Tag: freight claim

2019 AAR Damage Prevention & Freight Claim Conference

Posted on by teamA-GG

As in previous years, Complete Packaging Systems was delighted to attend the Annual AAR Damage Prevention and Freight Claim Conference held last month. This year’s 127th Annual AAR DP & FC Conference was held in Omaha, Nebraska from July 8th-11th 2019. The three-day conference covered a variety of industry updates, trends and developments that occurred over the past year.

The conference began with an overview of the Paper, Automotive and Food & Beverage Industry. The overviews included manufacturing outputs, sales and consumer trends. Union Pacific’s Mexico Franchise and Union Pacific’s Cold Connect operations were also discussed.

The bulk of this year’s conference focused on three major “breakout” rail shipments in the industry: Paper, Open-Top and Automotive. The Paper Breakout portion of the conference provided a 101 session for Roll Paper Load Plan Creations covering load plan software, shipment trials and obtaining AAR Approvals. The Open-top Breakout portion of the conference covered topics such as pipe shipments, required railcar clearance updates, the development of new securement products in open-top shipments, military vehicle shipments and how drones have become useful for rail safety/monitoring. Finally, the Automotive breakout session of the conference discussed updates to quality and training sessions, vehicle inspections and how the changes in modern car designs is changing the way cars need to be shipped.

The conference ended with an overview of railcar fleet trends, rail industry updates, factors affecting and creating changes in our industry, the effects of spring deflection on center of gravity height, intermodal distribution and a preview of changes for 2020.

The amount of industry updates and knowledge that Complete Packaging Systems was able to acquire at this years AAR DP & FC Conference was outstanding. Every year there are new technology and safety developments that help improve the rail industry. A full breakdown of this year’s AAR DP & FC Conference and some of the presentations can be found at the AAR’s webpage. For any questions regarding cargo securement and your load plan, contact one of our knowledgeable technical sales and service representatives by calling 866-858-8800.

2018 AAR Damage Prevention & Freight Claim Conference

Posted on by teamA-GG

Earlier this month, Complete Packaging Systems had the pleasure of attending the 126th AAR Damage Prevention & Freight Claim Annual Conference in Nashville, TN. This year’s conference presentations reminded us just how much the industry has advanced over the past few years. Each year the industry seems to flourish in technology developments and safety enhancements. With safety being our main concern, Complete Packaging Systems is eager to attend this conference every year.

This year’s conference covered topics ranging from North American Trade and its impact on railroads to autonomous trucking. Throughout the entire industry, technology changes are being made to make the industry safer and more automated. Autonomous trucking, Positive Train Control, rail trip optimizers, smart sensors, delivery drones and more are all being researched to discover a more efficient way to deliver products safely within a supply chain. Even the testing for rail cars and securement products has advanced. Simulators used to test securement products and modes of transportation have become life-like and can pick up on the smallest vibration or shock that could affect the cargo within.

Furthermore, the AAR has published numerous General Information Series over the past year, helping to continuously improve freight standards and guidelines for shipments passing through rail. Along with the new GISs, new securement products have been developed and tested to ensure product arrives safely to its destination; ranging from products designed to hold down barrels during transit to products that prevent cars and automotive from shifting during transit.

A lot of developments and changes were discussed at the AAR Conference regarding what we can look forward to in the next generation in the industry, filled with technology advancements and automation. Participating in the annual AAR Damage Prevention & Freight Claim conference keeps us up-to-date with the newest industry regulations and developments. For more information about the conference, contact us toll free at 866-858-8800.

 

Edited by: Stephanie Irvine