Fingers crossed for you. Ours still hasn’t shipped from the factory and it was built on 8/3.
Ours was built 8/18. Says estimated delivery to our dealer is this week. Keep in mind I live an hour from the plant. So no rail involved. I work for the Bnsf railway. We transport a good majority of the explorers that go by rail. Ford was having problems with other railroads so they added on to our rail yard over in Joliet Illinois to handle the larger volume. They truck then from the plant to our yard near joliet and they get loaded on railcars there. The rail industry is having troubles related to manpower and poor decisions to cut costs over the last few years. So delays are happening. I can say I see truckload after truckload of explorers come to the yard 24 hours a day. Hopefully you get yours soon.
Thanks for the info. That’s interesting. It’s unfortunate that the BNSF railroad goes the wrong way! Haha.
Yeah you are stuck with the csx or ns. In 2020 ford came to the Bnsf and asked if they could add capacity at our yard in Elwood l, Illinois. We signed on and the project was finished early last year. I remember the ns being mentioned as a reason for the partnership with Bnsf. I’ve been in the rials twenty years. The last two years have been the most challenging I’ve seen in my career. From covid to poor decisions at the upper levels at the railroads it has caused all kinds of delays. All I know is we can’t wait to get our new explorer. Our 2021 Jeep GCL was totaled back on June 1st. So we have been getting by with my wife driving my f150. Be nice to have a spare vehicle again and a comfortable ride for trips.
2-3 days depending on how important the train is that it’s loaded on. On the Bnsf we have dedicated trains for auto racks. But we move a lot of them. Keep in mind it can get to the coast in two days and then sit in a yard waiting to be unloaded for several days. It all depends on the capacity of the “ramp” it goes to there in your local area. Then. Once it gets to the local “ramp” it’s gonna be unloaded and staged while it waits for a car hauler hired by the auto industry to take it to your dealership. They don’t typically just take one car for a dealership. They make their trips count.
Understood, thanks! The yard in Richmond our car is heading to currently has 5-6 other vehicles waiting to go back truck to our dealer. Hoping ours showing up will be critical mass to get a truck to move them up here soon.
One of my bosses ordered a new ram2500 long bed crew cab pickup two years ago. He monitored its progress and it eventually landed at our rail yard. It sat there for almost two months waiting for transport to the dealership. He was pissed because he could physically see the truck on the lot but couldn’t have it. Because of it’s size it was gonna be hauled on a different hauler that only held a few vehicles. So it wasn’t a priority to the shipper. He asked why can’t the dealership just come get it? He was told the dealerships can’t get them themselves. It had to be transported by a uaw approved shipper to the dealership. He was so frustrated. He had traded his other truck in already because the dealership had a buyer lined up for it and his truck was in the area and just needed that final leg executed. Dude was so stressed. I feel his pain now. Two years ago the lead times were just starting to get bad.
After reading thru these posts, I truly hope it comes in soon. Sounds like working thru a government department. Best of luck!
Yeah this is our first time special ordering a car. Normally we can find what we want on the lot. But not now. We are just very lucky we had a spare car to drive after our 2021 jeep GCL was totaled back in June. And to think there are rumors floating around saying the manufacturers would like to go to this type of vehicle buying process. Order it and they build it. Seems crazy to me.
Unfortunately even when it hits the rail yard in Richmond is will still need to be picked up by a car hauler to be delivered to the dealership. I only live 90 min from the factory and we are still waiting. Was built ten days ago and hasn’t left the factory.
Yep, from what I've been following the cars typically sit at the yard for a week or two before a truck comes and gets them. I'm hoping that ours gets unloaded soon, and since there are over 10 sitting there now for our dealership, that a truck or two would be justified. We will see. Hope it comes soon; the HV battery in our Escape is just about dead and our Expedition is very tired.
Congrats!
Well it’s at the dealership. But can’t take delivery until it goes to the body shop to be fixed. Quality Control at the factory missed the panel fitment between the drivers side fender and door. It is rubbing and messing up the paint. So now we are delayed another week or two.
