Dear Valued Customer,
Hurricane Milton is tracking across the eastern Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to make landfall on the West Coast of Florida overnight as a major hurricane. The state of Florida has declared an emergency in hurricane-warned counties, and mandatory evacuations have been ordered in some coastal areas. Our top priority remains the safety of our employees, their families, and all others in the impacted region. For supply chain impacts, we anticipate possible capacity supply constraints in and around the impacted areas as the storm moves across Florida. Areas that experience the largest storm surge may have major power outages and flooding. C.H. Robinson’s disaster response team will monitor and assist emergency response needs for the duration of the storm.
TRUCKLOAD
Road closures and power outages are expected to have an impact on available capacity during the storm and in the immediate aftermath. Flooding impacts may also follow the path of the storm inland across the Florida peninsula. Your C.H. Robinson team is here to support you with planning, alternative solutions, and tracking your freight.
LESS THAN TRUCKLOAD (LTL)
Some LTL carriers halted pick and delivery services throughout Florida as early as Tuesday, October 8. Shipment delays can be expected for any shipment into or out of Florida in the coming days. Major delays are possible in areas where terminals experience flooding or power outages. LTL terminals in Asheville remain closed as of Wednesday morning as impacts from Hurricane Helene linger. Some terminals in Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina continue limited operations as well.
INTERMODAL
Rail terminals in the impacted area, specifically the Tampa and Central Florida ILC terminals, have suspended operations as of Wednesday morning. The CSX hub in Jacksonville remains open for drop-offs and pick-ups, but operations may be temporarily suspended as the storm moves across Florida, depending on wind conditions. Intermodal shipments into and out of Florida will likely experience some transit delays as damage assessments are completed at hubs and along rail lines throughout the impacted area.
OCEAN
The Ports of
Tampa Bay and
Jacksonville are under condition ZULU as of Wednesday morning, closing seaside operations. Landside operations are set to continue at Tampa Bay as long as weather allows. Jacksonville’s inbound cargo main gate is closed as of 10am EST Wednesday and port operations were expected to close shortly after. Jacksonville will remain closed Thursday, October 9 and plans to reopen Friday, pending damage assessments. Port
Everglades and
Miami are under condition YANKEE as of Wednesday morning, limiting vessel operations to those under a certain size. The Port of
Savannah remains open Wednesday and will continue to monitor conditions. The U.S. Coast Guard will continue to monitor offshore conditions near Savannah for potential vessel operation impacts Thursday.
AIR
Tampa International Airport suspended all commercial and cargo operations Tuesday morning ahead of early impacts from the storm. Major cargo impacts are not anticipated at this time, but any shipment moving through Tampa will likely experience some transit delays. Any flight cancellations at Miami International will likely result in minor shipment delays for cargo there as well.
STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT LINKS
Florida Disaster Information
FDOT road closures
GADOT road closures
C.H. Robinson’s 24-hour disaster response team has been activated and will be monitoring all impacts in the Southeast for the duration of the storm. Thank you for being our Valued Customer. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your C.H. Robinson commercial representative for further information.
Sincerely,
C.H. Robinson