Ford Is Finally Ready To Ship Thousands Of F-150 Trucks

The microchip shortage has been a problem for many industries, particularly for the automotive industry. Microprocessors are used in all sorts of sensors and other equipment required for the vehicles to operate. That means that some extremely popular and high-volume vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, have been unable to ship to dealers. Ford has now confirmed that it has secured a supply of semiconductor chips.

With the new chip supply secured, Ford is now ready to ship thousands of F-Series pickups that had been previously built and then parked in Michigan, Kentucky, and Missouri. Ford had opted a while back to continue to produce the pickups minus critical components that required the microprocessors.

By continuing to produce the pickups even though they couldn't be sold, Ford kept its factories open and its employees working. The automaker also ensured that it had a ready-to-go supply of trucks that only needed components that can be easily plugged in after construction. A Ford spokesperson has said that the automaker is working on getting the chips into the trucks and getting them out to dealers as its top priority.

While chips have been secured and the pickups built, Ford does warn that it will take a while to get the stock out to dealerships around the country. Currently, the automaker expects supply will start to improve in the second half of the year. Supplies of popular vehicles, such as the F-150, are said to be at record lows, and poor inventory is having a near-term impact on sales.

The chip shortage was caused by high demand and low production due to the coronavirus pandemic impacting manufacturing worldwide. It's unclear at this time where Ford secured its new chip supply or how many trucks it will ship.