RSI Blog

The Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern Merger: Unveiling a New Era for Rail Shippers

The recent merger between Canadian Pacific Railway (CPRS) and the Kansas City Southern (KCS) has been making headlines, marking a transformative moment in the North American rail industry. This union promises to enhance efficiency, expand service offerings, and generate significant benefits for rail shippers. In this blog post, we will delve into the details of

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Meet the Author: Adam Anderson
As the Director of Business Development at RSI Logistics, Adam Anderson oversees the efforts of sales, marketing, and client relationships. Adam applies his experience in the rail transportation industry to craft creative solutions that are tailored to challenges. With more than 10 years of rail industry and RSI Logistics experience, Adam’s passion for leading teams, executing projects, and continuous improvement efforts foster meaningful, long-lasting relationships with clients.

5 Clichés About Rail Logistics You Should Avoid

Rail logistics is a critical part of the global transportation industry, connecting people and goods across vast distances efficiently and cost-effectively. Despite its importance, there are several clichés about rail logistics that persist in popular conversation. These clichés often have misconceptions about the industry, hindering its progress and potential as well as impacting rail shippers

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Meet the Author: Matt Culver
Matt Culver is the Marketing Manager at RSI Logistics where he is responsible for content creation, managing RSI’s marketing, and developing digital strategies. On a mission to tell everyone about RSI, he is focused on implementing best practices and the fundamentals of marketing. His experience and knowledge have allowed him to focus on the growth of RSI's digital marketing and customer journey. Matt holds a Bachelor of Digital Marketing and Advertising and is a member of the American Marketing Association.

2022 State of Railcar Repair Shops

Whether you own or lease railcars, eventually your railcars will need to be sent to a shop for cleaning, repairs, or qualification. Taking one railcar out of service can be painful, especially if the railcar is unusable for months at a time. Unfortunately, most shippers do not have a fleet large enough to fill the

Meet the Author: Gail Carlson
As RSI Logistics’ Director of Client Service, Gail Carlson has worked to develop strategic relationships with clients, railroads, and other vendors. Gail has developed a culture of honesty and open communication that has resulted in low client turnover and long-term client relationships. She also keeps up with the ever-changing rail industry while offering robust solutions to fit each client’s needs.

Surface Transportation Board and the Union Pacific’s Use of Embargoes

The Surface and Transportation Board (STB) has scheduled a meeting for December 13th and 14th, 2022, to review the Union Pacific’s (UP) “substantial” use of embargoes to reduce rail congestion. At the hearing, Union Pacific will be represented by key management including their CEO, Lance Fritz. Recent Updates on the STB Embargo Meeting As a

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Meet the Author: Matt Culver
Matt Culver is the Marketing Manager at RSI Logistics where he is responsible for content creation, managing RSI’s marketing, and developing digital strategies. On a mission to tell everyone about RSI, he is focused on implementing best practices and the fundamentals of marketing. His experience and knowledge have allowed him to focus on the growth of RSI's digital marketing and customer journey. Matt holds a Bachelor of Digital Marketing and Advertising and is a member of the American Marketing Association.

7 Rail Shipping Insights to Pay Attention to

As with any industry, data and the knowledge that comes from data is important. Whether the insights you can find are helpful to you directly, as someone involved in rail shipping, or indirectly, as someone looking for information on the transportation industry, that knowledge can come in handy. But with so much information out there,

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Meet the Author: Matt Culver
Matt Culver is the Marketing Manager at RSI Logistics where he is responsible for content creation, managing RSI’s marketing, and developing digital strategies. On a mission to tell everyone about RSI, he is focused on implementing best practices and the fundamentals of marketing. His experience and knowledge have allowed him to focus on the growth of RSI's digital marketing and customer journey. Matt holds a Bachelor of Digital Marketing and Advertising and is a member of the American Marketing Association.

How to Prepare for Winter as a Rail Shipper

Inclement weather will challenge all rail freight customers at some point. Hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and other natural dangers all pose possible hurdles throughout the year; however, one natural challenge that you can count on almost every year is winter storms, snow, and freezing temperatures. If your organization has a facility that ships and receives railcars,

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Meet the Author: Mitch Haney
Mitch is the SaaS Client Success Manager at RSI Logistics, dedicated to the satisfaction of RSI’s broad customer base as he works to develop each relationship as a trusted advisor with every client. Prior to his current role, he spent over eight years at RSI within the Client Service department. His knowledge, along with close client relationships, allows him to understand and anticipate needs and offer training or additional services that add value for every client.

5 Places to Find Rail Industry Data and Insights

Good data helps you make informed decisions, measure your goals, find solutions to problems, and be strategic in your methods. Without data you’re relying on “gut feelings”, which can be affected by different experiences, assumptions, and abstract observations. Whether you’re planning out your rail supply chain and organization, working on a consultation project for a

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Meet the Author: Matt Culver
Matt Culver is the Marketing Manager at RSI Logistics where he is responsible for content creation, managing RSI’s marketing, and developing digital strategies. On a mission to tell everyone about RSI, he is focused on implementing best practices and the fundamentals of marketing. His experience and knowledge have allowed him to focus on the growth of RSI's digital marketing and customer journey. Matt holds a Bachelor of Digital Marketing and Advertising and is a member of the American Marketing Association.

What is Rail Shipping Demurrage and How to Dispute It

Railroad demurrage is a charge that compensates the rail carriers when railcars are held in the carriers serving yard waiting to be ordered in for placement. This a charge that rail shippers try to avoid, as it’s a fee that compounds on top of the loss of revenue by a railcar just sitting and not

Meet the Author: Erica DePond
Erica DePond began her career at RSI Logistics in 1994. Having over 20 years’ experience in the rail industry combined with ground up, hands on growth at RSI has catapulted her into her role today as Client Logistics Manager. Erica’s expertise provides innovative rail-centric services and solutions that bring high level performing results to the organizations that RSI serves. Her many years in the industry have positioned her for leadership and mentoring with the staff at RSI Logistics.

How to Ship by Rail for Beginners

This year we have seen an increase in businesses interested in exploring the potential of becoming a rail shipper. As the trucking industry continues to deal with driver shortages and high costs, many companies are starting to consider rail as an alternative to trucking. Rail is an excellent mode of transportation due to its advantages

How to Prepare Your Rail Supply Chain for Hurricanes

In August of 2021, Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans, a major rail shipping hub. The destructive weather and resulting flood waters forced a Class I railroad, the Kansas City Southern, to close a main line. This triggered a cascade of additional railroads seeing service disruptions as well, even if they were not near the hurricane.

Meet the Author: Ethan Folger
Ethan Folger joined RSI Logistics after graduating from Michigan State University (MSU) with a major in Economics and a minor in Quantitative Data Analytics. He works as a Data Analyst and assists RSI’s logistics department with missing rail car sightings and other special projects. During his time at MSU Ethan studied natural disasters and their effect on the economy.