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US import scarcity grants trans-Pac carriers pricing control Space is so tight today in the eastbound Pacific, and ocean carriers have been so clever in managing it, that some BCOs are paying higher than spot rates to get their shipments on vessels leaving Asia. However, there is qualifier to that trend shippers should know about. […]

Container lines should fear the low sulfur rule Unless ocean carriers radically change the paradigm on how they go to market, the Jan. 1, 2020 sulfur cap on bunker fuel will represent another cost that carriers fail to pass on to customers. How many other industries operate this way? (Above: Container ships at the Port […]

Are US railroads missing out on intermodal volume? In an era in which considerable, new, intermodal business is there, US railroads argue they need to balance the interests of investors and shippers. Shippers argue there hasn’t been a balance. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. The demand is there for Class I railroads as US shippers are desperate […]

Indian transshipment at foreign hubs jumped last fiscal year Transshipment traffic is the cargo that is transported between an Indian port and an international “hub” port, when direct mainline connections are not available. (Above: Visakhapatnam Port, India.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. An analysis of the latest, provisional Indian transshipment trade data obtained by JOC.com appears to […]

IBM-Maersk blockchain effort builds with nearly 100 users   Maersk and IBM have fleshed out their designs for an industry-wide blockchain solution – an open-source platform called TradeLens. There are a host of other blockchain initiatives in development, but as one stakeholder noted, they joined the Maresk-IBM venture based of Maesk’s history of innovation and […]

Former Amazon exec targets LTL data to speed-up XPO Fresh from Amazon’s transportation shop, Kenny Wagers sees technology and integration within XPO as the keys to accelerating LTL growth. Photo credit: XPO Logistics. Shippers don’t just want capacity from US trucking companies, they want speed. But with tractor-trailers nearly bursting with freight, and truckers driving […]

UP-CSX interchange changes send shippers scrambling   Union Pacific (UP) sent a notice to shippers Friday that UMAX interline service would cease in 197 lanes on Sept. 17, blaming CSX service changes. CSX said the service change was necessary to manage evolving needs, the first step in CEO Jim Foote’s vision to implement precision railroading […]

Strike causes 2,000-container Chittagong backlog An official at Chittagong port (above) said they are giving preference to those export containers left behind, instead of transporting empty containers, so that the left behind containers can reach their destinations as soon as possible. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Prolonged, massive congestion on Chittagong port’s connecting roads, triggered by this […]

Global air cargo slowdown intensifies due trade tension “Trade wars never produce winners. Governments must remember that prosperity comes from boosting their trade, not barricading economies,” the International Air Transport Association said. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. The slowdown in global air freight traffic growth that started earlier in the year continued in June, as the industry […]

Mexico's shipping industry taps tech to mitigate rising cargo theft Cargo owners and transporters are fighting back against theft – and they’re deploying new tools and strategies, in what will have to be a comprehensive effort to adequately address the problem. (Above: A truck travels in Mexico.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. MEXICO CITY — Rising cargo theft […]