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US shippers face daunting intermodal peak season US beneficial cargo owners will face unprecedented challenges using intermodal this peak season. Still, there are time-tested tactics that will ensure the best possible transportation result. (Above: A BNSF intermodal freight train travels in Illinois, United States.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. If the first half of 2018 was a […]

US auto/auto parts imports tariff would tip Canada into a recession In March 2018, President Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports after directing US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to investigate the national security impact of steel and aluminum imports into the US. The tariffs […]

CMA CGM to re-start Chittagong feeder service CMA CGM’s service, if added, would complement existing feeder services by other ocean carriers. (Above: A CMA CGM ship in the Pacific Ocean.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. With Bangladesh’s container-based trade continuing to growth at a rapid rate, CMA CGM plans to re-introduce its feeder service to and from […]

Rising European truck rates show no sign of abetting Above-trend GDP growth is boosting the continent’s commerce, and that’s triggered a steady uptrend in trucking rates, amid tighter capacity — a trend shippers should expect through 2018. Rail is benefiting from some spillover transportation work, but the conversion is not nearly large enough to reduce […]

JOC Blockchain Explainer: Demystifying the buzz for shipping industry Many experts argue that blockchain technology is tailor-made for container shipping’s international logistics work. But blockchain faces numerous hurdles – and the biggest of which may be cultural. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Blockchain promises to help transform container shipping, but there’s plenty to resolve as this technology […]

Record US imports forecast for peak season US importers plan to bring in record container volume this peak season, which will translate into an impressive 2018 year-end gain compared to 2017. (Above: the Port of Long Beach.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. US importers plan to bring in record container volume this peak season, bringing year-end growth […]

India's minor ports increase pressure on major, public rivals New provisional port statistics show total freight handled at minor ports during the revenue/accounting year, which ended March 31, increased 9.2 percent year-over-year. (Above: Mundra port.) Photo credit: DP World Subcontinent. India’s non-major or minor ports, which are mostly privately owned and operated, bounced back with […]

UPS order shows CNG-powered rigs still trucking in electric age Electric trucks have been grabbing headlines lately, as startups and established truck makers develop and test battery-powered models, but don’t discount compressed natural gas as an alternative fuel. UPS last month invested $130 million to buy more than 700 new CNG-powered trucks and related technology, […]

Carriers eye higher prices on reefer demand, tighter capacity With supply and demand in more of a balance, sector analysts say shippers should expect higher reefer rates. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. The impact of carrier consolidation continues to reverberate through the shipping industry, with reefer beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) among the most prone to the inevitable […]

Reefer stakeholders see need for better tech, customer service A global head of reefer management for a major ocean carrier predicted that shipping is moving toward a “new era of customer focus” with an emphasis on “creating products that actually add value to customers’ supply chains.” Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Stakeholders throughout the refrigerated shipping industry […]