Thread by @washingtonpost

Ships wait off the California coast, unable to unload their cargo.

Truckers are overworked and overwhelmed, often confronting logjams.

Rail yards have also been clogged, with trains at one point backed up 25 miles outside a key Chicago facility. wapo.st/3FqpPSE

The commercial pipeline that each year brings $1 trillion worth of toys, clothing, electronics and furniture from Asia to the U.S. is clogged and no one knows how to unclog it.

As Americans fume, supply headaches are expected to last through 2022. wapo.st/3FqpPSE

Today’s twisted supply chain is forcing companies to place precautionary orders to avoid running out of goods.

Consumers are confronting higher prices and shortages of cars, children’s shoes and exercise gear as the holiday shopping season looms. wapo.st/3FqpPSE

Fallout from the pandemic is the chief culprit behind soaring freight bills and delivery delays.

Americans trapped at home slashed spending at restaurants, movie theaters and sporting events and splurged on other goods, triggering an import avalanche. wapo.st/3FqpPSE

But the pandemic also exposed weaknesses in the nation’s transport plumbing: investment shortfalls at key ports, controversial railroad industry labor cuts, and a chronic failure by key players to collaborate, according to dozens in the industry. wapo.st/3FqpPSE

“From an economic point of view, it’s a disaster because cargo is waiting,” said Markus Grote, captain of a container ship.

When the supply chain works, goods flow continuously, as if borne along by a river.

Today, one bottleneck follows another. wapo.st/3FqpPSE