January 26, 2015 | Industry Insights

NEWS: Winter Storm Threatens to Snarl Freight Networks

Share This:
Featured Image

AmericanShipper.com reports that ports, airports and railways are implementing winter contingency plans. 

Another round of bad winter weather is beginning to snarl freight transportation throughout the Northeast, putting the public and private sectors to the test again after massive storms last winter that damaged infrastructure and caused cargo delays that lasted for weeks.

Marine terminals at the Port of New York-New Jersey shut down Monday at 3 p.m. and are not expected to reopen until Wednesday morning at the earliest. A massive nor’easter could dump more than two feet of snow in the metropolitan area, and the National Weather Service has declared a blizzard warning. A decision about whether to resume business Wednesday will be made by noon on Tuesday, according to the port authority.

Meanwhile, 3,500 flights scheduled for Monday and Tuesday have been canceled, according to FlightAware.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it will give importers who file entries at John F. Kennedy Airport an additional day to file entry summaries and pay duties without penalty for documents due on Jan. 27 because of the inclement weather. Two additional days will be granted to importers who file entries at the Port of Boston and Logan International Airport because the federal building where CBP’s offices are housed in Boston will be closed.

Norfolk Southern railroad said operations in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic areas are expected to be impacted for several days by the blizzard conditions. Customers should expect delays of 24 to 48 hours for traffic moving east of Harrisburg, Pa. In locations with extreme snow or ice conditions some local service may be curtailed.

CSX, the other major freight railroad on the eastern seaboard, did not provide any estimate for delayed cargo, but said it is positioning snow removal equipment, preparing switch heaters and taking other steps to keep operations going as long as safely possible.

In response to congestion that was exacerbated by 61 inches of snowfall last winter, the Port Authority of New York-New Jersey developed a comprehensive winter contingency plan with the help of industry stakeholders and U.S. Customs.

Advance planning has resulted in more snow removal equipment and salt stockpiles on hand, tiered staffing of longshoremen, pre-treating roadways with brine, the creation of mobile apps for truckers to check terminal conditions and container status, and extended customs hours for perishable imports and at Customs Examination Stations.

Terminal operators have agreed to extend free time by 24 hours for all containers not already in demurrage status.

Share This:

Related


Roanoke Appoints a New Regional Vice President and Head of Sales

Roanoke has appointed two key leaders to new roles, effective November 1, 2023. Please join us in congratulating Patrice Lafayette for accepting the position of Regional Vice President, Western Region, and Grant Goldsmith, who has accepted a position as Head of Sales. Patrice has been a steadfast leader of Roanoke’s Western Region for more than 17 years. She started her career as a Bond Account Manager and has held several roles during her tenure, including Bond Manager and Director of Sales for the Long Beach Sales team, and most recently, has been responsible for managing relationships with many of our […]

Industry Insights

What to Watch: Insurance, Regulatory Changes for Freight Brokers and Forwarders

By Glenn Patton, Managing Director, Roanoke Insurance Group Canada, Inc.   The following are several important issues regarding the insurance industry and regulatory changes that impact freight brokers and forwarders. With so many Canadian freight brokers and forwarders conducting cross-border business, U.S. regulatory changes affect the entire industry. Nuclear verdicts in liability cases in the U.S. involving motor carriers have included freight brokers. Nuclear verdicts against trucking companies in the U.S. have reached tens and hundreds of millions of dollars in the past decade or so. In their lawsuits, plaintiffs in accidents with motor carriers have named all parties involved […]

Industry Insights

Unlocking Success: The Key Elements of Carrier Vetting and Managing Liability

By: Andrew Johnson, Account Executive, Roanoke Insurance Group Inc. The freight brokerage industry as we know it today began in the late 1970s and early 1980s, around the time of the Motor Carrier Act of 1980. Before the passage of this landmark legislation, regulations were too restrictive to make freight brokerage a viable business segment. Fast-forward to today, and most motor carriers, by authority definition, also have a freight brokerage operation. Freight brokerages fulfill a vital service in modern logistics, connecting independent carriers with loads and drastically reducing empty repositioning moves. Brokering also allows carriers to complement their assets by […]

Industry Insights

Roanoke is the leading provider of insurance and surety solutions for transportation and logistics providers. In fact, we are recognized as the most reliable source for U.S. customs bonds.

Contact

If you have any questions or need help, feel free to contact with our team.

800-762-6653

US CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS

1501 E. Woodfield Road

Suite 400W

Schaumburg, IL 60173


CANADA CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS

390 Bay Street

Munich Re Centre, 22nd Floor

Toronto, ON M5H 2Y2

Solutions that Go the Distance.

© 2024 Roanoke Insurance Group Inc.

Better Business Bureau logoCoverholder at Lloyd's logo