Ford No Longer giving out Rail Car Numbers?!?!...

[79Bronco]

Howdy all,
I'm a new member here and have been lurking for a while. I received some unsettling news yesterday from a Ford rep over the phone that they have issued a new policy were they will no longer be giving out rail car numbers when you call to receive a status update on your vehicle. The rep was very nice and gave me all the info I asked for such as built date(1/23/23) and shipping date(1/24/23) but when I asked for a rail car number she said that they would no longer give that info out, she did not give me a reason why.

Today I decided to give it another try, again another real nice rep spoke to me. She took all my info such as vin#, order # and name ect... She put me on a brief hold then basically told me all the same info as the day before except this time she told my Sport was being trained by Union Pacific Railroad and had passed thru Nogales, AZ. I then asked her if she could give me the rail car #, she told me she didn't have that info on her screen. I then called UPR and they couldn't help me without a rail car number either, they can not track vehicles by vin#'s which is what I thought anyway.
The Ford number I called was the number I got here on the forums: 1-800-392-3673.

I'm not sure if there is another phone number out there that would give out the rail car number. Like many of you I thought it would be pretty cool to track my Sport but if I can't no biggie. Maybe some of you will have better luck than me.
Cheers

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[69cuda340s]

Can't dealer give rail car number?

 

[79Bronco]

I called dealer yesterday and he told me he couldn't see the rail car number on his end either. He had all the same info I had gotten from that day. He said it was unusual he could not see it because he usually does. He said he had another way to try and find it and would get back to me when he did. He also said he may see it in a few days and would keep me posted.
My dealer is one of the nicest guys I've ever dealt with and has always been honest with me. This is the 3rd vehicle I've ordered, all were very good experiences.
I just shot him another email to see if he found out anything today. As of a few days ago they had 12 Bronco Sports on their lot.

Update: Dealer just returned my email and was able to get a rail car number today!

 

[PaulOinMA]

I called last week for the rail car. Was told that the vehicle is in AZ and the field that should have the rail car number was blank. Posted that I thought it just crossed the border and was being staged in a shipping lot before heading east.

Another member posted the same.

 

[thekingprawn]

I called dealer yesterday and he told me he couldn't see the rail car number on his end either.

Generally I'd say don't believe the dealer, but if it's Ford CS saying it then it might be true. Maybe @fordvideoguy can tell us if the railcar number is still on the VVR or not. It's possible the railroad carriers have asked automakers to stop giving out the numbers so customers will quit stalking their vehicles on their automated systems. Those systems are designed to be used by the shippers and receivers, which we are not.

 

[79Bronco]

I called last week for the rail car. Was told that the vehicle is in AZ and the field that should have the rail car number was blank. Posted that I thought it just crossed the border and was being staged in a shipping lot before heading east.

Another member posted the same.

I called UP yesterday and was also told my vehicles rail car was in AZ. From my conversation I gathered it was a kind of staging are as you mentioned. I was told it may take 2-4 weeks before car reaches my area (Chicagoland).

 

[79Bronco]

Generally I'd say don't believe the dealer, but if it's Ford CS saying it then it might be true. Maybe @fordvideoguy can tell us if the railcar number is still on the VVR or not. It's possible the railroad carriers have asked automakers to stop giving out the numbers so customers will quit stalking their vehicles on their automated systems. Those systems are designed to be used by the shippers and receivers, which we are not.

I agree with you about not generally believing the dealer but so far my guy has been upfront with me and did eventually get me a rail car #. He told me he had a back door way to try and find it when it didn't show up on his screen with the rest of the info about my BS. Now I'm not sure if he got the # from Ford the next day via an update from Ford or his "back door way"(what ever that means- wink wink lol).

 

[IdahoDirtFarmer]

I called UP yesterday and was also told my vehicles rail car was in AZ. From my conversation I gathered it was a kind of staging are as you mentioned. I was told it may take 2-4 weeks before car reaches my area (Chicagoland).

Probably Tucson. Looking at Union Pacific maps it appears that's where they split to go east or west. Mine sat there for 3 days before moving on.

 

[iratebeggar]

Got the email from Ford 12 Jan 2023 that said it "shipped"and was to arrive 18-24 February.

I also called Ford CS and had the same experience (told me it was in Arizona).

Just decided to wait.

I just got a call from the dealership saying it arrived today, so well before the February estimation.

 

[fordvideoguy]

Generally I'd say don't believe the dealer, but if it's Ford CS saying it then it might be true. Maybe @fordvideoguy can tell us if the railcar number is still on the VVR or not. It's possible the railroad carriers have asked automakers to stop giving out the numbers so customers will quit stalking their vehicles on their automated systems. Those systems are designed to be used by the shippers and receivers, which we are not.

You can get the rail car number when looking in VVR, which will continue to be available to use through Q3. VinView is an updated software that allows dealers to track the vehicle better at any given time but I don't think the railcar number is listed. Vinview is more accurate, instead of getting junction check points, you can see exact location for that day.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

You can get the rail car number when looking in VVR, which will continue to be available to use through Q3. VinView is an updated software that allows dealers to track the vehicle better at any given time but I don't think the railcar number is listed. Vinview is more accurate, instead of getting junction check points, you can see exact location for that day.

Tim, thank you for the clarification.

 

[79Bronco]

Yes, Thanks Tim! As I mentioned in a earlier post I was finally able to get the rail car # from my dealer a day or 2 later.

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