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In Amazon era, shipper supply chains take higher priority   “One of the neat things Amazon really did was take the idea of transportation as a cost center and flip it upside down,”  Jett McCandless, CEO of project44, said. (Above: An Amazon fulfillment center in Washington state, United States.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. CHICAGO — For […]

In Amazon era, shipper supply chains are opportunities, not costs   “One of the neat things Amazon really did was take the idea of transportation as a cost center and flip it upside down,”  Jett McCandless, CEO of project44, said. (Above: An Amazon fulfillment center in Washington state, United States.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. CHICAGO — […]

US logistics managers scramble to cut trucking costs Logistics managers are likely to get some relief in 2019: The meteoric rise of spot market and contract truck rates in 2018 is expected to slow, though rates won’t actually drop. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Following a year when US surface transportation budgets were not just blown, but […]

New Orleans bullish on pending port projects Above: Project cargo is transferred from vessel to barge at the Port of New Orleans’ France Road terminal. Photo credit: Port of New Orleans. Approval to deepen the 258-mile Mississippi River ship channel to Panama Canal depth, a push to better integrate the port’s public belt rail and […]

US importers warn Jan. 1 tariffs will crunch supply chains Already chaotic and upended, the Trump administration’s proposed Jan. 1 25 percent tariff on imports from China is causing importers to scramble for ocean, truck, and rail capacity – with the next ramification being the warehouse variable: will there be any space after the front-loading? […]

US 25 percent China imports tariff scrambles supply chains, strains warehouses Already chaotic and upended, the Trump administration’s proposed Jan. 1 25 percent tariff on imports from China is causing importers to scramble for ocean, truck, and rail capacity – with the next ramification being the warehouse variable: will there be any space after the […]

China-Europe rail on track for long-term despite headwinds The China-Europe rail services have been growing rapidly, particularly during the last two years, as shippers seek a price/time middle ground to that offered by costly-in-comparison and faster air cargo services to cheaper but slower ocean routing. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. HAMBURG —In spite of bottlenecks lengthening transits, […]

Shippers in worst-case-scenario mode before pivotal Brexit talks Brexit negotiations between Brussels and London have reached a decisive stage with significant progress required in the coming weeks to ensure a deal is struck ahead of the UK’s departure on March 29, 2019. (Above: Dover port, United Kingdom.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. The fate of a sizeable […]

UP's precision railroading effort raises shipper concern   Precision railroading’s supporters argue that by running longer trains and eliminating waste, shippers will receive a higher level of service. Critics argue it prioritizes shareholders over service. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Union Pacific Railroad will begin a two-year process to implement precision railroading to address poor service to shippers […]

India private ports besting public in transshipment volume   “Major ports along the east coast of India must have a combined strategic initiative to promote transshipment at their facilities,” McKinsey & Co. stated. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. India’s cabotage reform law — which opened coastal, container transportation to foreign-flag ocean carriers — was a step essentially intended to discourage transshipment […]