Western Railroad Discussion > Peak Season

Since its Peak season at UPS right now I'm curious to see does fedex get the same treatment from the railroads like UPS does or do they come in 2nd?

Considering UP won't allow nothing to get in front of a UPS train right now I wonder would the same rules apply to trains carrying fedex packages. TIA

Posted from Android

deefrank87 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Since its Peak season at UPS right now I'm curious
> to see does fedex get the same treatment from the
> railroads like UPS does or do they come in 2nd?
>
> Considering UP won't allow nothing to get in front
> of a UPS train right now I wonder would the same
> rules apply to trains carrying fedex packages. 

Typically, the very same trains.

Best regards,

Rob L.

good question.

here is a w/b bnsf intermodal i filmed approx. 2 months ago.  there sure were a LOT of fed-ex containers and trailers on this train........

66

You must be a registered subscriber to watch videos. Join Today!

goneon66 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> good question.
>
> here is a w/b bnsf intermodal i filmed approx. 2
> months ago.  there sure were a LOT of fed-ex
> containers and trailers on this train........
>
> 66

At least two UPSZ trailers and two UPSU containers on the same train. Quite possibly, some of the commercial containers or trailers were UPS loads as well.

Best regards,

Rob L.

in the last 6 months i have seen a huge increase in fed-ex trailers out here on the bnsf's seligman sub............

66
 

What's amusing is when you see them on an NBY which is a UPS facility.

Out 

callum_out Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What's amusing is when you see them on an NBY
> which is a UPS facility.
>

I suspect they got set out or picked up at Mariposa.

UPS indeed owns NBY (BNSF operates it under contract) and AFAIK, NBY exclusively handles UPS traffic.

Best regards,

Rob L.

goneon66 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> in the last 6 months i have seen a huge increase
> in fed-ex trailers out here on the bnsf's seligman
> sub............
>
> 66
>  

Same here on the UP's Gila Sub. 

SouthWest RailCams
CA, NM, CO, TX, AZ
https://SouthWestRailCams.com

It doesn't matter what speed trains Fedex packages go by.  Fedex has packages sitting for days in warehouses waiting for final delivery.  They are doing it even to overnight air shipments.  They must be short of drivers, or trucks, or both, and this has been going on for months.  UPS seems to be handing the load more successfully.

radar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It doesn't matter what speed trains Fedex packages
> go by.  Fedex has packages sitting for days in
> warehouses waiting for final delivery.  They are
> doing it even to overnight air shipments.  They
> must be short of drivers, or trucks, or both, and
> this has been going on for months.  UPS seems to
> be handing the load more successfully.

There is a "shortage" of delivery vans because of the auto plant closures earlier this year due to COVID,
at least that's Amazon's story.

Many Amazon delivery vans here in South. Florida are Budget Rental, with an Amazon logo on the side.

Posted from Android

i used to see a LOT of prime trailers.  not i don't see as many prime trailers while seeing the increase in fed-ex trailers.

i have NO idea if it even means anything but i do find it interesting.............

66

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Many Amazon delivery vans here in South. Florida
> are Budget Rental, with an Amazon logo on the
> side.
>
> Posted from Android

We get UPS and Fed Ex deliveries here almost daily. UPS is always a brown van. But I haven't seen a Fed Ex truck doing Fed Ex deliveries in months. 

goneon66 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> i used to see a LOT of prime trailers.  not i
> don't see as many prime trailers while seeing the
> increase in fed-ex trailers.
>
>
> 66

The Amazon Prime trailers seemed to disappear off the trains at the same time their containers started showing up. 

I haven't spotted a Amazon trailer or container on UP yet since they won the contract, but I believe I saw somewhere that XPO is carrying alot of their packages in their containers

Posted from Android

Nice catch of the ABF containers since I see them down in Arkansas but never on a actual train so I was curious on who they used for rail service

deefrank87 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I haven't spotted a Amazon trailer or container on
> UP yet since they won the contract, but I believe
> I saw somewhere that XPO is carrying alot of their
> packages in their containers
>
> Posted from Android

Saw one Westbound Z last Saturday with a few Amazon Trailers.  That was the first time we have seen them on the UP. 

SouthWest RailCams
CA, NM, CO, TX, AZ
https://SouthWestRailCams.com

Maybe things will change since the Christmas rush is underway hopefully bnsf and up can handle the traffic

Posted from Android

goneon66 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> good question.
>
> here is a w/b bnsf intermodal i filmed approx. 2
> months ago.  there sure were a LOT of fed-ex
> containers and trailers on this train........
>
> 66

Nice to see only three COFC Logistics boxes on that train.

radar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It doesn't matter what speed trains Fedex packages go by.  Fedex has packages sitting for days in
> warehouses waiting for final delivery.  They are doing it even to overnight air shipments.  They
> must be short of drivers, or trucks, or both, and this has been going on for months.  UPS seems to
> be handing the load more successfully.

I've come to the same conclusion regarding Fedex Ground...and I was an owner-operator delivery driver for them for 10 months and then spent nearly 3 years at their Willington CT hub loading/unloading trailers for the $8.50/week surprisingly good insurance, mostly.  As an O-O, I was paying $650/month for medical coverage only!  Fedex packages I get are almost always from online Walmart purchases and I track their progress daily.  They really 'stumble' when the USPS is the 'last mile' and the package takes more than 24 hours to go 6 miles from Fedex Ground in Connecticut to my local post office!  Perhaps it's akin to PSR where they won't send a trailer of packages out unless it's full. Recognize, too, that Fedex, UPS, and USPS all do 7-day/week deliveries these days.  So finding 'fill in' people and vehicles for the 2 extra days could be problematic.  For what it's worth, I was flabbergasted a year ago when Amazon started delivering their own packages at the beginning of peak season.  I couldn't imagine a more difficult time of year to learn 'the ropes' of delivering packages from the managers down to the drivers.  But they did it! 

After Fedex, I went to CSX Intermodal at West Springfield MA 2008-2015.  Our UPS trailer/container volume would more than double during peak season.  They'd pull some 'oldie but goodie' trailers like FSTZ and SCSZ out of the weeds and use them if they were still good enough to use.  Then they'd rent anything they could from new-looking plain white trailers with the UPS ID number written in magic marker or a magnetic UPS sign with the ID info on the nose of the trailer.  I delayed the departure of Q019 one morning because I couldn't find the UPS ID number one one of the trailers they loaded.  Fortunately, the last 3 UPS drivers to arrive were still on the property and I asked them to identify what they brought in.  All was OK and I 'released' the train in the computer.  UPS will rent decent containers when needed as well.  They used to grab a number of Pacer PACU containers, but they switched to newer UMAX UMXU as Pacer melded into UMAX. 

In West Springfield, we never did a boom-business for Fedex.  Onesy-twosey for a couple years, then gone, at least while I was there.  Maybe that's changed since I retired.  I don't know.