Congestion Continues… CHICAGO IS IN CHAOS!

Chicago’s Rail Congestion 

Railroads are experiencing severe congestion: UP had 25 miles and BNSF had 22 miles of trains just stuck and sitting around near Chicago rail facilities. Vendors have attempted to lessen congestion by closing their facilities for days or implementing entry restrictions in order to work through the stockpile of containers. 

Equipment and Staff Shortage 

With an increased volume of cargo at terminals and other rail facilities, Chicago is experiencing consistent chassis shortages. Drayage capacity is also experiencing shortages, which is caused by both insufficient drivers and an insufficient chassis supply. But even if there are drivers available, there is no equipment to separate the stacks of containers and transport them out of warehouses. There is also the matter of finding enough warehouse workers to oversee the process, which has also been difficult. 

A Multitude of Delays 

In Chicago, delays in picking up and delivering containers are only getting worse. Lack of terminal capacity triggered the beginning of delays, but other factors are magnifying them. The two main culprits are rail congestion and chassis shortages, and the ever-rising volume of demand and driver shortage crisis appear to be smaller problems.