By Bill Wilson, Editor-in-Chief, RT&S Magazine; July 8, 2019
You have 24 hours. That’s it. With precision scheduled railroading now in the driver’s seat, Union Pacific is cracking down on customers who take longer than 24 hours to remove containers at its terminals.
Starting on Aug. 6, Union Pacific will be operating with its intermodal terminal reservation system (ITR) with its West Coast terminals. Truckers who do not cancel or show up for shipments within a 24-hour window will be fined. Customers will be fined $25 for canceling a reservation less than 24 hours before gate cutoffs and $50 for missing an appointment. Reservations are required in Los Angeles, City of Industry and Lathrop, Calif.; Brooklyn, Ore.; and Seattle and Tacoma, Wash. Union Pacific says ITR will be put in place at other domestic intermodal terminals for a more consistent experience. The fines will start on Sept. 3.