Category Archives for Industry News

Why container freight invoicing automation hasn’t taken off Overall, recent research by Drewry Supply Chain Advisors found that the liner shipping industry is exposed to $34.4 billion in invoice and payment processing inefficiencies, based on 1.26 billion invoices issued in 2017. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Shippers and container lines are part of a multi-billion dollar freight […]

Global container lines adjust to slower volume growth Underpinning the sailing cancellations is the need for carriers to improve profitability that was sorely lacking in the first half. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com The escalating idling of container ship capacity and deceleration of global volume, coupled with the threat of US consumer-hitting tariffs, is spelling more trouble […]

E-commerce pushes FedEx Ground to year-round six-day delivery New facilities and advanced technology paved the way for six-day operations, FedEx executive vice president Rajesh Subramaniam said Wednesday. (Above: A FedEx truck in New York City, United States.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. FedEx Ground is switching to a six-day-a-week delivery schedule year-round, as the demands of e-commerce […]

Analysis: US refrigerated shippers turn to trailer rail transport Trailer-on-flat-car revenue moves were up over 16 percent year to date through August based on Intermodal Association of North America equipment, type, size, and ownership data. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. One of US intermodal’s big surprises this year has been the strong growth in trailers, but what […]

Higher US truck spot rates blow in ahead of hurricane   The national average dry van rate jumped 6 cents to $2.20 per mile, while the average refrigerated truck rate rose 8 cents to $2.57 per mile, DAT Solutions said Tuesday. (Above: Trucks travel in Miami, Florida, United States.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Hurricane Florence is […]

Transshipment at India’s ports surges after cabotage reform Above: DP World’s Vallarpadam Terminal at Cochin Port. Photo credit: DP World Subcontinent. The effectiveness of India’s liberalized cabotage program remains an open question among trade stakeholders, but the latest data signal brightening transshipment trade prospects for domestic ports, as shippers adapt to changing market dynamics and […]

New projects promise faster, cheaper India-Bangladesh rail The two projects will improve rail transport across Bangladesh, a more-direct route, with time and expense savings likely for shippers. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. The prime ministers of Bangladesh and India Monday, via a video conference, marked the start of the construction on two rail projects, increasing hope that […]

Tech offers salve to Mexican truck capacity and security pain The two devices are part of the slow but growing embrace of technology in Mexico, where security concerns and cargo theft have pushed the adoption of tracking and monitoring technology. (Above: The port of Manzanillo.)  Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. As Mexican trucking capacity tightens thanks to […]

Hurricane Florence promises US cargo delays, higher truck rates Whether shippers moving goods through the US Southeast and Mid-Atlantic see delays and elevated truck rates for days or for weeks largely hinges on exactly where Hurricane Florence makes landfall and with how big of a wallop. (Above: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States.) Photo credit: […]

Off-road thinking The tightening North American truck market — albeit far tighter in the United States than in Mexico and Canada, largely because of the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate — is giving extra oomph to freight projects offering shippers options other than the highway. They won’t solve all the trucking woes, but with Mexico implementing… Off-road thinking […]