Intermodal Storage Policy Changes

Announcement Number: IM2020-181
Categories: All Intermodal
Posted Date: October 29, 2020

Dear Premium Customer,

Keeping our intermodal terminals running smoothly is critical to providing continued growth for our international and domestic customers. We strive to continually improve the service product we provide to our customers, while increasing service reliability. As part of Unified Plan 2020, Union Pacific will launch a revised intermodal storage policy to ensure our terminals are fluid. The new storage policy will be effective January 4, 2021 and is outlined below.

Intermodal Storage Policy Changes - Effective January 4, 2021

  • Day of notification will be the day the unit is notified.
  • Free time for domestic shipments will remain at 24 hours starting at 0001 after the day of notification.
  • Free time for international shipments will remain at 48 hours starting at 0001 after the day of notification.
  • Terminals will be divided into two groups based on volume and capacity. Storage charges for terminals in Group 1 will be differentiated. Storage charges for terminals in Group 2 will remain consistent with our current storage rules.
  • Domestic shipments that notify greater than six hours late at destination will be granted 24 hours additional free time. The first Estimated Time of Grounding (ETG) provided at time of departure from the origin terminal will be used to determine if a unit is greater than six hours late. This ETG will be available in Track Shipments or via the 322 EDI message.
  • There is no change to storage calculations for Sundays and holidays.

You can view additional details on the new  storage policy now.

Union Pacific is committed to providing an excellent customer experience along with ensuring capacity and terminal fluidity to allow for growth. We will continue to monitor the status of the terminals and make adjustments as needed. Union Pacific's Master Intermodal Transportation Agreement (MITA) will be updated prior to the effective date.

In addition, Union Pacific will be invoicing all storage at the time of this policy change, including all rail and private equipment. This represents a billing change for rail equipment which is currently billed through Blume Global. More details will be forthcoming in a separate announcement.

Your Sales Representative will be available to address your questions.

Sincerely,

Premium Business Team