Starting Monday September 12, US Freight Railroads will begin to cut services due to the failure of two of the country’s largest Unions to agree to contract. The Railroads began notifying customers of the cuts in anticipation of strikes on September 16th – 17th. The Association of American Railroads confirmed in a statement Friday that six Class I freight railroads will begin to take steps to “manage and secure” shipments of some hazardous or sensitive materials from Monday. Including: Import of hazardous and reefer shipments with IPI inland locations, if not already enroute on the rail, will not be accepted for transport by rail. Export hazardous and reefer shipments, if not already turned in at the origin rail ramps, will not be accepted at those locations. On top of the above restrictions, other freight customers may also experience delayed or suspended service over the next week, the railroad association added that talks with the remaining unions will continue throughout the week. That being said the association clearly states that they want to come to an agreement quickly to prevent further disruption to the supply chain. “The railroads want, and continue to advocate for, a prompt resolution that would provide historic wage increases to rail employees — and allow the railroads to continue servicing customers and prevent further disruption to the struggling supply chain,” the association said in their statement.
If you have any questions, please contact your local Noatum Logistics representative.