Fleet order-to-delivery (OTD) has been brutal this model-year due to severe weather conditions, which exacerbated rail congestion, creating huge backlogs of vehicles needing to be shipped. However, some are beginning to believe the rail congestion experienced this winter is more of a symptom of a systemic infrastructure weakness and not solely the consequence of severe weather. Here's why they think so.
The railroad industry is the primary long-distance shipper of automobiles from assembly plants to dealers, which represents almost 9 percent of total rail freight. However, the auto industry is not the only railroad customer, and it competes with other shippers for scarce rail resources. Such is the case with petroleum companies shipping crude oil by rail, which is putting heavy demand on finite rail resources. What impact will this have on fleet OTD?
Upfitters are feeling the pressure from the increase in the number of upfitted vehicles requiring a ship-thru, which is overwhelming some installers and body builders. Also, many upfitter-related OTD issues are the result of OEM quality holds. Oftentimes, upfitted units are held at the body company due to limited storage space at the assembly plants caused by quality hold backlogs. This prevents the release of upfitted units into OEM traffic for final delivery via ship-thru/freight re-entry.
WEATHER GUARD Truck Equipment has reduced the overall height of PROTECT-A-RAIL Cab Protectors to make them more compatible with current full-size truck model-year designs
Tommy Gate has announced the release of an all-new 3,000-lb. capacity, high-cycle railgate for stake and van bodies. This new lift is the first Tommy Gate has produced at the 3,000-lb. capacity level.
Last April’s earthquake in Japan and subsequent tsunami disrupted the automotive supply chain, causing parts shortages, which delayed order-to-delivery times. Extreme weather conditions also impacted vehicle shipments.
media brand
The secure and easy all-access connection to your content.
Bookmarked content can then be accessed anytime on all of your logged in devices!
Already a member? Log In
