Numerous shifts in trade, transportation, and regulations are converging on the transportation industry. Trends in today’s logistics structure means carriers and customers must proactively mold supply chains to ensure highly deliverable results in a continuously dynamic business environment.
One newly arising development shippers will face in 2018 is the creation of the ONE group of Japanese carriers that could further curb booking options. This carrier consolidation limits a marine planning group’s ability to book from three options to one. Concerns of this consolidation also include the ever-important role of the recently formed group to deliver high-performing transportation results.
Another challenge this year could be the developing Gulf resins volume boom impacting the East Coast equipment and vessel space availability for all exporters. Today, demanding exporters jockey for suitable equipment and vessel space. This could evolve into an even greater tight hold on equipment and space as shippers compete with the potential resins volumes from the Gulf.
We are looking forward to new and enhanced technologies, for example, track and trace of container movements, or exception handling of containers being “stuck” in a transshipment port. The talk in the industry is about “blockchain, but the simplest task of track/trace cannot be performed by any of the ocean carriers today.
Delivery reliability data along with exception handling or reporting of containers being delayed and pro-actively informing customers is still a foreign concept to most if not all carriers. Although, some are starting to provide data for refrigerated shipments, an industrywide reporting of container movements and exception reporting is a must have in the future.