From one of our clients A. N. Derringer
Cold Snap Freezes Out Cargo
Severe cold and winter
conditions impeded cargo progress last week, and the US and Canada are
again cleaning up cargo delays due to blistery weather. Areas across both
countries experienced severe cold and blowing snow that caused road closures,
train delays, and port slowdowns at multiple points. Railways appear to be
heavily impacted with delays reported for cargo bound on CN and Union Pacific.
The consecutive cold weather and icy conditions have hampered cargo
transportation in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and
northern Ontario, with heavy backlogs in Chicago and Vancouver. US ports from
Virginia to Texas also experienced delays. Extended gate hours over the weekend
helped to clean up some backlog, and ports and railways are expected to return
to normal shortly; however, more snow storms are anticipated this week.
The Northeast and Midwest are
again gearing up for some major snow storms that are expected to produce
between 5 and 24 inches over the next several days. These snow storms are
likely to cause delays again. In the New York and New Jersey area, terminals
closed early yesterday because of bad weather, which pushes out pick-ups at the
terminal until Wednesday morning. In some cases, customers may incur additional
charges for storage, demurrage, per diem, and pre-pulls as a result of delays.
