The United States is facing the dual pressures of snowstorms and epidemics, and sellers' packages may be delayed

Recently, the United States was hit by a winter blizzard, resulting in nearly 3,000 flights being canceled . In addition to affecting people's travel, freight transportation is also under pressure. Local authorities also warned that due to the multiple impacts of the winter blizzard, the epidemic, and holidays, transportation disruptions in the United States may continue, and sellers should be prepared for delays.

FedEx warned of delays due to staffing shortages caused by coronavirus cases among its employees and the winter storm that hit parts of the West Coast, which only made matters worse for airlines this week.

Winter storms can affect many freight routes. As part of its new service standards, the USPS is relying more on trucks rather than commercial aircraft to transport mail, which could be a factor in weather-related slowdowns on major truck routes.

In addition, online sellers using USPS also face holiday issues. Postal services are suspended on Monday, January 17 , a federal holiday commemorating the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Due to the one-day holiday, there will be a large backlog of goods on Tuesday, which may cause delayed delivery and pickup times.

Many places in Europe and the United States are already facing a shortage of workers, and the recurrence of the epidemic has made the situation even more tense, which has undoubtedly increased the pressure on the supply chain. According to data from the Pacific Maritime Association, about 800 dock workers in western U.S. ports have been quarantined, and the number of absenteeism accounts for about one-tenth of the daily workforce, further exacerbating the port crisis.

UPS CEO also said in an interview with CNBC that the carrier is also dealing with staffing challenges as many workers have had to take time off due to the Omicron variant . However, she also said that UPS has retained some seasonal employees from the holiday shipping peak season to manage the situation.

At the same time, sellers may also encounter some unexpected situations, and package thefts are not uncommon. For example, recently, an express train was robbed in the United States and a large number of Amazon packages were stolen.

Sellers should also be prepared for delays and pay attention to the latest logistics developments.

Delays

snowstorm

logistics