Rail Freight Rates – STB Rate Reform Task Force Issues its Report

In January 2018 Chairman Ann Begeman formed a Rail Rate Reform Task Force to recommend improvements to the existing rate review processes and to propose new rate review methodologies. Rail rate rule reform has been Chairman Begeman’s top priority. Last week, the task force submitted their report to the STB. The Rate Reform Task Force

Rising Demurrage Rates Prompts STB to Schedule Hearing

On a daily basis we speak with shippers that are looking for ways to improve their rail transportation. The most common concern that has been coming up lately is demurrage. It’s shocking how many companies are getting monthly rail demurrage bills in the high five figures or even in excess of $100k. It is just

Hurricane Gordon Update

9/5/18 Update: Tropical Storm Gordon made landfall on the Gulf Coast along the Mississippi and Alabama border late Tuesday night and the rain has moved into Arkansas at this time. As a result, flood gates in New Orleans have been lowered, allowing interchange traffic with eastern carriers to resume this morning. NS has cleared their

RSI Logistics Announces the Acquisition of Specialized Transportation Service

RSI Logistics, Inc. (RSI) is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of Specialized Transportation Service (“STS”) with operations in Portland, Oregon. The new company will operate under the name of STS Intermodal, LLC. STS has been a leader in the Pacific Northwest in performing bulk intermodal trucking, storage, and maintenance and repair

Tracking Railroad Performance Metrics

Have you checked out RSI’s Railroad Performance Metrics? Monitoring railroad tracking performance data of delays by railroad allows you to see and anticipate where your transit times may be affected. Here’s a recap of what the railcar tracking data has been showing in recent months: Total volume was up in March and the YTD volume

Recap of the 2018 NITL Summit

National Transportation League Summit – Dallas, TX (January 29-31, 2018) “From its beginnings in 1907, the League has served as the shipper’s voice as it carries out its mission to advance the views of shippers on freight transportation issues and enhance their professional development.”  (NITL Mission Statement) The National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) hosted its annual

Product Spillage on Railcars

For customers that we provide railcar maintenance services to, product spillage on railcars is sometimes a nagging railcar maintenance issue. It is most commonly caused when cars are mishandled off site by customers, terminal operators, or suppliers. Note that this article does not pertain to Non-Accidental Releases. Zero product on the exterior is the standard

Rail Trends Conference Recap

The 2017 annual RailTrends event hosted in New York City November 30th to December 1st promised and delivered on providing a platform for bringing freight rail professionals together to debate and discuss significant issues and trending topics in the rail industry. The event hosted a series of diverse speakers ranging from Ed Hamburger – AAR,

Petrochemical Supply Chain & Logistics Conference – Dec. 2017

RSI will be exhibiting at the Petrochemical Supply Chain & Logistics conference next week being held at the Royal Sonesta in Houston on December 12th and 13th. Please join us if you can. Our Kelley Minnehan, Matthew Frey, and David Riddell will be attending. Topics on the agenda include: Freight visibility platforms to support a digital