Escalation Consultants, Inc.

08/20/2026

The railroad says costs are up.

But what do its own SEC filings say?

Before accepting another rail rate increase, shippers should be asking whether the railroad’s revenue, operating costs, profitability, and pricing trends actually support the increase being proposed.

That’s where the SEC Filings & Escalation section of Rail Cost Control can provide another layer of negotiating leverage.

RCC helps shippers use the railroads’ own financial data to:

- Identify when rates are increasing faster than underlying costs
- Compare proposed increases against broader railroad pricing trends
- Better understand how a railroad’s business has changed over time
- Build objective, data-supported arguments for minimizing increases and reducing rail expenses

Understanding railroad financial performance is only one piece of the puzzle. When combined with RCC’s rate benchmarking, competitive intelligence, market insights, historical trends, and optimization tools, shippers can develop a much clearer picture of where leverage exists—and how to use it.

Before you accept the railroad’s next increase, take a closer look at the railroad’s own numbers.

👉 Click below to read the full article to learn how SEC filings can help strengthen your rail rate negotiations and put downward pressure on rail expenses.

08/14/2026

A rail rate can look GREAT against the broader market…

…and still be too high against the movements that actually matter.

That’s the problem with asking: “Is our rate competitive?”

The better question is: “Competitive compared to whom?”

A recent Rail Cost Control analysis showed exactly how much the answer can change when the lens is specifically narrowed by:
➡️ Commodity
➡️ Mileage Range
➡️ Equipment Type
➡️ Shipment volume
➡️ Origin & destination markets
➡️ Direct competitive traffic

The rate didn’t change. The benchmark did.

And suddenly, a rate that looked competitive against the broader market looked very different when compared against movements the shipper was actually competing against.

That difference can mean hidden negotiating leverage—and hidden cost-saving opportunities.

Our latest article breaks down how rail shippers can use Rail Cost Control to adjust the lens, benchmark their movements more intelligently, and identify where opportunities may be hiding in their rail book.

Think your rail rates are competitive? Put them to the test.

👉 Read the full article: Your Rail Rate May Look Great—Until You Compare It to the Right Market: https://www.railcostcontrol.com/news-events/5-reasons-rail-rates-may-look-great/

Your rail rate can look GREAT when compared against the broader market—and still be far too high when compared against the movements that actually matter. That is exactly what a recent Rail Cost Control (RCC) analysis demonstrated. A shipper’s rate initially appeared competitive. But when RCC na...

06/26/2026

Railroads are very comfortable with the status quo.

When nothing changes, rates tend to keep moving in the same direction — up. But when a shipper creates credible alternatives, benchmarks its rates, and shows the railroads that business could shift; the power in the negotiation shifts.

Our latest RCC Blog, “Change Is the Enemy of Railroads,” explains why an effective negotiation strategy for significantly reducing rail rates, must be built around creating uncertainty for the railroad — and why that uncertainty improves shippers' negotiation leverage.

The article breaks down how this process works by using actual examples that Escalation Consultants has used to create change which made railroads look at our client's business differently. Change is the enemy of railroads, and in all the examples, this change forced railroads to make more competitive rate decisions.

The blog also highlights why rate benchmarking is always the first step. Before you can negotiate reasonable rates, you need to know what reasonable rates actually are — which markets are you below average, average, above average, or significantly above market.

If your rates keep increasing you need to be in the position to show a railroad that sometimes a reasonable rate change is a rate decrease. The blog Change is the enemy of railroads shows how this is done.

Stop Guessing. Start Negotiating.

Click to read full article:

Escalation Consultants Inc. (EC) has been generating significant cost savings for rail shippers for half a century. What we have found is that things that work without much effort tend to generate smaller cost savings. Strategic negotiation strategies that work to generate large savings tend to foll...

06/18/2026

Rail rates should not automatically increase just because a new contract is being negotiated.

Our latest blog article, “Stopping Your Rail Rates from Always Increasing,” breaks down why shippers need to challenge proposed rate increases with data — not assumptions.

Over the last 20 years, railroad profits have increased dramatically, largely because rail rates have risen far faster than railroad costs. In many cases, shippers are being asked to accept increases even when railroad costs, average revenue per car, or commodity-specific rate trends suggest rates should remain flat — or even decrease.

The article walks through a real-world ethanol movement example and shows how STB and SEC data can be used to answer a critical question:

Is the railroad’s proposed rate increase actually reasonable?

In this case, the answer is no.

With Rail Cost Control, shippers can access the intelligence needed to benchmark rates, evaluate railroad costs and profitability, compare rates against competitors, identify alternate routing options, and build a stronger case for more reasonable rail pricing — in under 60 seconds.

If your rail rates always seem to go up, it may be time to ask whether the increase is justified.

Click link below to read the full article:

Stop automatic rail rate increases. Learn how STB data, SEC filings, and RCC help shippers benchmark rates and negotiate reasonable rail costs.

06/16/2026

The best rail rate reductions don’t always come from forcing the railroad to make less money.

Often, the biggest savings come from showing the railroad how they can make more money.

That’s the power of optimization.

Too many rail negotiations become a tug-of-war over price. The shipper wants a lower rate. The railroad wants to protect profitability. The result? Limited movement, limited leverage, and millions in potential savings left on the table.

Optimization changes the conversation.

Instead of simply asking for a concession, shippers can use data to identify opportunities where:

✅ The shipper receives a lower rate
✅ The railroad improves profitability
✅ Both sides create more value
✅ Negotiations become easier and more productive

Rail Cost Control, or RCC, was built to find these opportunities.

RCC analyzes routing alternatives, gateway options, competitive positioning, railroad economics, and market benchmarks to identify the “Pivot Point” — the largest rate reduction a shipper should target while still creating maximum value for the railroad.

That’s how shippers move from asking for lower rates to presenting a stronger business case.

Because the most successful rail negotiations are not won by squeezing the other side.

They are won by creating opportunities where everyone benefits.

Watch the full video to see how optimization helps shippers uncover savings traditional negotiations often miss.

Stop guessing. Start negotiating.

SCHEDULE TIME to see how optimization can help your rail business: ...

06/12/2026

SCHEDULE TIME to see how optimization can help your rail business: https://calendly.com/keithn-ec/costoptimizer

Start your FREE TRIAL to generate a Costing Dashboard for your moves: https://www.railratechecker.com/rrc/trail_register.php

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What if the best way to reduce your rail rates is not by forcing the railroad to make less money — but by helping the railroad make more money?

In this video, Cory Roman, Vice President, of Escalation Consultants explains how rail optimization creates maximum value for both rail shippers and railroads. Instead of approaching rail negotiations as a zero-sum fight over lower rates, optimization identifies opportunities where shippers can reduce transportation costs while railroads improve profitability.

This is the power of Rail Cost Control, or RCC.

RCC helps shippers analyze their rail network, evaluate alternate routing options, identify gateway opportunities, benchmark rail rates against the market, and understand the railroad economics behind each movement. By using data, cost analysis, and competitive positioning, RCC helps shippers build a stronger negotiation story based on the 3Rs:

- Rate you need
- Reason you need it
- Reason the railroad should give it to you

One of RCC’s most powerful functions is identifying the Pivot Point — the largest rate reduction the shipper should target while still providing the railroad with maximum profit. This allows shippers to move beyond asking for concessions and instead present opportunities where both sides benefit.

With RCC, shippers can uncover:

- Alternate routing options
- Multi-gateway RFP opportunities
- Rail rate benchmarking insights
- Railroad cost and profit analysis
- Market-based benchmark rates
- Railroad business models by commodity
- Competitive and captive rail pricing opportunities
- How railroad strategies are changing over time

Traditional rail negotiations often leave millions on the table because they focus only on the rate. RCC helps shippers understand the economics behind the rate — and use that intelligence to negotiate more effectively.

Stop guessing. Start negotiating. Use RCC to uncover savings opportunities, improve railroad negotiations, and reduce rail rates by more than 15%.



https://youtu.be/DCjJLelZ64k

SCHEDULE TIME to see how optimization can help your rail business: ...

06/11/2026

Attention Rail shippers,

Do you know how your rates compare to the market?

Rail Cost Control (RCC) helps shippers reduce rail expenses by:
Benchmarking your rail rates against competitors in your markets,
Showing how competitors' rates been changing in relation to your rates
Better understanding what’s driving the railroads’ business model for your commodities.
Showing the profit railroads are making from your moves versus competitors
And much much more

The result? Better intelligence. Better leverage. Better decisions. Better rates

Much new rail intelligence has been added to the RCC and its price increases on July 1.

Click to the following link and subscribe now to lock in current pricing and gain access to the market insights hundreds of shippers rely on to evaluate rail rates and identify opportunities. https://calendly.com/keithn-ec/rail-rate-checker-discovery-1

Don't wait until the price goes up.

Lock In Current Pricing Today

Still not sold? Click the following link to try RCC for free to benchmark your rail rates and identify opportunities for reducing your rail expenses. https://www.railratechecker.com/rrc/trail_register.php

The purpose of this meeting is to provide an introduction to the key functionalities & and features of the Rail Rate Checker program. Some topics we will discuss are: Calculating the Railroads Variable Cost Cost and Profit Benchmarks Market Comparison I look forward to discussing with you how Rail

06/05/2026

Want to cut rail rates by 10%, 20%, or more?

You may not need to negotiate harder.

You may need to create more options.

In our latest video, Cory Roman explains how Multi-Gateway RFPs help rail shippers uncover alternative routing opportunities, compare gateway options, and identify lower-cost paths they may not have known existed.

Instead of asking one railroad for one quote through one gateway, Multi-Gateway RFPs help shippers let the market determine the best routing option — then use that information to negotiate from a stronger position.

Rail Cost Control makes this simple by generating Multi-Gateway RFPs for Rule 11 movements with the click of a button.

Watch the video and learn how to stop guessing, start negotiating, and uncover real rail savings opportunities.

*Click to Schedule a Discovery Call* to see how Multi-Gateway RFPs can work across your rail network: https://calendly.com/keithn-ec/rcc-multi-gateway-rfps

*Click to Start Your FREE TRIAL* to generate a Costing Dashboard for your movements: https://www.railratechecker.com/rrc/trail_register.php



https://youtu.be/EP1U4ch-tqo?si=XCcNunQuWkXZ8uKT

Are you trying to cut rail rates by 10%, 20%, or more? The answer m...

06/01/2026

Try RCC Free: Click link below to generate a rail costing dashboard for your movements and uncover savings opportunities today.
https://www.railratechecker.com/rrc/trail_register.php

Are you leaving millions of dollars in rail savings on the table during your rail bid process?

In this video, Cory Roman explains how rail shippers can reduce transportation costs by 10% to 20% or more through rail spend optimization across all serving railroads during bid evaluations. For more than 45 years, Escalation Consultants has helped some of North America's largest rail shippers negotiate lower rail rates, improve carrier strategy, and uncover hidden savings opportunities.

Rail Cost Control (RCC) manages more than $3 billion in annual rail spend and uses advanced AI-powered optimization tools to identify win-win opportunities where shippers reduce costs while railroads improve profitability. What once required extensive analysis can now be accomplished with a single click.

Whether you're shipping in competitive rail markets or dealing with captive rail traffic, RCC helps you evaluate bid scenarios, benchmark rates, optimize routing decisions, and maximize savings potential.

✅ Identify 10-20% rail savings opportunities
✅ Optimize rail bids across multiple railroads
✅ Benchmark rail rates against the market
✅ Improve negotiating leverage with rail carriers
✅ Reduce transportation spend on captive and competitive traffic
✅ Generate AI-powered rail costing and optimization scenarios instantly

Click to schedule your optimizing discovery call today: https://calendly.com/keithn-ec/costoptimizer?month=2026-06



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fAAcREHYrI

Try RCC Free: Click link below to generate a rail costing dashboard...

05/26/2026

Most rail shippers are negotiating with their railroad every single day — whether they realize it or not.

In this new video, we break down how captive rail shippers can use STB commodity data, railroad business models, and market intelligence to strengthen their negotiating position and reduce rail transportation costs.

You’ll learn:
✔️ The “3Rs” framework for rail negotiations
✔️ How to use railroad carload & revenue trends as leverage
✔️ Why benchmarking rates is only the first step
✔️ Strategic ways captive shippers can improve negotiating power

Your railroad may already be filing the data that justifies LOWER rates.

Watch now to learn how leading shippers are using data-driven strategies to create leverage and reduce rail expenses.

OR, Click link below for FREE trial access to start benchmarking your rail rates and uncover opportunities to reduce transportation expenses with RCC.
https://www.railratechecker.com/rrc/trail_register.php



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW6pP4VvtEQ

Most rail shippers don’t realize their railroad has already filed t...