NEW INLAND RAIL HUB The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) recently overcame a significant environmental obstacle paving the way for construction of a new rail hub in northeast Georgia. GPA has been waiting for the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) study to be cleared since 2021, as it was a prerequisite [...]
The extensive labor negotiations between terminal owners and workers at U.S. West Coast ports have caused some shippers to reroute cargo through East Coast and Gulf Coast terminals. The 29 West Coast seaports - including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Seattle-Tacoma, and Oakland - operate primarily through longshoremen, who load and unload ocean vessels [...]
FOCUS ON SERVICE “The entire Union Pacific team recognizes that 2022 did not meet expectations,” Union Pacific (UP) CEO Lance Fritz said during the company’s recent fourth-quarter earnings call. The lengthy labor negotiations in 2022 strained UP’s workforce leading to customer service issues. For example, UP's Intermodal trains fell [...]
TENTATIVE RAIL LABOR AGREEMENTS REACHED PREVENTING STRIKE ACTION All twelve U.S. rail labor unions and the six Class 1 railroads have reached tentative labor agreements in the early morning hours of September 15, 2022. Union members must vote to ratify the agreements for them to take effect however, the [...]
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 [...]
EMPTY CONTAINER CONGESTION PROBLEM GROWS AT U.S. PORTS AS THE INDUSTRY SEEKS HELP FROM FMC U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Chairman Maffei and Managing Director Lucille Marvin visited Newark to meet with representatives from the trucking community and marine terminal operators on August 3rd to address concerns about congestion [...]
