C.H. Robinson

We're honored to be recognized by SupplyChainBrain for outstanding customer service and transportation solutions. Companies included were nominated by customers who have seen considerable improvements in efficiency, customer service and supply chain operations. It's a reflection of Robinson's unmatched expertise, unrivaled scale and tailored solutions that solve even the toughest supply chain challenges. ➡️ http://ms.spr.ly/6045ls4kh

RAIL STRIKE RESOLVED: Canada has ordered the Teamsters to return to work at both railroads, ending the union’s new attempt to strike. Here’s what shippers should know and do as the railroads resume operations, from our Scott Shannon. “From our experience with previous rail strikes in Canada, we expect it to take up to a week for each railroad to be fully reset and running smoothly again. It will take much longer to catch up with backlogged shipments. “Railroads are like an outdoor conveyor belt that never quits running. They’re designed to operate 24/7, not stop and start. Just like they couldn’t flip a switch to shut down at midnight on the strike deadline, they can’t flip a switch to restart the conveyor belt. “ “There aren’t a lot of places to park trains during a disruption, so hundreds of trains were sitting wherever they reached a convenient spot to get the crews off last week. The railroads have to get crews back to all those spots. Then each train needs clear track ahead and enough space between them and the next train before they can move. In the meantime, containers that the rail terminals kept taking in up till the deadline are still sitting there. Any trains the railroads idled at their hubs have to move out before new trains can come in to drop off or pick up containers.” “Trains sitting at the ports would have continued getting loaded as container ships arrived last week, because port labor rather than rail labor loads at the dock. Those trains can move out fairly easily. That won’t be of much help at the Port of Vancouver though, because roughly 13,000 containers were already stacked up at the rail ramps before the shutdown and one of the three container terminals there had reached maximum capacity. The port is requesting that ships on the water slow down their arrival.” “For our customers whose cargo we’ve been diverting to U.S. ports so they can use U.S. railroads, we advise they return to Canadian gateways as soon as it’s practical. This is part of our contingency planning for what could be the first strike in 44 years at U.S. ports along the East Coast and Gulf Coast, possibly at the end of September.” “We hope this will soon ease the container shortage that started to develop in Canada as a result of rail strike preparations. With U.S. companies that typically import into Canada diverting to U.S. ports and some Canadian importers holding off, that has meant fewer import containers coming into Canada. Exporters are dependent on import flows to get access to those containers.” “For our customers we’ve switched from rail to trucks to keep their supply chains flowing, we’ll continue helping them get their most critical freight to and from the ports and across the border until the railroads are completely fluid again. Spot rates for trucking in Canada may remain elevated for a week or two until the dust settles and then slowly return to their pre-strike levels."

UPDATE: After the Canadian government attempted to end the rail shutdown by ordering the Teamsters and the railroads into binding arbitration, the union is challenging the order and has filed a new strike notice. Here’s the latest from our Scott Shannon. “As the status of both Canadian railroads is fluid and global supply chains are disrupted, we are actively advising shippers to maintain the alternative transportation plans we have in place for them until the legal and operational issues are sorted out.” “That is the case for customers whose imports and exports we’ve been diverting to U.S. ports, as well as customers we have switched from rail to trucks to keep their freight flowing through Canadian ports, to points across Canada or across the border.” “At the same time, customers may want to ship only the most critical freight, while we hold back less urgent shipments until conditions are more favorable. For example, we’ve helped some customers secure less-than-container (LCL) shipping – sending smaller orders to keep their end customers supplied without having to turn to more costly air freight." “Exporters from Canada need to be aware that a container shortage has begun to develop, given a slower flow of imports into Canada.” “Importers should be advised that conditions at the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest, remain congested. Roughly 13,000 containers were already stacked up at the rail ramps before the shutdown and one of the three container terminals there had reached maximum capacity. The port is requesting that ships on the water slow down so they can work on the backlog.” “For customers who need further assistance, please contact your C.H. Robinson representative.”

We've been named a Top 100 3PL Provider by Inbound Logistics for the 12th year in a row. Inbound Logistics editors reviewed hundreds of applications and our place on the list shows Robinson's strength as an industry leader.

With ongoing strikes shaking up the global landscape a potential East and Gulf Coast port strike may seem far off. But with less than two months left on the current ILA-USMX contract, shippers should start preparing now to minimize significant disruption. Learn more about the potential impacts of a port strike and how to prepare in our latest blog ➡️ http://ms.spr.ly/6045lIBMl

UPDATE: The Canadian government has ordered binding arbitration between the railroads and the Teamsters. Stay tuned for details on how freight will be impacted.  ------------------------------ Today Canada’s railroads are in the process of shutting down – affecting cross-border freight, the movement of U.S. and Canadian goods to and from ports, and global supply chains. New insights from our Scott Shannon: “Today we anticipate a gradual and somewhat irregular shutdown of the rails. Railroads are like an outdoor conveyor belt that never stops running. They’re designed to operate 24/7, not stop and start, so they can’t just flip a switch at midnight. They need to be finished shutting down at midnight.” “One thing we’ve learned from 100 years of doing business in Canada is that they can’t just stop trains anywhere without leaving a crew stranded. Hundreds of trains can’t all fit into the railroads’ terminals or yards either. What we expect to see throughout the day is trains being pulled over when they reach a convenient spot to get the crew off.” “That means not all the freight that’s en route will reach its intended destination before a strike begins. While the railroads stopped accepting freight at certain ports and hubs last week, some trains already on a 10-to-12 day journey might not make it to a port or across the border in time. Other freight that was still getting accepted at rail terminals this week may never have gotten loaded onto a train.” “Any export cargo from Canadian or U.S. shippers that is still able to get shunted into a Canadian port can still ship out, because port labor rather than railroad labor unloads at the dock. Any import freight coming into Canada’s western ports from Asia or into eastern ports from Europe can get unloaded onto any trains parked there. The trains just wouldn’t move. Or we can come into the port to pick it up with trucks.” “We have the largest network of carriers in North America, so we anticipate being able to get trucks. But any time there’s a surge in trucking demand, costs in the spot market can increase dramatically. In the past, we’ve seen rates in Canada double overnight. Truckload shipper as well as rail shippers looking to convert should expect not only higher costs but also longer lead times. We advise customers to ship only the most critical freight and hold less urgent shipments.” “Once a strike begins, the railroads will not transport any product going to, leaving or moving within Canada. The exception would be southbound freight that originated in Canada and had already crossed the U.S. border, because the trains swap from Canadian crews to U.S. crews at the border. Trains could keep going to destinations in the U.S. and Mexico. Freight moving from Mexico to Canada would not continue. ” “We are actively helping customers divert freight away from Canadian ports and actively converting rail freight to trucks. Please call your C.H. Robinson representative for assistance.”

We've been named a Top 100 3PL Provider by Inbound Logistics for the 12th year in a row. Inbound Logistics editors reviewed hundreds of applications and our place on the list shows Robinson's strength as an industry leader.

WATCH: Our experts discuss increasing LTL accessorials and how shippers can contain them, the impact of truckload carrier operational costs to shippers, ongoing labor issues in Canada and some U.S. ports, and more ➡️ http://ms.spr.ly/6048lsa4g

NEW: A potential Canadian rail strike is now only days away and both railroads are in the process of shutting down – affecting cross-border freight, the movement of Canadian and U.S. goods to and from ports, and global supply chains that include Canada. New insights from our Scott Shannon: “Certain intermodal freight traveling from U.S. ports and inland U.S. hubs to Canada was no longer accepted as of Friday, Aug. 16. At some origins in the U.S. and Canada, rail freight will be accepted until Wednesday, Aug. 21 – the day before a potential strike. But realistically, much of it will just be held at the rail terminals. For example, it takes 10 to 12 days from points such as Toronto or Chicago to get to the Port of Vancouver, so it’s well past the date for that freight to still move by rail and catch a sailing.” "Any export freight from Canadian or U.S. shippers that is still able to reach a port by the time a strike or lockout begins can still ship out, because port labor rather than railroad labor unloads at the dock.”  “For importers who currently have cargo on the water that was intended to move by rail, one option is for us to pick it up at the port and transload it onto trucks. We have multiple transloading facilities at every major North American port city. The beauty of transloading is that we can break down the cargo and get it directly to all the places it needs to go – whether that’s multiple points across Canada, from a Canadian port to the U.S., or from a U.S. port to Canada – removing the inefficiency of sending ocean containers to the customer’s distribution centers.” “About 85% of U.S.-Canada cross-border freight in either direction is handled by Canadian carriers. We have the largest network of carriers in North America, so we anticipate being able to get trucks. But any time an event causes a surge in trucking demand and sudden tightening of capacity, costs in the spot market can increase dramatically. In the past, we’ve seen rates in Canada double overnight. Truckload shippers with spot freight as well as rail shippers looking to convert should expect not only higher costs but also longer lead times.” “Now that both railroads have announced their intent to lock workers out on Aug. 22, they would not transport any product going to, leaving or moving within Canada once a lockout or strike begins. The exception would be southbound rail freight that originated in Canada and had already crossed the U.S. border, because the trains swap from Canadian crews to U.S. crews at the border. Trains could keep going uninterrupted to destinations in the United States and Mexico. Freight moving from Mexico to Canada, which is the case for a lot of auto parts, would not continue.  ” “We are actively helping customers divert freight away from Canadian ports and actively converting rail freight to trucks. Please call your C.H. Robinson representative for questions or contingency planning.”

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach represent a vital link in the global supply chain, with more than 16.8 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of freight passing through them each year. Ocean logistics is a core part of our portfolio, and C.H. Robinson senior leaders and our Board of Directors visited the ports last week as part of our continued focus on delivering industry-leading service to our customers.