Monthly Archives for April 2018

Vehicle shippers need plan for myriad of risks For original equipment manufacturers of vehicles, even minor dings and dents multiplied by thousands of units can result in big-dollar losses. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Manufacturers and shippers of autos and other vehicles have some of the most detailed contingency plans in the transportation industry for adjusting to […]

E-commerce drives double-digit warehouse rent hikes in top markets The demand for “last mile/last touch” warehouses at major seaport cities and inland hubs has developers looking to costly in-fill locations close to consumers. (Above: An Amazon fulfillment center in the United States.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Rapid growth in e-commerce is stressing the supply of US […]

Russia says Asia-Russia rail transit time now considerably shorter   Low freight train speed has been a longstanding, major problem in Russia, something that has hindered transport of Asia cargo through Russia and also Kazakhstan. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. China shippers transporting cargo to the European Union (EU) via Russia will be able to have their […]

US Gulf ports analysts see substantial volume growth, absent trade war Houston and other Gulf ports expect to benefit from an increase in exports of synthetic resin pellets from plants that producers are building in Texas and Louisiana. (Above: Cranes at Port Houston.) Photo credit: Port Houston. HOUSTON — US Gulf ports this year are […]

Maersk extends India cold chain network, adds Chennai facility A segment of Maersk Group / APM Terminals’ cold chain network: The Chennai cold chain facility. Photo credit: APM Terminals India. The Maersk Group, via APM Terminals Inland Services, is rapidly extending its cold chain network deeper into India’s hinterlands, as the emerging market economy’s reefer […]

US exports decline — even before China tariff impact China’s ban on certain waste is driving the US export decline, but volume in other commodities also fell. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. US exports fell 5.6 percent in the first two months of the year to 1 million TEU, boding poorly for outbound volume for the rest […]

US truck shippers urged to seek ‘mutually assured’ capacity in contracts Several pricing indices and surveys show US contract truckload rates at the start of the spring peak season moving up in the high single-digit percentage range, for the most part, while spot market transactional truck rates remain about 30 percent above where they were […]

Contracting US truck shippers urged to seek ‘mutually assured’ capacity Several pricing indices and surveys show US contract truckload rates at the start of the spring peak season moving up in the high single-digit percentage range, for the most part, while spot market transactional truck rates remain about 30 percent above where they were a […]

Chittagong port eyes raising fee for stored containers After a container is unloaded from a vessel to the yard, the CPA lets shippers store the container in the yard for free for four days; on the fifth day, storage rent is charged. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. As Chittagong port’s container stockpile continues to exceed capacity and […]

Rotterdam engages supply chain to tackle complex congestion Rotterdam is trying to solve its barge congestion problem. Photo credit: Port of Rotterdam. Container congestion at Europe’s busiest container port remains a complex, systemic problem that cannot be resolved with a few simple measures, according to Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO Allard Castelein. The port authority […]