Does UPS still run the unit trains across the country and do they get special first running right of ways on the Burlington NS and Union Pacific ?
UPS gets priority service on every carrier they deal with - or the carrier won’t be dealing with them much longer.
Here on the NS all of our intermodals hauling UPS and FedEX gets priority over other trains, whether it is on the mainline or even in the yard. These trains have tight schedules with strict departure and arrival times.
This morning I was called for 203 out of Greenville, SC (my layover point) to Atlanta. NS 203 handles UPS and FedEX trailers among other high value trailers and containers between Rutherford, PA and Atlanta, GA. It is due in Atlanta at 12:15pm and we arrived around 10:15am. The UPS trailers on that train must be grounded and moved to one of the Atlanta UPS distribution centers for a 3:30pm sort. As soon as we pulled the train through the first rail-highway track and made our first cut the cranes started unloading the trailers for the waiting UPS drivers.
It is a great feeling moving these hot trains down the tracks at 60 MPH knowing that a whole lot of people are depending on it to be there on time.
TBG
NS Locomotive Engineer
EMD#1/TBG
As I read your post I felt almost as though I were there. You write beautifully and effectively.
But more importantly, the deep pride you have in your craft and company is impressive to us all. How lucky NS is to have you for an employee, in such an obviously well-deserved position.
Best wishes for a clear track and a safe journey in all your years ahead.
My favorite train these days is CSX Q010 the hot Chicago - New Jersey intermodal which is heavy with UPS trailers. It is interesting to listen how the railroad accomodates this trainand this account. UPS interests me and it would be great to read an article or book on their relationships with railroads, but that will probably not occur as they are very secretive on their operations.
I have read two books on UPS and both were written by insiders and well scripted to the company’s benefit.
Recently Q010 derailed at Gary In. It would be great to know what plans were executed in order to handle this crisis.
A CSX employee told me the hot NYC LA trailers are now trucked west of Chicago due to Up and BNSF not willing or able to meet schedules.
ed
Agree completely!
(and glad we are on the “same side”)
Thanks NKP guy!
Thanks Don! I’m glad we are on the same side too!
For any of you that are interested. One of our other hotshot UPS trains is NS 212 which runs between Atlanta, GA and Croxton, NJ. As a matter of fact, (as told to me by one of our dispatchers) 203 and 212 are the hottest trains running between Alexandria, VA and Atlanta, GA. Their counterparts, 204 and 211 are also extremely hot. Amtrak doesn’t even delay these UPS trains!
Another short story…
Back in December I was called for 212 out of Atlanta and was surprised to see the UP 2002 Olympic engine as my third unit! And yes, I had to snap a couple of photos and even took a short video of the train pulling away from Greenville after I swapped out with the next crew. One railfan actually caught my train as I was running it in Oakwood, GA. I had that Cannonball Express in the wind too making every bit of the track speed through that stretch which was 60 MPH! The video is on youtube if anybody wants to see it under: Rare NS 212 Intermodal Freight Train at Oakwook, GA w/UP # 2002 trailing. If you watch it, see if you can count how many UPS trailers are on the train. Besides the trailers that are marked UPS, they also ship in Vermont Railway trailers and lately they have been using EMP and their own UPSU containers.
UPS is a very good customer to NS and everyone from Wick Moorman on down to the newest new hire appreciates their business!
Tim
It’s not just UPS that gets premium service,you can count JB Hunt ,Fed-Ex, & several reefer companies that ; 'get what they pay for". At Pittsburgh we have orders to expedite handling or repairs of Hunt & UPS, though we always try to handle every load the same, whether packages or bird seed. Other premium trains on NS include 22W, 24M, 20E. I was railfanning around Butler,In when the dispatcher stopped two WB’s & two EB’s to zig-zag 24M through. UPS has enough pull on the rails, that during a Feb snow storm leaving 18" behind and no roads were open,(CSX even closed Sand patch),NS accepted all EB loads and used a train that never stops in Pittsburgh to move them east. That is premium service!
I was told that the penalties for being late for trains carrying UPS trailers and containers is VERY steep. UPS demands that they be at their destinations ON TIME. That is one reason for the penalties. UPS is willing to pay for such service and the railroads make sure that they DO NOT pay the penalties.
I enjoy tracking my packages shipped by UPS ground. The shipments from the Bay area to here are consistent. each time.
Yeah, it is nice to track a package, but it would be better if the tracking system said where the package was GOING instead of where it just LEFT. I tracked a package from Florida to Iowa for nearly 2 weeks only knowing from day to day where it had BEEN instead of knowing where it was GOING. It got within a days delivery of my place several times only to be LEAVING a site 2 to 4 states away the next day.
My UPS traces generally give a expected delivery date - any if that date has to be adjusted. I have no Idea what you were tracking, however, in my experience I have NEVER seen a UPS shipment float around for two weeks. Your mileage may vary!
Big Brown, The Untold Story of UPS is authored by Greg Niemann. The book is a very favorable look at UPS by a former insider. It is a historic look at Brown and there are a couple of chapters dealing with the technology behind today’s ability to deliver small parcels and packages. Very informative and essentially each package generates a trip schedule upon pickup with routing and scheduling all the way thru to delivery. Thus, each manager and terminal knows what is inbound for several days in advance.
Ah, Logistics!
Ed