Inland Distribution: A Three-Part Webcast Series (Part 2)

As 2022 approaches, US shippers — domestic logistics managers as well as importers and exporters — are wrestling with an unprecedented transportation market. The bullwhip effect of the US economic recovery is doing nearly as much to disrupt supply chains in 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic initially did in 2020. Shippers are scrambling to find capacity on the road and rails to move goods from ports to distribution centers and to customers. They are absorbing shocking cost increases to deliver for their customers.

Rapid economic growth and the continued acceleration of e-commerce mean no return to pre-pandemic normality. Instead, shippers are being forced to rethink how they serve their companies and customers. We’ve entered an era of renewal and reinvention ignited by the strong US economic recovery and the significant disruption the COVID-19 pandemic spilled across the transportation landscape. It’s an era, unlike any typical economic recovery that logistics managers experienced in the past.

This three-part webcast series will help shippers prepare for the challenges of the year ahead and deal with the problems they face today when it comes to sourcing capacity, controlling transportation costs, and protecting their supply chains from near-constant volatility and disruption. They’ll receive a broad view of the outlook for the rest of the year and in 2022, and detailed insights on specific transportation and logistics questions. Together, we’ll write the playbook for logistics success in the 2020s.

Session Chair (s): William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor, Trucking and Domestic Transportation, JOC, Maritime & Trade, IHS Markit

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor, Southeast Ports, and Intermodal Rail, JOC, Maritime & Trade, IHS Markit

Session Chair: Ari Ashe, Senior Editor, Southeast Ports, and Intermodal Rail, JOC, Maritime & Trade, IHS Markit

Karen Duff, President/CEO, International Express Trucking, Inc.

Ryan Jirmasek, Director of Sales, Midwest, Top Ocean Consolidation Service

Sue Wiley, Senior Manager of Logistics, Fellowes Brands

Once a shipper navigates the congestion in popular ports in California, the Pacific Northwest, the Southeast, or the Northeast, the journey is only beginning. Transporting the ocean container to an inland hub — known as inland point intermodal — has been extremely difficult in 2021, particularly the final mile from the rail terminal to the shipper’s dock. There aren't enough chassis, not enough space, and not enough drivers to handle the deluge of containers combined with importers taking longer to unload and return equipment. NVOs and drayage operators have said this is the worst year in history for congestion in Chicago, Kansas City, Memphis, and the Ohio Valley. This session will explore how shippers are handling the volume and how supply chain stakeholders can come together to find solutions that work for all.

Session Chair: Ari Ashe, Senior Editor, Southeast Ports, and Intermodal Rail, JOC, Maritime & Trade, IHS Markit

Erica Hill, Director, Intermodal Services, Independent Dispatch Inc.

Mark McKendry, Regional Vice President, North American Intermodal, NFI

Phil Shook, Executive Vice President, Milestone Equipment Holdings

Not only have ocean boxes been difficult to move across the US rail network, but so has cargo in 53-foot domestic containers. Union Pacific Railroad has slapped surcharges on excess domestic intermodal shipments because the supply of rail-owned containers and chassis is tight. BNSF Railway has regularly restricted domestic service out of California because of overwhelming volume, cutting the number of containers companies such as J.B. Hunt, Schneider, Swift, APL, and Matson have been able to move. CSX Transportation has restricted appointments on occasion in certain terminals, such as Bedford Park, outside of Chicago, to ration volume. Norfolk Southern, perhaps the most impacted in 2021, has shut down or significantly cut slots on trains to northern New Jersey, central and western Pennsylvania, Charlotte, and Jacksonville several times in 2021. This session will discuss how shippers can navigate these landmines and how they should position intermodal in their supply chain going forward.

Session Chair: Ari Ashe, Senior Editor, Southeast Ports, and Intermodal Rail, JOC, Maritime & Trade, IHS Markit

*Check back soon for more information!

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