We have witnessed months of congestion on the US West Coast – the Los Angeles-Long Beach twin ports in particular – but container movements throughout the country, including rail journeys, are now often being delayed.

We have previously highlighted port congestion and container driver shortages as major contributors to logistical delays in the US, but rail transport is struggling to cope too.

Rail movements throughout the East Coast, Mid-West and Southern states are now subject to delays, as many businesses have turned to alternative routings to avoid the West Coast congestion.

Shipments moving from New York to Chicago, the primary East Coast to Mid-West rail route have been particularly hit, since the spell of bad weather in February, and delays of up to 10 days are still frequent.

Congestion issues on the West Coast have not let up and rail movements from Los Angeles are now being impacted by a shortage of rail cars.

With the transpacific market being the largest in the world, delays throughout the US are continuing to hamper the return of container equipment to Asia, which is now very short of demand.

Where possible, we recommend allowing additional lead times for any movements in and out of the USA. If you need further information about the impact on your shipments for specific regions, then please do not hesitate to contact one of the Westbound team.

 

At Westbound Logistics we pride ourselves in offering personalised and tailored logistics solutions. To find out more please call 01375 800800 or email info@westboundglobal.com.