How is port congestion affecting rail transportation?

The past few months have been nothing short of a challenge for international shipping. Port congestion in Long Beach and many other US ports is at an all time high, along with rates continually skyrocketing. At some point, international shipping congestion and delays directly affect domestic shipping.

Are dwell times to blame?

Freightwaves reports that dwell times are 15 days at the Long Beach Port and 9.2 days in Los Angeles, CA. Not only do these dwell times add stress to rail transportation, additionally, rail traffic is 13.7% higher compared to last year. These numbers result in a lack of chassis, creating issues not only on the West Coast, but across the country. 

How do we ‘bounce back’ from this ongoing issue?

While international shipping works through this, domestic transportation needs to as well. Katie Farmer, CEO of BNSF states that “BNSF is taking aggressive measures to increase capacity”, she continued that “all parts of the supply chain to be willing to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help keep up with these unprecedented demand levels”. This is an ongoing time that we will continue to navigate through, and we will keep you updated as we continue to see this through.

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