Less-than-truckload carrier Averitt Express said yesterday it has launched intermodal operations in partnership with five major U.S. railroads.

Cookeville, Tenn.-based Averitt said it is working in the Western United States with BNSF Railway and Union Pacific, in the East and Midwest with Norfolk Southern Corp. and CSX Transportation, and in Georgia and Florida with Florida East Coast Railway.

Averitt will rely on its own 53-foot trailers and use 53-foot containers controlled by its rail partners, the trucker said.

In October, DC Velocity reported that Averitt was in talks with railroads regarding possible intermodal partnerships. A larger look at this trend appeared in a January 2010 feature article, "Truckers, rails looking to share the load."