How long does a car sit at the pick up yard?

[hoopstir1]

Hello All
Just wondering how long does a car sit at the rail yard waiting to get pick up. My delivery date is 05Sep25 thru 11Sep25 ?Just wonder?Thank you in advance.

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[Frogdog1]

I got mine on time after it went to the rail yard. That's what I can tell you.

 

[DT-GT]

Are you talking about waiting at the Flat Rock Railyard or at the one at drop off. The wait time at Flat Rock before the train heads out depends upon when the railcars are filled with cars. In March my car obviously just missed a train and my car was there for almost three weeks before the train departed. Seems to be more eastbound than westbound trains.

Also, once my car was delivered to the Railyard in Denver it was a few days before the truck picked it up for delivery to Colorado Springs. My dealer had quite a few cars that were delayed. In 2022 my car got off the railcar and was delivered to my dealer in less than 24 hours.

So many variables!

 

[hoopstir1]

Thank you

 

[Neggytive]

IIRC the Teamsters were threatening to strike the auto carriers so maybe they have been holding off shipping as they did not want cars stuck in transit on trucks that were not moving.

There is a tentative agreement in place so cars should be moving.

 

[hoopstir1]

Thank you

 

[rockman 2738]

I have a 24. I was an electrician at the Livonia Transmission plant, 10R machining and assembly. I still had a contact at the plant who was hooked into engineering and supplied me with the progress of my build. Even where it was at on the assembly line. My car was listed as built on September 14th, 2023. I didn't pick it up at the dealership until October 27th, 2023! That is a total of 43 DAYS. It sat at Dearborn Truck Ramp 59 for weeks. When the railcar finally left, it switched trains at 3 different yards to get to Las Vegas. It sat on the railcar for a week in Las Vegas until it was unloaded. 43 DAYS! I was going bonkers. It sat for almost a week in every yard. The bright spot was when I first saw it, no damage, and the fit and finish looked great.

 

[aidan86]

Hello All
Just wondering how long does a car sit at the rail yard waiting to get pick up. My delivery date is 05Sep25 thru 11Sep25 ?Just wonder?Thank you in advance.

I am having the same problem as you. My car was released to shipping on 8/22. I live in central kentucky, so its going directly by truck. My window sticker says it at ramp "CW51." I am guessing the autohaulers threatening to go on strike was a big part of my delay. Have you gotten any update? My dealer has no idea whats going on. I contacted Ford Marketing and they havent told me anything either.

 

[Skye]

Shippers ship in the most efficient manner possible. This often means they only transport full rail cars and haulers. If it takes two days to fill a rail car great. If it's two weeks, it is what it is. Same with haulers.

On the initial volley from Flat Rock, the containers are going to be pretty dense; they're leaving for major hubs, like Chicago. But as they get closer to some of these end destinations, that density will begin to thin. Things can slow down.

Until the vehicle arrives at the dealer and they sign for it, the car is the property of Ford. As the vehicle makes it's way through rail and other depots, 99% of the time, the shippers update Ford, who later update the dealer.

If by chance the car becomes "stuck" at a waypoint, that could be caused by anything. Strikes, weather, waiting for next carrier, damage, holidays, etc. Whatever might be causing that delay, you'll never know. Ford does not discuss those matters outside of its inner circle.

In general, while you might be aware a car is en-route or at a specific location, you'll never know more than that. The dealer won't either. Neither you nor the dealer will be aware of the upcoming schedule to other routes or sites.

In '22, United Road was the primary shipper for vehicles. With my VIN, I was able to get an account and track the car as it left Flat Rock. At the same time, the dealer was getting their updates from Ford and ultimately United Road.

https://www.unitedroad.com/

Did the United Road account help? Not really. My salesperson received reports on a regular basis. As those reports were received, he'd cut-and-paste the info in an e-mail. And by reports, it looks like anything you'd see from FedEx: date, time, location. That's it.

While anyone is waiting for the car to arrive, run through the new car acceptance checklist.

https://www.mustang7g.com/forums/threads/new-car-acceptance-checklist.158844/

Given all that, I'd use a window of 45 days. That may seem like a big window, but there are a lot of variables involved. Multiple routes, depots, shippers, people, conditions, dates, etc. Someone might receive their vehicle in a few weeks. Others, months. The receiving dealer, report or not, should be able to provide a general idea of receiving times from different plants.

Once vehicle arrives, the dealer will need 1-3 days to sign for, process, perform their delivery inspection and then schedule your signing. It depends on their schedule and load. At the time of Skye's arrival, the dealer had received two railcars of F150s in the same shipement. I asked they secure the car and then take their time.

In the mean time, go through whatever you can think of to get the car. Checklists, insurance, detailing supplies, wheels and tires, aftermarket parts, etc. You probably want tint. Maybe PPF and other bits. Take that slack time to seek out someone and get estimates.

Embrace the wait. It's the end of a process. You'll have years to learn, appreciate and enjoy the vehicle.

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