U.S. Midwest floods affecting cargo transportation

No surprise, except to those who don’t listen, read, or watch the news (and believe it or not there are more than a few of them out there in the business world, sheesh) but the flooding in the Midwest is having an impact on cargo movement through the area. Via Logistics Management:

Some examples of how freight transportation operations have been hindered include:

* Class I railroad carrier Union Pacific reporting it has six mainline tracks that carry freight through Iowa being out of service;

* Burlington Northern Santa Fe reporting delays on routes along the Mississippi River from Fort Madison, Iowa to Memphis; and

* Con-way Freight saying regional service has been shut down or delayed throughout flooded areas, although it expects service to be restored today as it is transferred to other routes.

Meanwhile, the AP said that both UPS and FedEx expected only minimal delays and said operations should return to normal this week if no further severe weather occurs.

Read the whole thing. Anyone who has intermodal cargo to and from coastal ports that transits the Midwest should expect hiccups and delays as rail lines are forced to use alternate routes through the areas affected.