U.S. RAIL EMBARGOES ARE IN EFFECT TODAY Several Class 1 railroads updated their freight embargoes to exceed those recommended by the American Association of Railroads (AAR). Instructions by the AAR to all Class 1 railroads included securing HAZMAT and security-sensitive commodities in preparation for the possibility of a nationwide [...]
U.S. RAIL SERVICE EMBARGOES AND LABOR NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE The two largest rail unions representing roughly 90,000 U.S. rail workers (SMART-TD, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen) and representatives for the Class 1 Railroads remain deadlocked over contract renewals while President Biden's July executive order that prescribed a "cooling off" period [...]
HOURS OF SERVICE EXEMPTION EXTENDED FOR CARRIERS, TRUCKERS On August 31, 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) extended its Emergency Declaration exempting motor carriers and drivers that provide direct support to the national COVID-19 emergency from maximum driving time requirements. Enacted in March 2020 due to the [...]
THREE RAIL WORKER UNIONS REACH TENTATIVE AGREEMENTS Three of the twelve rail worker labor unions currently negotiating with various Class 1 and Shortline Railroads reached tentative agreements that, if ratified by members, will increase worker pay, improve benefits, and receive more paid time off. Leaders at these three unions [...]
3 REASONS U.S. CHASSIS MANUFACTURING ISN'T MEETING DEMAND As chassis shortages continue to create inland ramp delays resulting in bottlenecks for North American supply chains, chassis manufacturers are racing to meet growing U.S. demand.  Access to new equipment has been limited after the United States began levying anti-dumping penalties on [...]
Bottlenecks at all major rail facilities in Chicago, Columbus, and Los Angeles have caused delays in picking up and delivering containers. Chicago's rail facilities in particular are severely congested due to dwelling containers and a lack of available chassis. To alleviate congestion, some vendors have begun closing facilities for multiple [...]
Terminal operators at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are worried that longer rail container dwell times at their facilities will jeopardize their ability to accommodate import volumes during what is expected to be an early peak season this summer. Rail Power Challenges The longer containers sit at [...]
Last Friday, May 14th, the Mississippi River reopened after all traffic was stopped three days earlier, due to a crack found on the Interstate 40 bridge. The shutdown led to a pileup of about 1,000 barges, impeding shipments of goods such as corn and soybeans as well as imported steel [...]
Chassis shortages are affecting the majority of Class I railroads throughout Dallas, Chicago, Memphis, and Kansas City. When this occurs, shippers are unable to transport their containers out of facilities promptly, leading many railroads to stack boxes on the ground until the necessary gear becomes available. This issue, paired with [...]
Inbound freight coming from the U.S. East Coast is backlogged as Norfolk Southern’s Landers intermodal yard, located in Chicago, fights to handle an extremely high volume of ocean containers coming from both U.S. coasts. East Coast shippers who use Norfolk Southern railway are reporting delays that are lasting weeks. In [...]
