Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) President and CEO Daren Coppock released the following statement regarding the Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) final rule on demurrage charges:
“ARA has worked on this issue for quite some time, and we are pleased that the STB has finally released the final rule and that it is sensible and practical.
“Assuring that rail service is dependable and provides consistent delivery to agricultural retail operations plays a critical role in an efficient and complex distribution system due to the large volume of product, the distance it must travel to get to a location, and the restricted seasonal time frame this must occur.
“We are pleased that STB took our testimony and comments seriously and are hopeful they will continue to move other issues in the right direction for ag retailers to continue to serve their customers.”
