A Few Semi-random Thoughts about Waiting, and Waiting, and Waiting Again

[Toinky]

I thought I'd share my experience with waiting to get a truck so others who are still waiting might gain something from my situation.

My truck was built 12/8/22. For some reason it did not ship until 1/10/23. It is still in transit, waiting at a train terminal for a semi to deliver it to my dealer. It's been sitting there since about 1/20/23. Still waiting….

Here are my take aways from the experience. (Some of these can be found elsewhere on MTC, but thought I'd compile this list.)

1. It has been harder to wait the few months since my truck was built than it was waiting the 13 months to get it built. Knowing it's in existence heightens my impatience.

2. There is absolutely nothing you can do to speed up the delivery process. Calling the railway companies, CS, or your dealer won't move the truck any faster. Seems obvious, but I need to remind myself of this regularly!

3. Don't trust the info CS gives you about transit details. I have had several chats and phone conversations with CS. On at least 4 occasions they told me my truck was in Colton, CA (a major rail transfer site). A couple of days ago learned that this information is totally incorrect and that it has been sitting in Richmond, CA for more than a month. I learned this by contacting my less-than-on-top-of-things sales guy who actually did apparently know how to use VINView.

4. The rail company dial in process is also faulty--at least it was for me. I have not gotten any useful information from calling UP other than it made it Nogales 1/15/23. (CSX and NS were useless, too.) Other than that, I could never find out where my truck was. (See #2.)

5. Ford's emails are next to worthless. On several occasions I have received an email telling me that the arrival date of my truck had been updated AFTER the date range had past by several days or sometimes more than a week. Just take any such email about delivery dates as only an awareness that your order is in their system. That's about it.
a. Oh, on a slightly ranting note, Ford--if you are listening--please don't tell me that the delivery of my truck has been delayed "to ensure [my] complete satisfaction." My truck sits waiting at a railyard to one day be loaded onto a semi for delivery to the dealer. I get that such things take a [painfully] long time sometimes, but please don’t try to tell me it is sitting 100 miles from my house with no movement for over a month to ensure that I am completely satisfied!

6. The Ford website for information about your order, widow sticker, build date, etc. is so finicky it's a challenge to find out what's going on. I could never get it to work in Chrome without clearing cookies/cache. (Learned to do that from CS.) I've found using private/incognito mode usually works.

My $.02 on the parameters of the waiting game.

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[Jatrax]

Agree 100%

Built 12/3/22
Shipped 12/6/22
Crossed into USA 12/9/22
Arrived at Portland rail yard (officially) 2/2/22. That is when the dealer noticed it was there, could have been there sooner.

Still waiting.
82 days in transit.

When sales were all to dealers for lot sales it really didn't matter when a vehicle arrived but if Ford thinks this is acceptable delivery timing for an order they really need to hire someone who knows what the words "customer service" mean.

 

[zzbaluba]

I thought I'd share my experience with waiting to get a truck so others who are still waiting might gain something from my situation.

My truck was built 12/8/22. For some reason it did not ship until 1/10/23. It is still in transit, waiting at a train terminal for a semi to deliver it to my dealer. It's been sitting there since about 1/20/23. Still waiting….

Here are my take aways from the experience. (Some of these can be found elsewhere on MTC, but thought I'd compile this list.)

1. It has been harder to wait the few months since my truck was built than it was waiting the 13 months to get it built. Knowing it's in existence heightens my impatience.

2. There is absolutely nothing you can do to speed up the delivery process. Calling the railway companies, CS, or your dealer won't move the truck any faster. Seems obvious, but I need to remind myself of this regularly!

3. Don't trust the info CS gives you about transit details. I have had several chats and phone conversations with CS. On at least 4 occasions they told me my truck was in Colton, CA (a major rail transfer site). A couple of days ago learned that this information is totally incorrect and that it has been sitting in Richmond, CA for more than a month. I learned this by contacting my less-than-on-top-of-things sales guy who actually did apparently know how to use VINView.

4. The rail company dial in process is also faulty--at least it was for me. I have not gotten any useful information from calling UP other than it made it Nogales 1/15/23. (CSX and NS were useless, too.) Other than that, I could never find out where my truck was. (See #2.)

5. Ford's emails are next to worthless. On several occasions I have received an email telling me that the arrival date of my truck had been updated AFTER the date range had past by several days or sometimes more than a week. Just take any such email about delivery dates as only an awareness that your order is in their system. That's about it.
a. Oh, on a slightly ranting note, Ford--if you are listening--please don't tell me that the delivery of my truck has been delayed "to ensure [my] complete satisfaction." My truck sits waiting at a railyard to one day be loaded onto a semi for delivery to the dealer. I get that such things take a [painfully] long time sometimes, but please don’t try to tell me it is sitting 100 miles from my house with no movement for over a month to ensure that I am completely satisfied!

6. The Ford website for information about your order, widow sticker, build date, etc. is so finicky it's a challenge to find out what's going on. I could never get it to work in Chrome without clearing cookies/cache. (Learned to do that from CS.) I've found using private/incognito mode usually works.

My $.02 on the parameters of the waiting game.

I really appreciate your summation of your shipping nightmare. Don't despair. You have light at the end of the tunnel at least. I placed my order in October 2021. I have no hint if my truck will even get built in '23. I share your pain.

 

[BradnChristine]

...

6. The Ford website for information about your order, widow sticker, build date, etc. is so finicky it's a challenge to find out what's going on. I could never get it to work in Chrome without clearing cookies/cache. (Learned to do that from CS.) I've found using private/incognito mode usually works.

My $.02 on the parameters of the waiting game.

The worst part of my 478+ day wait (so far) is the terrible non-information Ford provides. I have been able to determine that the railcar my truck was on was emptied on 2/23 in Denver and headed to Chicago. I believe that means my truck is at the railyard in Denver. The trucking company has a shipping order number attached to my VIN, and the destination is the correct dealer (but they will only provide tracking updates to dealers).

So I used Chat on 2/24 to see what I could learn from Ford. What a joke. What I got was, "your truck is in Nogales, AZ, last updated 2/10."

 

[Old Man]

When sales were all to dealers for lot sales it really didn't matter when a vehicle arrived but if Ford thinks this is acceptable delivery timing for an order they really need to hire someone who knows what the words "customer service" mean.

Ford has zero control over the truck once it boards the train. A dealer can't go pick it up at the drop point. It could sit for several reasons - not enough transport trucks to handle the loads (big driver shortage), if it is a big lot it could be at the back and they can't get to it until others in front are taken, the rail guys think it is a great looking truck and keep it around to sit in it while they eat their lunch.
One very small possibility is ask the dealer to call the regional Ford rep and see if their transport department can find out why it is still sitting there and if they know how it can be expedited.
At least the OP can drive down there if it is only 100 miles away and stare at it through the fence.

 

[Toinky]

Ford has zero control over the truck once it boards the train. A dealer can't go pick it up at the drop point. It could sit for several reasons - not enough transport trucks to handle the loads (big driver shortage), if it is a big lot it could be at the back and they can't get to it until others in front are taken, the rail guys think it is a great looking truck and keep it around to sit in it while they eat their lunch.
One very small possibility is ask the dealer to call the regional Ford rep and see if their transport department can find out why it is still sitting there and if they know how it can be expedited.
At least the OP can drive down there if it is only 100 miles away and stare at it through the fence.

I laughed at the "the rail guys think it is a great looking truck and keep it around to sit in it while they eat their lunch."

I must say the thought has entered my head to drive to see it, I read on here about someone doing so, but then I realize that will only heighten my impatience!

 

[Toinky]

I really appreciate your summation of your shipping nightmare. Don't despair. You have light at the end of the tunnel at least. I placed my order in October 2021. I have no hint if my truck will even get built in '23. I share your pain.

I realize I should have included in my original post that I certainly feel like I am one of the lucky ones who knows he'll get a truck. Shared pain club is what we're in. It's something like a dull ache and the smarting pang.

 

[KdeB]

Good post for the information of all of those who are at this “it’s built, now where is it, why can’t I have it stage….”

Agree that it was most exciting to learn our truck was built … and the worst time of all the waiting, not being able to reliably know where it was or when it was going to finally arrive after that.

Our XLT was built 12/01/2022 … Didn’t ship until 1/02/2023 … Didn’t arrive at dealer’s for yet another month — 2/02/2023. (coming cross country to Delaware, where it sat for a while awaiting truck ride two hours north…)

Still, not complaining — Our trucks were built at about the same time, and shipped at about the same time … But ours is now in our garage, and you’re still waiting. Plus you’re in California, so by all that is logical, you should have had it way before we did here in northeast Pennsylvania.

Good luck. Good things come …

 

[Chicolini]

I realize I should have included in my original post that I certainly feel like I am one of the lucky ones who knows he'll get a truck.

As Perry Mason would often say "Objection Your Honor, assumes facts not in evidence".

You don't know you will get a truck until it is in your driveway.

I will stipulate that you may have a reasonable expectation of getting a truck. But there is a universe chock full of meteorites, any one of which could strike your truck. The dealer may sell your order to his girlfriend's daughter. The train could derail. You could have recalled air bags. Someone may shoot down a large weather balloon, bigger than three school buses, that lands squarely on your order!

I was sure one or all of these things would happen to my order. But it didn't. Everything turned out fine.

I have to agree with you that the post-production wait is enough to drive one crazy.

 

[Jatrax]

Ford has zero control over the truck once it boards the train. A dealer can't go pick it up at the drop point. It could sit for several reasons - not enough transport trucks to handle the loads (big driver shortage), if it is a big lot it could be at the back and they can't get to it until others in front are taken,

I'm aware of all that. And to be honest, not complaining. Mine is built and there are people who ordered way before me that don't have theirs yet.

But I disagree Ford has zero control. Well, they have zero control as things are currently organized. They need to change that if they are going to be taking orders for customer vehicles. When all sales were to dealers for sales off the lot, nobody cared how long it was in transit. But people who place orders and then see their order sitting on a rail car for almost 3 months are not going to be happy. They need a new plan. If the free market cannot provide enough car carriers and drivers then maybe Ford needs to get into that business. Or prioritize customer orders over lot sales.

When Tesla was behind getting cars delivered they asked for volunteers off the factory floor to get overtime to drive cars to point of delivery. I think they did that because they were desperate for cash flow, but they did it and made happy customers.

 

[Old Man]

Customer orders for Maverick are already prioritized over lot sales.

If the transport companies can't get enough drivers how will Ford get them? This country can't get enough nurses, teachers, truck drivers, plumbers, and other needed skilled jobs.

 

[emu_missing]

Customer orders for Maverick are already prioritized over lot sales.

If the transport companies can't get enough drivers how will Ford get them? This country can't get enough nurses, teachers, truck drivers, plumbers, and other needed skilled jobs.

I retired as rather versatile electrician last year under pressure from spouse who kept reminding me that we have enough. If not for the Boss, I‘d like to try other jobs like trucking. Modern “HR” makes this artificially difficult, with their stats on what makes a good ( obedient ) worker.

During prior recessions with no construction happening, I was turned down by Safeway, Costco, Starbucks etc. for not having the right ’look’
Regional hiring screener for one of the above told me off the record; She couldn’t even book me for interview, without getting in serious trouble.

Seems that being a widely competent US citizen with no handicaps, four decades experience, excellent health, no arrest record. Makes me too good to hire. Also kept getting openly discriminated-against for being white male the last decade.

Maverick content.. Still waiting for December ‘21 order.

 

[Jatrax]

If the transport companies can't get enough drivers how will Ford get them?

"How" is way above my pay grade. That's what Farley gets the big bucks for. Maybe he should pay more attention to his customers than his race car.

Tesla pulled people off the factory floor for overtime to hand deliver cars when they needed to. Times are not normal, maybe Ford needs to think outside the box.

I believe Mr. Farley has been complaining his company needs to improve by 8 billion dollars to remain competitive. I could give him a few hints on how to do that.

 

[Old Man]

You want Ford to pull hundreds of factory workers off the production line to drive cars from 150 miles south of the US border to Maine and Florida and ...? Who will be left on the factory floor to keep building more trucks? I don't want some unknown person driving my vehicle hundreds of miles.

 

[Old Man]

Tim Bartz just said that one of his personal vehicles sat at the rail drop for 4 months and the dealer owner had one of his sit for 9 months. He said there was nothing the dealership or Ford could do to get them trucked to the dealership. If the dealer can't get expedited delivery for his personal orders then no one can.

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