Western Railroad Discussion > Has the transportation system just given up?

It feels like the American shipping system has just given up these days. I have this shipment coming to me in California from Texas.  A few years ago this would be a three day shipment by UPS.  Take a look at the attached tracking.  I would have never imagined 30 years ago when there wasn't all the technology we have today that UPS would just shrug and put a notice that basically says "our transportation chain is broken and we don't really know when you'll get your package.  We think 10 days, but maybe it'll get there sooner or later, we don't really know."  Package left Arlington, and then less than a day later it came back to where it started. Before UPS and FedEx we had REA and I want to think they were pretty reliable. In 2022 package transport must be back to 1909 transit times.

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

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I'm in the same situation, ordered something on May 9th, shipped
on the 11th and today, the 15th, still nothing. Using the tracking
feature I find it has stopped at 9 intermediate locations in the
meantime!

Mike

On the flip,side, I ordered a control board from a company in Essex England (UK) off their
website on a Friday night, and it showed up on my doorstep in Tyler, Tex. at about noon on Monday.

Carrier was FedEx.   Saturday picked up at Essex to London to Memphis to Shreveport to Tyler in 48 hours
and the freight charge was under $50.  I'd say FedEx didn't give up on this one.
 

Isn't Texas to Southern California by truck on 3day and ground?

Thank that depends on whose truck.

With the price of diesel as it is, no one is going to run a partly filled truck across the country.   Better to wait for  full trailer load.

As for the class 1 RR's. they stopped being concerned with transportation years ago.   Now its just stock price and money juggling.  who cares if good get delivered.

And the sad part is I bet there's no light at the end of the tunnel!

Posted from Android

ProAmtrak Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And the sad part is I bet there's no light at the
> end of the tunnel!
>
> Posted from Android

https://www.wxyz.com/news/economic-future-uncertain-amid-record-inflation-rising-gas-prices-rising-interest-rates

66

Todd,
Having been around in REA days I'm not sure about service but me being a railroad nut at the time decided that a package I had to ship should go by rail to support the then seriously collapsing rail system (late 1960s). Ah! The innocence of youth, I took my package to the nearest REA facility where the familiar green REA express car was always spotted ready for pick-up by some train or the other. The agent measured and weighed the small package and told me the fee to ship it. After I got up off the floor I thanked him and drove to the nearest Post Office and paid what I previously thought was an exorbitant price to ship a package. This was a year or two before REA dropped the drab green and brightened up their image to tan, located shipping offices off the rail lines, and quickly faded into oblivion to be replaced by brown (UPS).
While I haven't had recent shipping problems, it had gotten pretty bad at the height of the pandemic. I suspect the cost of fuel will again become a serious factor as it was in the early 1970s and shipping by any means will become a problem, time and cost-wise. Well, maybe the drone deliveries by Amazon will be a cure all?
Hang onto your hat, it can only get worse and probably will.
​Gonut 
 

You should hear some of the stories from the ocean carriers and how some of their reefer shipments heading east from the Ports of LA/LB have been delayed up to 20 days on the BNSF with no way to reach the reefer containers so they run out of fuel and the load is destroyed.  The railroads are struggling big time, brought on initially by PSR, reduction of crew base and now onerous work rules that any sane person would avoid at all cost.  It's sad!

This is just the beginning guys. 

Still time to stock up. Readjust priorities. 

I live along the Overland in Nevada. Trains ain't what they used to be. Mines up here shutting down some operations due to no parts. 

Hold onto the bar!

Chuck

Have seen the same city depart and arrive then depart from there next on the road finally or nothing until it arrives for delivery. Its been UPS on mine wonder if its going to aother area within the same building before it finally gets on the truck?

I've repeated this many times.  The economy runs on diesel fuel.  Diesel fuel prices have now reached that point where they will break the economy.  The evidence is everywhere.  Today, I almost never see a semi on the Interstate exceeding 65 mph--some are even driving at 60 mph--all to conserve fuel.  Fuel cost surcharges are running rampant all across the transportation industry.  I do business with several vendors who regularly offered free 2-3 day shipping on orders--that's out the window now.  If they offer free shipping, it's with 7-14 day delivery--anything faster, you pay a significant additional charge.  In my area, Amazon is experimenting with replacing delivery by high-salary unionized UPS and USPS services with low-wage delivery people driving their own vehicles.  The way some of those Amazon delivery people look, I suspect some are opiate addicts or tweakers.  I don't see that program ending well for Amazon.

Replacement parts for vehicles, or just about anything mechanical are exploding in price, and, in many cases, are difficult or impossible to find.  Having cars and trucks laid up for weeks or months for lack of replacement parts is becoming a widespread problem.  Same with equipment used in ag and food processing.   Electricity generating utilities are facing similar replacement parts problems for their equipment.  People are reaching the point of praying over their older refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners because--if they fail--they may not be to find or be able to afford a replacement.  

And this is just the beginning.  Much of the fuel price cost increases have not reached the retail level yet, but they will soon.  Food prices  by fall are going to likely rise spectacularly.  I know that a lot, if not most, TO readers live in metropolitan areas and may not directly see what is happening with the whole production and distribution system in this country.  This will be a case where ignorance is not bliss.  Things are likely to get very rough, and the cities are going to be, in many ways, the most vulnerable.  I seriously doubt that, say, LA metro will be much of a fun place with brownouts/blackouts, fuel and food shortages.

Arriving at one terminal going and coming back sounds like a broken down truck that never left the terminal or didn't have a driver....everything was scanned out and resorted to other trucks. Not good, but that might explain the meandering. I also have seen weird journeys in tracking, but so far most everything is coming in decent time. I recently ordered a used Contax camera from Japan...now that's going to take a while!

I remember a UPS package that went from Nor-Cal to Sou-Cal  4 times before it just disappeared from the system.
Oh, that was 25 years ago when I shipped 800 boxes at day on UPS.......I feel for the guy that has my old job!!

Dave

In 2014 I ordered a laptop off Amazon being shipped via UPS.   It took many weeks to arrive, and kept bouncing back and forth between LA and Mesquite, TX.   I assumed it was joy-riding on UP Z trains!

I ordered wasabi mustard and argon gas from Amazon yesterday, and it arrived at noon today.

Posted from Android

I see the usual "the sky is falling" crowd has chimed in.

FWIW...the economy runs on anticipation.   If everyone things the economy will tank, they all stop spending, and guess what...the economy tanks.  Its called a self fulfilling prophecy, you nitwits.    Maybe you've heard the phrase "buy on the rumor, sell on the news".  Thats what our economy is all about.    We are at a perfect storm of the post-covid buying spree, boomers realizing that they are going to be dead in 20 years and spending like they are going to be dead in 20 years....and the war in ukraine and shutdown of russian oil exports.

What we need IMHO, is some leader from the administration to stand up and make a national speach to reassure the public about the future.
What we have is a president who is a terrible public speaker, and a bunch of economics nerds running the economy.  They know nothing but how things look on paper. 
What should be done...realease some of the strategic oil reserve and make a stink about it, and only raise the interest rates a quarter of a point.

What we need more than anything , is a return to public confidence,    As much as I like the idea of reducing fossil fuels, it needs to happen gradually...not all at once.

Unfortunately, American Greed fosters these boom and bust cycles.   Welcome to America

IMHO.

PS...having retired from a very major, huge airline, and i can see all the current loads on every flight, and all the future bookings.  The big travel crunch is easing up already.   Inflation will settle down if everyone just takes a breath and calms down and stops buying everything like its going out of style, and the administration works on public confidence,

 

pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I see the usual "the sky is falling" crowd has
> chimed in.
>
> FWIW...the economy runs on anticipation.   If
> everyone things the economy will tank, they all
> stop spending, and guess what...the economy
> tanks.  Its called a self fulfilling prophecy,
> you nitwits.    Maybe you've heard the phrase
> "buy on the rumor, sell on the news".  Thats what
> our economy is all about.    We are at a
> perfect storm of the post-covid buying spree,
> boomers realizing that they are going to be dead
> in 20 years and spending like they are going to be
> dead in 20 years....and the war in ukraine and
> shutdown of russian oil exports.
>
> What we need IMHO, is some leader from the
> administration to stand up and make a national
> speach to reassure the public about the future.
> What we have is a president who is a terrible
> public speaker, and a bunch of economics nerds
> running the economy.  They know nothing but how
> things look on paper. 
> What should be done...realease some of the
> strategic oil reserve and make a stink about it,
> and only raise the interest rates a quarter of a
> point.
>
> What we need more than anything , is a return to
> public confidence,    As much as I like the
> idea of reducing fossil fuels, it needs to happen
> gradually...not all at once.
>
> Unfortunately, American Greed fosters these boom
> and bust cycles.   Welcome to America
>
> IMHO.
>
> PS...having retired from a very major, huge
> airline, and i can see all the current loads on
> every flight, and all the future bookings.  The
> big travel crunch is easing up already.  
> Inflation will settle down if everyone just takes
> a breath and calms down and stops buying
> everything like its going out of style, and the
> administration works on public confidence,
>
>  

I am actually living my life as my wage package enables me to do....and I do reckon inflation will stabilize...until then I may have to make adjustments, but while I am taking a break, bargains will start showing up and I will be there to meet them. 

Last week I ordered a travel tripod from B&H in New York. It left New Jersey the next day and showed up at my house two days early. I have found shipping to be hit and miss recently, although it has been hit more than miss for me. YMMV.