Domestic trucking has become somewhat of an issue. Particularly in certain states and for certain routes. Meaning the costs in some cases have been rising and it has been taking longer to secure trucks. There are significantly fewer drivers on the road today than there were in April, and demand for truckers has been steadily increasing. 

As you can imagine, worldwide transportation flow has been majorly affected by COVID-19. Certainly, nothing is like it used to be in many areas of the world. We are seeing cargo delayed and waiting at African ports for vessels to transport it. The containers do not ship directly from Africa to the US, they all transship via Europe, and there is also a shortage of capacity from Europe to the US that is leading to transportation issues.  

COVID-19 in Africa is still quite a big question mark. Testing in many countries is too expensive for the general population and is primarily used by travelers who are required to have a recent test in order to enter another African country or flying out of the country. Online data points for the virus in Africa is therefore far from correct, and it makes it extremely difficult to tell how widely spread it is and what the near future looks like until there is a vaccine.  

With all that being said, our inventory of both Kiln-Dried and Air-Dried imported hardwoods remains solid. Enabling us to meet most just-in-time requirements. In the near term, we do not foresee any changes to that situation, but it’s definitely more difficult when looking 6 months+ ahead. However, we are optimistic that cargo will keep flowing in, we will continue processing, packaging, and shipping lumber to our customers in the US and Canada.

If you need imported hardwoods for your production, reach out and let us know how we can help get you what you need.

Stay safe!

Jesper Bach
Baillie Lumber Co.
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