Dear Valued Customer,
The strike at U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports has ended as of late Thursday, October 3rd. The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) have reached a 90-day
agreement, through January 15, 2025, resulting in dockworkers returning to work. Vessel operations will resume, and gate terminals will open on varying schedules depending on the port. Please contact your C.H. Robinson representative for the latest plans to resume operations by port.
Impacts on contingency modes and routes, including U.S. West Coast ports, Canada gateway, non-ILA ports, and transload services are expected to continue as diverted freight continues to move.
OCEAN
Container dwell times remain elevated at USWC ports, including Los Angeles/Long Beach. As re-routed containers continue to flow into USWC, expect dwell times to continue to rise and additional congestion across rail and transload services.
C.H. Robinson is actively identifying containers that may have been impacted by alternate offload ports during the disruption.
INTERMODAL
Rail congestion continues to contribute to USWC dwell time and congestion is expected to remain as long as container volumes at those ports remain elevated.
TRUCKLOAD
Truckload capacity currently remains steady and available across impacted regions. Expect load to truck ratios to show some tightening on both coasts as containers continue to flow through the USWC and cargo begins to move across USEC and USGC ports. Road closures in the southeast U.S. due to Hurricane Helene may impact transit times for cargo moving through that region.
C.H. Robinson’s supply chain experts are actively assisting customers with freight that may be impacted with alternate options, including air and transloading.
Please stay in close contact with your C.H. Robinson team for continued updates in this evolving situation and for help navigating any impacts to your supply chain. We are available and committed to delivering competitive options across all impacted geographies.
Thank you for being a valued customer.
Sincerely,
C.H. Robinson