain a way to validate intermodal quotes against an independent market benchmark, the same way RateView lets you evaluate truckload pricing today.
When a broker quotes you an intermodal lane, you can check it against the market average. When you’re building a transportation budget, you have a data-backed basis for intermodal cost assumptions. When your routing guide fails and you’re moving freight on the spot, you know whether the rate you’re being offered reflects current market conditions.
One platform, every mode, every decision
DAT iQ has always been the rate intelligence layer for TL freight. Adding intermodal closes the last major mode gap for brokers and shippers who operate across multiple markets.
The data is there. The platform is the same. The workflow doesn’t change. You just get more of the market. Simply log in to get started.
IMDL rates are available now in iQ RateView Single-Lane and Multi-Lane Rate tools, the RateLookup API, and via Snowflake/DAS. Available across all RateView subscription tiers.
