We are now nearly 18 months since the unofficial start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it looks like we are still a very long way from reattaching all of the links in the long, broken supply chain.
Last week, the queue of container ships waiting to enter the harbors in Los Angeles and Long Beach hit an all-time high of 65 huge vessels. The real killer is that they will have to wait out there, within sight of shore, an average of nearly nine days before they are allowed to off-load their precious cargo.
That means you’ve still got a long wait in store for that missing RV toilet flush pedal, air conditioner fan, or whatever else you need to keep your rig rolling for the rest of 2021 and into 2022.
Transit times have increased by 30 days
Here’s an even more daunting statistic. The average transit time for a container ship between China and the U.S. is now 71 days. Just two years ago, in pre-pandemic 2019, the trip took an average of 40 days.
The California ports hold the distinction of being the busiest ports in America, being the gateway for all of those Asian imports we apparently must have to build or repair an RV.
The crux of the problem is that the ports have a labor shortage. There simply aren’t enough trained workers to unload the ships in a timely manner. Plus, once a ship is unloaded, there usually aren’t enough available trucks and drivers to haul it away. (Hint: It might not be too early to get started on your Christmas shopping if your gifts are coming from Asia.)
How are RV manufacturers faring?
The “Big Three” RV manufacturers (Forest River, THOR Industries and Winnebago) are all still reporting huge backlogs of unfulfilled orders, and RV dealers continue to loudly complain of low lot inventories and parts shortages.
It isn’t much different in the motorsports industry, which is also suffering from low dealer inventories of motorcycles, snowmobiles, and ATVs. As one motorcycle dealer recently commented, “You can build 99 percent of a motorcycle, but if you’re missing the two bolts that keep the handlebars on, you really can’t ship it out.”
We know that there are an awful lot of our readers out there who are waiting less and less patiently to receive either a brand-new rig or just get the replacement parts they need to keep their beloved RV rolling. We also know it can’t be easy for dealers or repair shops, either, as they face unprecedented supply chain challenges.
What’s your experience been?
Let us know in the comments below what your RV purchase experience has been like since the supply chain broke in the spring of 2020.
##RVT1019b
We put a large down payment on a trailer back in June with a start date to be built in July. As of today, September 26th, the trailer is still only in our imagination.
Purchased a 10kw Honda generator in March received in June..the axle for the wheels is out of spec so tires will not go on to transport. still waiting for the replacement axle. dealer says maybe end Sept but don’t count on it..
Our campers window shattered completely while just sitting under the rv carport and with a horse trailer/LQ next to it. So it was well protected. Couldn’t find anyone to replace it. Took it back to where we purchased it from. A couple months wait for a new window. But also, one of the little black compartment covers blew off while driving the camper to get the window fixed. So we left the camper there and traded it for a smaller camper. We had actually never once went camping with it. Bought it Feb 2020 and never camped during the pandemic. Downsized to a real small one with barely any windows. Suits our needs way better anyway.
I think the situation is the same regardless of what you’re trying to purchase. Even the grocery store is consistently out of or low on some items we want. Yesterday we went ‘to town’ and drove past our old neighborhood. We were surprised that so many car lots were less than half full. At the same time, virtually every retailer had a help wanted sign. It’s gonna take a long time to get this back to normal.
Grocery stores: My wife has not been able to get tapioca for a year now at our large supermarket chain. Th manager says that they really not trying to get it anymore because of some shortage. ???? She has to buy it off the internet by the case! How stupid it that?
Have been doing repairs and remodeling on our 10 year old rig turning the ******** Flu crises. No parts/material issues, no plans to travel because of campground crowding. Using US based parts/materials to have a better quality rig than manufacturer provided.
Please explain how you find all US based parts.
Correct. One cannot buy “all USA made” parts. “All parts” just are not made in the USA. I hope the situation we are in brings some manufacturing back to the USA. Our gov’t should not have allowed the exodus. Others are correct, we citizens have brought this upon ourselves in that we want everything CHEAP so we can have things that we cannot actually afford. Take me back to the 1950s when we only bought what we could afford – actually, before credit cards and cheap stuff.
It’s time to bring manufacturing home to the United States, and not depend on other countries for our supplies and Parts.
Exactly!!
I for one am willing to pay a higher price for a domestic part. Paying our fellow Americans a livable wage is a common sense option as well as a patriotic duty.
And where will all the workers come from?
We could cut off the unemployment insurance for starters.
My situation isn’t as bad as many folks, but it’s still frustrating. I ordered Solid Steps at Camping World in August and was told they would be available for shipment the first of September. And, they already charged my credit card. Now I’m out the money too. They would refund my money, but. that brings up the question, do I get a refund and hope it will become available in the Spring, or do I just wait and hope for the best ? I did check other sources and even Lipert the manufacturer told me no one knows when they will be available.
The article is correct that it applies to other industries and domestic parts as well. I had damage to my Ram truck in July and the body panel won’t be available from Dodge until the end of October. The body shop is also telling me that getting German or Japanese parts is worse. People are waiting forever to get their vehicles repaired because of this.
Maybe all these companies that love that cheap Chinese labor should learn, they make junk, and now unreliable. Bring manufacturing back here.
The buying public loves junk. Cheap junk. Walmart doesn’t stay in business selling high-quality goods. Get them off that addiction and maybe manufacturing could be here.
I try not to purchase Chinese junk which is why I don’t buy from Amazon. I haven’t had much trouble getting items.
Yet, Bezos and company are getting richer. Funny comment though
We the consumer are a the reason everything you buy has at least one component from overseas. We are not willing to pay for higher wages. Always looking for the cheaper price.
I respectfully disagree to a point. I came from the corporate environment and it’s the greed for higher profits to pay upper management bonuses that drive the need to make everything cheap, I’ve seen it first hand. Corporations / Big Business have contributed to leading us like sheep to buy into this desire for cheap prices.
Some are missing the point. Things are made elsewhere because people demand lower prices and companies also compete against each other. Now, many items are made in stages in multiple countries (ie chips) so it isn’t always that easy of a solution.
That’s exactly the point. Everyone wants cheap.
The current administration is lacking any intelligence. We have many qualified military personnel that could be activated to not only work the cranes at the ports but also have the ability to drive tractor trailers and deliver those products. If america was truly at the top of their list there are many ways to help solve this crisis . And yes this proves we are hostage to foreign products. They can at will control us and people and politicians should wake up.
Excellent point!
That would be an excellent idea… except for one big problem.. UNIONS. The moment the call went out to have the military help would bring down all the union bosses. They would threaten to strike or actually strike to prevent anyone from “taking” their jobs. In some cases they have exclusive rights to the docks and can prevent others from even stepping foot on them.
I have a 20 year old Southwind without anything fancy and I haven’t needed a thing even though I traveled all summer in it.
Same for my ’08 Winnebago.
The crux of the problem is not labor shortages, that is one of the results as is off shore manufacturing. Come on people wake up. Y’all darn well know that, past and present, our government representatives that have and continue to be voted in ARE THE PROBLEM. Yet they continue to be re-elected, they continue to fail us and we continue to fail our current and future future generations. So the actual crux of the problem is us, the voters. Supposedly we can change it LOL.
The lack of workers here seems to be the problem at our ports. The old guys when the ****** Flu hit retired but the problem is a lack of young workers wanting to take their jobs.The towns I’ve traveled through have help wanted signs in about every other business with no takers even though they start out at $15.00 an hour.
$15.00 per hour is a joke. Think if you have to make a car or house payment and then food if you have kids it’s impossible America needs to pay $30 a hour.
That $15 was good money 40 years ago. Could you make it on $15 a hour today
Oh please I make 12.00 an hour still pay my modest house note and have a paid for van. I am not rich but I can make ends meet. People could not keep a business open paying 30.00 an hour!
Spot on, Pamela.
My question is why aren’t there enough employees to unload? Is unloading the root cause of the problem and why? Good article but thin on reasoning.
Perhaps the “brainless” elected representatives could better themselves by actually representing the people and bring back manufacturing FROM communist china.
Then we’ll need even more workers.
Plenty of illegals pouring in to remedy this labor shortage.
For me not only are parts and products on backorder, order fulfillment on in-stock items and shipping times have doubled. Reminds me of when I was a kid in the 60’s and 70’s and you ordered out of a catalog by mail. We have also experienced businesses that we have ordered from in the past closing their facilities due to the inability to wait for their inventory. COVID fears, labor shortages, untrained workforce in skilled labor areas, higher costs of fuel and raw materials, green energy mandates, antiquated infrastructure, and poor government response have all come together to create a mess that will take a long time to unravel.
Thinking people have been warning of situations like this for decades. US dependence upon offshore production (less delicately known as “slave/cheap labor”), is the reason for this bottleneck. Whether it be a pandemic, economic, social, or other diplomatic conflict, or a “hot war”, relying on manufacturing outside the United States puts the entire USA at risk of coming to a standstill whenever the “wind”, either literally or figuratively, blows in the wrong direction.
I’ve said for decades that there is no constitutional right to cheap imported products, whether it be for RV’s or anything else. If the USA is to survive without potential upheaval/turmoil caused by shortages of what we need, Americans must learn to accept reasonable prices for products made right here in the good ol’ USA.
The “Just In Time” inventory models most companies adopted over the past 20+ years, has greatly contributed to the spike in shortages and long recovery times.
Ordered awning motor in Feb and received it in July, and it cost WAY too much.
Off topic, I’m really tired of people blaming their representatives for overseas manufacturing. They don’t make decisions where a company will build products (thank goodness), those decisions are made by owners and corporations looking for maximum profits. Stop blaming lawmakers for problems big businesses create. Lord knows we have plenty of other things to blame on lawmakers.
/rant.
Stop and think for a moment, Who makes the tax laws that drive many manufacturers to move their plants overseas?
But they are the problem. They make the tax laws which allow the profit shift without paying US taxes. They allow the import of products through tariff laws that undercut on shore products.
Stop blaming lawmakers…are you serious? Who do you think gave us NAFTA?
NAFTA is not your problem, look a little further west toward China.
Thanks to our past leader with his Great trade war which started it all ☺️
The labor shortage has hit the RV manufacturers and dealer service departments too.
It’s a little surprising US companies have not stepped up to build the necessary parts. I was surprised when a new Ford F-350, ordered in February, showed up at the dealer. Even more surprising was the trailer customer installable camera and TPMS kit, all part boxes showed Made In USA.
We need to stop blaming this administration or that administration and start looking at ourselves. WE DID THIS. Our cars, TV’s, and yes, our RV’s might be assembled in the US, but it is out of parts made somewhere else. Why? Because we truly don’t want to pay the price for something 100% made in the US. How many of us can say they don’t shop at Walmart, Sam’s, Costco or Amazon? Our second problem is our workforce. We live in a “what’s in it for me” society and I have been watching it become this way for 30 years. Why would anyone want a job that was physically hard, outside in the weather or inside in a hot, dirty environment, when they can sit in a cushy air conditioned office looking at a computer all day? Think about this…there are countries in Asia that can manufacture all these parts in hot, dirty factories, and get them all loaded, outside in all kinds of weather, onto these ships and get them over here, but we can’t get them unloaded when they get here. Why is that?
I frequent a couple RV boards. Time and time again all I hear is people saying this product is “overpriced” or “you’re paying for a name.” Often it’s about generators, It’s always some conspiracy, it’s never about quality. People simply do not want to pay for quality. I’ve seen this my entire life.
I’d rather pay more for quality parts that work on an RV than the cheap junk they’re using.
Meritime law .signed into affect. the military is in control.
Pogo said it best “We have met the enemy and he is us”. As long as we continue to only look for the cheapest we get what we deserve. As long as our officials make it easier for a company to ship jobs out of the country we get what we deserve. As long as the rules allow a product to be labeled made in America when it contains foreign items in it without disclosing that fact we are the problem.
Pogo was right.
Agree
Third agree!
Fourth agree.
Roger and Me (1989) – Michael Moore. About GM sending car assembly jobs to Mexico in chase of lower wages, and the impact on Flint MI.
Called a lot of places to get an 22.5 8 lug rim for our tiffin class A Junk yard said they don’t have it either. Crack in the rim and weld keeps splitting more . Now what do we do now??
Very interesting 65 huge vessels waiting to get off loaded at California ports waiting as long as nine (9) days. Since the wait is nine (9) days they should set their sites on the East Coast especially The Port of Baltimore where I am one (1) of the forty (40) technicians that maintain the eleven (11) soon to be fifteen (15) super post Panamax ship to shore cranes and twenty two (22) RTG’s that get the trucks in and out by record numbers. Our docks could use those container ships so we can get more vessel orders. Not to mention ALL those items and parts you are waiting for will get the destination A LOT faster since Baltimore is further inland with interstate 95, 695, 70 CSX all within 10 minutes most right next or in the Port. Ports America Chesapeake Bayard Hogans will gladly assist directing shipping line to one of our four (4) Berths. We are no where near the size of West Coast ports but we make that up in time, the vessel turnaround time at the Baltimore Port is counted by hours
What a great idea! All those months roving out in the ocean could be used to get over to another port. Surely you aren’t the first to bring this up? Probably some political reason not to unload effeciently
Totally agree with you there.
Sounds like the California unions have a lot more clout than the East Coast. Too bad Baltimore has become unlivable.
I have a 2008 Foretravel Nimbus
(40′ Diesel Pusher with lifting tag axle) in better than showroom condition. (Fully Upgraded throughout)
Is this the right time to sell to a high end buyer? We both could be very happy campers.
Thank you in advance for your advice,
John
John, you might just “put it out there” (online) with a for sale sign and see what kind of results you get! If good, then put it with a registered dealer (off-line OR online) and sell it!
Just my two cents!
Bought a new rv in May 2021. Awning broke in June. Had to wait until end of July to get appointment at dealer cause they are short handed. Now have to wait for new awning parts till Nov or December or more for parts to arrive.
We are in the same boat. Parts were ordered in early May for our broken awning on our new 2021 trailer that we used once…still waiting!
It’s not just parts. We ordered, and paid for, a new dining room set last December. Still no sign of our furniture. The company has offered a refund but there isn’t a comparable set available any longer at twice the price. If it is in stock or made in the USA the prices have more than doubled in the last year. And when I asked about the possibility of getting a floor model I was told “We don’t sell floor models because our stores would be empty and we wouldn’t have anything to sell.” Update…you don’t have anything to sell now!
Well, there are alternate sources for parts such as Amazon, eTrailer, etc… that gets shipped right to your door via USPS or delivery drivers.
I’ve been waiting since August for the upper ball joint on my rig. First date was 9/17, now it is a maybe on late October or early November. We’ll see. Thank the Lord we have a place to stay but it could be worse!
MY question is, how do these container ships stay upright???
They have 8 or 10 high stacks of containers ‘below decks’, supposedly with the heavier containers down there, to act as ballast. Then the removed deck plates are put back and the above deck stacks put on. The ship in the picture may have 4 or 5 thousand containers on it. The super sized ones may carry 10,000. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj7ixi2lqF4
Wow Silas, thanks for the link. It was fascinating! I almost bought a T-shirt from the video poster’s site that says “Smooth seas do not make a skilled sailor”. 🙂
The original post instruction was, “Let us know in the comments below what your RV purchase experience has been like since the supply chain broke in the spring of 2020.”
For the ****** who got off topic, you ruined it for the rest of us – as usual.
Personally, I haven’t noticed a shortage because I haven’t had to purchase any parts and my rig is old but keeps going. I hope it holds together if this shortage is as broad as suggested. But, we’ll deal with whatever comes down the pike. Just like always.
Maybe, just maybe, if we were manufacturing more in NORTH AMERICA and keeping manufacturing HERE, instead of relying on foreign(ASIAN) content, these problems would not exist ! Could this be the price of greed ?
Can’t prove it, naturally, but some think this slowdown is deliberate to keep the market chaos all stirred up. There’s vids out that show these container truckers sitting in line for hours on end waiting for a load to carry off. Maybe that was just at one dock station? Some good may come of it, in the long run. Some manufacturers have switched from China-bomb tires to Goodyear. A buck or two more added to the end price tag, but worth it for quality of tire and stuff made in the USA.