Railroad Customer Service is about the same when AT&T and Bell had Big Black Phones.

[BaltACD]

CandOforprogress2

How do I get a ahold of BNSF Logistics? You say that they can ship a pallet?

http://www.bnsflogistics.com/

[CandOforprogress2]

How do I get a ahold of BNSF Logistics? You say that they can ship a pallet?

[Ulrich]

That's changing, though, as railroads are taking a greater interest in supply chain management. For example, I now compete directly with BNSF on some lumber and steel loads where 15 years ago that wouldn't have been the case. Their logistics division works like any other broker; they sell freight off to the truckers and others when it doesn't fit into their rail network. It makes them alot more competitive, and now all freight becomes fair game.. from one skidlot shipments right on up to unit train loads. 

[CandOforprogress2]

I had a laugh at the headline of this months Trains Mag about railroads having to learn customer service after years of a entitlement mindset because of Coal Trains that provided a dedicated source of revenue no matter what. My local lumber yard has to stop service last year because the railroad wanted to charge a surcharge for being the last customer on a 10 mile branchline despite the fact the the line passes behind dozens of industries and there is a population of 45,000 people along the line.----The breakup of AT&T led to cell phones and the internet that we all enjoy today. The breakup of the railroads from service aspects and trackmatnace will lead to the Uberization of Freight and more customers that never used railroad before. Right now the Class Ones have a Black Phone approach that if you do not ship 3 carloads a day or a unit train we dont want your buisness. Nevermind that the days of Big Manufacturing have been over for 40 years and that most buisness is under 3 Million gross a year. Imagine if you could order railroad shipments from your Smart Phone and automaticaly find a transload warehouse and drayage to and from your door and get one rate that is coparible by railroad. Imagince self driving railroad cars that are solar powered with Litium Ian batteries that sort themselfs and drive themselve to your loading dock. Imagine Self Driving trucks that pick up containers from the Intermodal Yard and run on dedicated roads that used to be abandoned railroad corridors. Imagine not living in the 19th Century.