If you have noticed shipments from Draper and other suppliers have been taking longer to reach their destinations, you aren’t alone. Many of our customers and dealers have noticed this continuing trend as America’s freight system continues to lag behind.
Some freight companies are not currently picking up deliveries. Other carriers are still making pickups, but those deliveries are 2-3 days late—some even more—as they catch up with others currently clogging the system.
As one person in shipping put it, “the LTL trucking industry can be compared to a sloth at this point!”
Will my orders continue to be in transit longer?
Although the Draper shipping department is working hard with our carriers to make sure completed orders are leaving our facility on time, it is likely that shipments will take longer to reach you. Your Draper representative will work with you to ensure as little impact as possible on your project timeline. We do appreciate your patience as we work to find the best way to get your orders to you.
What is causing the chaos?
There are several reasons we are seeing shipping slowdowns. Trucking companies are still short of drivers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With more people working and ordering from home, additional demand has been placed on carriers. Then, to top it all off, the United States is still recovering from the storms that ravaged parts of the country, including Texas and other parts of the south. Until mega terminals like Austin, Houston, and others get their freight moving, they are not accepting new freight. This has a domino effect: rails out of Chicago are completely full and not accepting freight going west either.
When will things get better?
Although we are optimistic that things will improve, it will take a while, and improvements will likely be incremental. The first progress will be seen as shipping terminals are able to dispatch loads that have been sitting idle, opening up capacity for more freight to begin moving through.
Whatever happens, please be assured that we are with you every step of the way, advocating and negotiating for the quickest delivery times at the most reasonable terms possible. If you have concerns over a particular project, feel free to reach out to your Draper representative for status updates. Thank you for your business , and your confidence in Draper.
