How CRMS Stored 200+ Tank Cars During a Seasonal Demand Spike
Result 220 cars placed in 8 days. No service interruptions. On-budget.
- 220 tank cars
- Railcar Storage & Handling
- 8 days to full placement
- Energy
The Challenge
When a mid-continent energy operator's pipeline capacity suddenly dropped due to an infrastructure outage, 220 loaded tank cars had nowhere to go. Their primary storage yards were already at capacity, and the cars were approaching Class I railroad demurrage windows — fees that mount by the day and can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
They needed immediate storage placement across multiple locations. They needed it fast. And they needed a partner who already had relationships with the right yards — not someone who would have to start making cold calls.
The CRMS Solution
CRMS activated its storage network immediately. With 400+ storage sites across the country, we had the geographic spread to move cars away from congested corridors and into available yards positioned near the customer's eventual re-entry points.
Our operations team coordinated placement across four locations in three states, managing car routing, Class I railroad communications, and inventory tracking simultaneously. The shipper had a single point of contact throughout — no juggling multiple yard operators, no repeated status calls.
All 220 cars were placed within 8 days. Demurrage exposure was eliminated. When pipeline capacity was restored, CRMS coordinated the orderly release of cars back into service.
The Results
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"We were staring down a demurrage bill and had no good options. CRMS had cars placed across three states before we could have even sourced the yard contacts ourselves."