<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The port-terminal authorities at Chennai, India&amp;rsquo;s second-largest container gateway, temporarily suspended export cargo movements and scaled back vessel handling as congestion at its two marine t</div>

The port-terminal authorities at Chennai, India&rsquo;s second-largest container gateway, temporarily suspended export cargo movements and scaled back vessel handling as congestion at its two marine t

<div>The port-terminal authorities at Chennai, India&amp;rsquo;s second-largest container gateway, temporarily suspended export cargo movements and scaled back vessel handling as congestion at its two marine terminals reached a critical level.&amp;ldquo;In order to ease the current situation a bit, eventually with no other options, there will be a complete stoppage of exports from Oct. 13 through Oct. 16,&amp;rdquo; a representative of the Chennai Steamer Agents&amp;rsquo; Association said.The decision came at a recent meeting with stakeholders to identify measures to tackle the <a>worsening port situation</a> that spurred <a>surcharge announcements</a> by ocean carriers and cargo diversion by shippers. A leading shipping line agent...

The port-terminal authorities at Chennai, India&rsquo;s second-largest container gateway, temporarily suspended export cargo movements and scaled back vessel handling as congestion at its two marine terminals reached a critical level. &ldquo;In order to ease the current situation a bit, eventually with no other options, there will be a complete stoppage of exports from Oct. 13 through Oct. 16,&rdquo; a representative of the Chennai Steamer Agents&rsquo; Association said. The decision came at a recent meeting with stakeholders to identify measures to tackle the worsening port situation that spurred surcharge announcements by ocean carriers and cargo diversion by shippers. A leading shipping line agent at Chennai said the closure and restrictions could lead to serious berthing delays and schedule disruptions for vessels calling at the southeastern hub. According to a port update as of Thursday morning, the terminal yard inventory totaled 18,500 20-foot equivalent units with imports accounting for about 13,500 TEUs. Under pressure from trade associations, Shipping Minister G.K. Vasan intervened last week and directed the authority to address port clogging problems through more coordinated efforts.

Forwarding

Port News

Congested Indian Port Suspends Export Operations

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">US tariffs are forcing shippers in Mexico to rethink global sourcing and logistics strategies as complying with the USMCA becomes more complex. </div>

US tariffs are forcing shippers in Mexico to rethink global sourcing and logistics strategies as complying with the USMCA becomes more complex.

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<div class="phx-topic">For logistics manager Yuri Garcia, the confusion surrounding US trade disputes with Mexico, China and the rest of the globe increasingly resembles the chaotic early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Every day back then, we were turning on our TVs in the morning to see where we were going, what are they saying now, right?” Garcia said during a panel discussion at the Redwood Mexico Cross-Border Logistics Council in Monterrey last week. Today, she’s tuning into the news each morning to find out which nations and what goods are being hit with US tariffs, how high duties are going to go, and what may come next. “Are the tariffs on China going to be 125% or 145%?” Garcia said. The total tariffs imposed on China reached 145% as of April 10, the date she spoke at the conference. “You know tomorrow it’s going to be something else, so you’ve got to be prepared.” Being prepared for the unknown in terms of tariffs and trade was the crux of many discussions at the logistics conference in Monterrey, where Garcia works for Japan-based Nidec Motor Corp. Nidec produces industrial motors and generators, moving about 800 shipments a month across the US-Mexico border in both directions. Nidec also imports goods to Mexico from Europe and Asia, including China. So, knowing precisely what products and nations are being affected or targeted by tariffs is critical to planning and preparation for shippers with suppliers and customers in several international markets, not just the US and Mexico. Goods produced in Mexico typically contain components from several countries. Measuring the exact percentage of inputs from each international source is key to knowing whether a shipment will enter the US duty-free or be hit with a 25% import tax. “Right now, we have a lot of suppliers in Asia, so we have to have some other sources,” said Garcia. Nidec isn’t looking to drop any suppliers, she said, but the company needs to add some alternative vendors in the US and in Mexico to its portfolio. <h3>Diversifying sourcing </h3>The same issue is hitting manufacturers in Mexico across industrial sectors, speakers and sources at the Redwood Mexico event told the Journal of Commerce. “We’ve done a little more exploring to give ourselves more options,” said Bill Fogt, senior vice president at Dometic, a maker of outdoor products, including Igloo coolers. Based in Sweden, Dometic has 23 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries, with two factories in Mexico. Expecting change in the “supply chain climate” to accelerate, Dometic is leaning into its existing supplier relationships. “We want to be very close to our suppliers, whether in logistics or raw materials,” Fogt said. Maintaining close communications with suppliers, partners and customers is key to making sure US imports are <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/tariff-uncertainty-pushing-up-transportation-costs-at-us-mexico-border-5984698">compliant with the rules of origin</a> in the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to avoid the Trump administration’s 25% tariff. “You need to keep your paper trail carefully, and make sure you’re adjusting for any changes” in components and global supply, said trade attorney Luis Martinez, a partner at Abogados Martinez Serna S.C. and a board member of the US Mexico Bar Association. Martinez urged shippers to audit the procedures they use to verify USMCA compliance. “A lot of companies do it yearly, but I know companies that do reviews every month,” he said. Daikin, a maker of air conditioners and refrigeration equipment, is in the midst of planning for potentially abrupt transportation and sourcing changes caused by tariffs, said Joe McAbee, the company’s vice president of domestic and international transportation. “We have manufacturing around the world, and so we can, to some degree, shift our production, although not quickly,” McAbee said in Monterrey. But he advises caution. “Every day is a new dynamic,” he said. “Every time a new tariff drops, your strategy changes. I think it’s important to let this play out and see where it’s going to go, because at some point it has to level out. We can't live in this continual chaos forever.” Contact William B. Cassidy at <a href="mailto:bill.cassidy@spglobal.com">bill.cassidy@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

For logistics manager Yuri Garcia, the confusion surrounding US trade disputes with Mexico, China and the rest of the globe increasingly resembles the chaotic early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Every day back then, we were turning on our TVs in the morning to see where we were going, what are they saying now, right?” Garcia said during a panel discussion at the Redwood Mexico Cross-Border Logistics Council in Monterrey last week. Today, she’s tuning into the news each morning to find out which nations and what goods are being hit with US tariffs, how high duties are going to go, and what may come next. “Are the tariffs on China going to be 125% or 145%?” Garcia said. The total tariffs imposed on China reached 145% as of April 10, the date she spoke at the conference. “You know tomorrow it’s going to be something else, so you’ve got to be prepared.” Being prepared for the unknown in terms of tariffs and trade was the crux of many discussions at the logistics conference in Monterrey, where Garcia works for Japan-based Nidec Motor Corp. Nidec produces industrial motors and generators, moving about 800 shipments a month across the US-Mexico border in both directions. Nidec also imports goods to Mexico from Europe and Asia, including China. So, knowing precisely what products and nations are being affected or targeted by tariffs is critical to planning and preparation for shippers with suppliers and customers in several international markets, not just the US and Mexico. Goods produced in Mexico typically contain components from several countries. Measuring the exact percentage of inputs from each international source is key to knowing whether a shipment will enter the US duty-free or be hit with a 25% import tax. “Right now, we have a lot of suppliers in Asia, so we have to have some other sources,” said Garcia. Nidec isn’t looking to drop any suppliers, she said, but the company needs to add some alternative vendors in the US and in Mexico to its portfolio. Diversifying sourcing The same issue is hitting manufacturers in Mexico across industrial sectors, speakers and sources at the Redwood Mexico event told the Journal of Commerce. “We’ve done a little more exploring to give ourselves more options,” said Bill Fogt, senior vice president at Dometic, a maker of outdoor products, including Igloo coolers. Based in Sweden, Dometic has 23 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries, with two factories in Mexico. Expecting change in the “supply chain climate” to accelerate, Dometic is leaning into its existing supplier relationships. “We want to be very close to our suppliers, whether in logistics or raw materials,” Fogt said. Maintaining close communications with suppliers, partners and customers is key to making sure US imports are compliant with the rules of origin in the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to avoid the Trump administration’s 25% tariff. “You need to keep your paper trail carefully, and make sure you’re adjusting for any changes” in components and global supply, said trade attorney Luis Martinez, a partner at Abogados Martinez Serna S.C. and a board member of the US Mexico Bar Association. Martinez urged shippers to audit the procedures they use to verify USMCA compliance. “A lot of companies do it yearly, but I know companies that do reviews every month,” he said. Daikin, a maker of air conditioners and refrigeration equipment, is in the midst of planning for potentially abrupt transportation and sourcing changes caused by tariffs, said Joe McAbee, the company’s vice president of domestic and international transportation. “We have manufacturing around the world, and so we can, to some degree, shift our production, although not quickly,” McAbee said in Monterrey. But he advises caution. “Every day is a new dynamic,” he said. “Every time a new tariff drops, your strategy changes. I think it’s important to let this play out and see where it’s going to go, because at some point it has to level out. We can't live in this continual chaos forever.” Contact William B. Cassidy at bill.cassidy@spglobal.com .

Supply chain

Trucking News

Rail News

Surface

In Mexico, global shippers seek new logistics options amid shifting US tariffs

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Virginia continues to add infrastructure to its marine terminals as part of the port’s plan to handle mega-max vessels once dredging is finished late in 2025. </div>

Virginia continues to add infrastructure to its marine terminals as part of the port’s plan to handle mega-max vessels once dredging is finished late in 2025.

<div class="phx-topic">The Port of Virginia has boosted crane capacity at one of its main marine terminals as the port prepares to handle more ultra-large container ships. The new cranes are one of several capital projects timed to ongoing dredging at the port that will allow it to handle more large ships. The Virginia Port Authority (VPA) said Tuesday that four new, super post-Panamax cranes have come into service at the Virginia International Gateway (VIG). With a maximum outreach width of 26 containers, the cranes can handle ultra-large container vessels up to 21,000 TEUs. VIG will be capable of working three ultra-large vessels at once, the port said in a statement. Across both VIG and the port’s larger Norfolk International Terminal (NIT), Virginia will have 26 cranes for ultra-large container ships. The new cranes are now in place, while the Port of Virginia expects to complete a nearly five-year dredging project that will bring Norfolk Harbor and its main shipping channels to a 55-foot depth for ultra-large ships. Portions of the shipping channel have already been widened to 1,400 feet to allow bidirectional navigation of large container ships. “When the dredge work is complete, multiple ultra-large container vessels, loaded to their absolute limits, will be able to call the port of Virginia without restrictions at the berth, on water depth or for vessel traffic,” VPA Chief Executive Stephen Edwards said in the statement. March was one of VIG’s strongest months for big ship calls, according to vessel tracking data from Sea-web, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. VIG handled 20 ships above 10,000 TEUs, the most in 12 months, totaling almost 283,000 TEUs in container capacity. The NIT saw 18 big-ship calls in March, totaling just over 234,000 TEUs, Sea-web data shows. It, too, is undergoing upgrades that will allow it to handle more big ships. The VPA plans to install four new cranes at the NIT in the coming months that will allow it to simultaneously handle three ultra-large container ships. Along with the larger ship-to-shore cranes, the port took delivery of the first batch of 36 rail-mounted gantry cranes for stacking and moving containers for a northern extension of the NIT, with the second batch set for June delivery. The NIT’s northern extension will bring its total lift capacity to 3.6 million TEUs per year by 2027, up from 2.2 million TEUs currently. Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The Port of Virginia has boosted crane capacity at one of its main marine terminals as the port prepares to handle more ultra-large container ships. The new cranes are one of several capital projects timed to ongoing dredging at the port that will allow it to handle more large ships. The Virginia Port Authority (VPA) said Tuesday that four new, super post-Panamax cranes have come into service at the Virginia International Gateway (VIG). With a maximum outreach width of 26 containers, the cranes can handle ultra-large container vessels up to 21,000 TEUs. VIG will be capable of working three ultra-large vessels at once, the port said in a statement. Across both VIG and the port’s larger Norfolk International Terminal (NIT), Virginia will have 26 cranes for ultra-large container ships. The new cranes are now in place, while the Port of Virginia expects to complete a nearly five-year dredging project that will bring Norfolk Harbor and its main shipping channels to a 55-foot depth for ultra-large ships. Portions of the shipping channel have already been widened to 1,400 feet to allow bidirectional navigation of large container ships. “When the dredge work is complete, multiple ultra-large container vessels, loaded to their absolute limits, will be able to call the port of Virginia without restrictions at the berth, on water depth or for vessel traffic,” VPA Chief Executive Stephen Edwards said in the statement. March was one of VIG’s strongest months for big ship calls, according to vessel tracking data from Sea-web, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. VIG handled 20 ships above 10,000 TEUs, the most in 12 months, totaling almost 283,000 TEUs in container capacity. The NIT saw 18 big-ship calls in March, totaling just over 234,000 TEUs, Sea-web data shows. It, too, is undergoing upgrades that will allow it to handle more big ships. The VPA plans to install four new cranes at the NIT in the coming months that will allow it to simultaneously handle three ultra-large container ships. Along with the larger ship-to-shore cranes, the port took delivery of the first batch of 36 rail-mounted gantry cranes for stacking and moving containers for a northern extension of the NIT, with the second batch set for June delivery. The NIT’s northern extension will bring its total lift capacity to 3.6 million TEUs per year by 2027, up from 2.2 million TEUs currently. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

Container lines

Marine terminals

North American ports

Port of Virginia readies more cranes for ultra-large container ships

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Sources at some of the big liners say there’s been a noticeable decline in their traditional India-Mediterranean volumes due to the new competition taking advantage of Red Sea-linked shipping dislocations that have created a “new normal” operating environment. </div>

Sources at some of the big liners say there’s been a noticeable decline in their traditional India-Mediterranean volumes due to the new competition taking advantage of Red Sea-linked shipping dislocations that have created a “new normal” operating environment.

<div class="phx-topic">Mainline operators predominant on the India-Mediterranean trade lane are being challenged for market share by a new crop of regional or secondary carriers differentiating themselves with direct Suez Canal sailings and lower rate asks. Leading that charge are Turkon Line and Arkas Line, two Turkish carriers that recently began a vessel-sharing agreement (VSA) between West India and the Red Sea region with relay options for other larger sourcing markets, including North Europe and North America. The joint loop has had a stronger-than-expected start, with its recent sailings reporting 90%-plus capacity utilization, industry sources say. The vessels have an average combined space allocation of 2,200 TEUs per call out of the Indian ports of Nhava Sheva and Mundra, port data shows. Local sources at some of the mega lines who spoke with the Journal of Commerce agreed that there has been a noticeable decline in their traditional India-Mediterranean volumes due to the new competition amid Red Sea-linked shipping dislocations that have created a “new normal” operating environment. “Our pre-and post-Red Sea trade assessment [between the latter parts of 2023 and 2024] indicates a 33% dip in the overall export market hold for the lead carriers,” a regional executive at a European liner who didn’t want to be identified told the Journal of Commerce. “The entry of more opportunistic Red Sea-centric operators and [non-vessel-operating common carriers] has refueled this shift into 2025.” <h3>Rate variance near $500 per container </h3>Forwarder sources in Mumbai have reported an average variance of up to $500 per container between spot rates quoted by mega carriers and those offered by newcomers for Indian loads to the Mediterranean, dependent on the ports of discharge. For Nhava Sheva-Alexandria (Egypt) bookings, Turkon/Arkas rates are in the range of $1,400 per TEU and $1,800 per FEU, compared with $2,083 and $2,341 for CMA CGM sailings through April, sources say. “So-called Red Sea players trying to exploit a disruption have used aggressive pricing and other commercial strategies to take business away from established liners continuing to reroute vessels around the southern Africa axis,” an industry observer said. Most carriers since late 2023 have diverted their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea launched by Houthi militants operating from Yemen. The source also noted that major carriers are now generally selective about the freight they haul, concentrating on lightweight commodities instead of heavy loads that are more regular in 20-foot container bookings. Anecdotal industry data puts Indian containerized exports to the Mediterranean at between 600,000 and 700,000 TEUs annually, with the India-Turkey trade accounting for about 100,000 of those TEUs. By normal pattern, Mediterranean Shipping Co. has held a 20% share of that market, followed by Maersk at 18%, CMA CGM at 12% and Hapag-Lloyd at 11%, recent estimates reveal. Contact Bency Mathew at <a href="mailto:bencyvmathew@gmail.com">bencyvmathew@gmail.com</a>.</div>

Mainline operators predominant on the India-Mediterranean trade lane are being challenged for market share by a new crop of regional or secondary carriers differentiating themselves with direct Suez Canal sailings and lower rate asks. Leading that charge are Turkon Line and Arkas Line, two Turkish carriers that recently began a vessel-sharing agreement (VSA) between West India and the Red Sea region with relay options for other larger sourcing markets, including North Europe and North America. The joint loop has had a stronger-than-expected start, with its recent sailings reporting 90%-plus capacity utilization, industry sources say. The vessels have an average combined space allocation of 2,200 TEUs per call out of the Indian ports of Nhava Sheva and Mundra, port data shows. Local sources at some of the mega lines who spoke with the Journal of Commerce agreed that there has been a noticeable decline in their traditional India-Mediterranean volumes due to the new competition amid Red Sea-linked shipping dislocations that have created a “new normal” operating environment. “Our pre-and post-Red Sea trade assessment [between the latter parts of 2023 and 2024] indicates a 33% dip in the overall export market hold for the lead carriers,” a regional executive at a European liner who didn’t want to be identified told the Journal of Commerce. “The entry of more opportunistic Red Sea-centric operators and [non-vessel-operating common carriers] has refueled this shift into 2025.” Rate variance near $500 per container Forwarder sources in Mumbai have reported an average variance of up to $500 per container between spot rates quoted by mega carriers and those offered by newcomers for Indian loads to the Mediterranean, dependent on the ports of discharge. For Nhava Sheva-Alexandria (Egypt) bookings, Turkon/Arkas rates are in the range of $1,400 per TEU and $1,800 per FEU, compared with $2,083 and $2,341 for CMA CGM sailings through April, sources say. “So-called Red Sea players trying to exploit a disruption have used aggressive pricing and other commercial strategies to take business away from established liners continuing to reroute vessels around the southern Africa axis,” an industry observer said. Most carriers since late 2023 have diverted their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea launched by Houthi militants operating from Yemen. The source also noted that major carriers are now generally selective about the freight they haul, concentrating on lightweight commodities instead of heavy loads that are more regular in 20-foot container bookings. Anecdotal industry data puts Indian containerized exports to the Mediterranean at between 600,000 and 700,000 TEUs annually, with the India-Turkey trade accounting for about 100,000 of those TEUs. By normal pattern, Mediterranean Shipping Co. has held a 20% share of that market, followed by Maersk at 18%, CMA CGM at 12% and Hapag-Lloyd at 11%, recent estimates reveal. Contact Bency Mathew at bencyvmathew@gmail.com .

Container Shipping News

International ports

Maritime

Mega carriers ceding market share to new entrants on India-Med trade

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">With the integration now set to begin, DSV has announced a round of executive appointments with candidates promoted from within both DSV and DB Schenker. </div>

With the integration now set to begin, DSV has announced a round of executive appointments with candidates promoted from within both DSV and DB Schenker.

<div class="phx-topic">The last two jurisdictional hurdles in the regulatory path to DSV’s $16 billion acquisition of DB Schenker have now been cleared, with the takeover process to be completed on April 30. Approval from the European Commission and the expiration of the applicable waiting period in the US mean the transaction and the integration process can now go ahead, DSV told investors in a statement Tuesday. “As of today, all closing conditions for DSV’s pending acquisition of ... DB Schenker ... have been fulfilled,” the Denmark-based forwarder said. A total of 36 regulatory bodies across the world were required to give the green light before the lengthy integration process could begin. With the integration set to begin, DSV announced a round of appointments Tuesday with executives being promoted from both DSV and DB Schenker. Vishal Sharma, currently CEO of Schenker’s Asia-Pacific region, will become the new DSV group CCO; Helmut Schweighofer, CEO of Schenker’s Region Europe, will become the new CEO of the road division; and Saskia Blochberger, chief people officer for Schenker in Europe, will become DSV group people officer. DB Schenker CEO Jochen Thewes will be nominated for election to the DSV board at an extraordinary general meeting following the completion of the acquisition. “We want to create clarity and move ahead with the integration as soon as the acquisition is closed,” Jens Lund, DSV group CEO, said in a separate statement. “This has led to the appointment of very experienced executive leaders from both DSV and Schenker.” <h3>Full integration could take two years </h3>DB Schenker is DSV’s largest acquisition, having previously taken over Agility’s Global Integrated Logistics (GIL) in 2021 for $4.2 billion, Panalpina in 2019 for $4.6 billion and UTi in 2015 for $1.35 billion. The scale of the acquisition means it could take up to two years before DB Schenker’s business is fully integrated to create the world’s largest forwarder, DSV CEO Jens Lund said during an earnings call in February. However, the global forwarding market is so fragmented that the combined DSV-DB Schenker operation will still only have a market share of 6% to 7%. The top 20 forwarders have an estimated global market share of 30% to 40% combined, with the rest of the market consisting of multiple regional and local players. While DSV and DB Schenker prepare to finalize the transaction, other forwarders are already circling and picking off customers. During Kuehne + Nagel’s capital markets day in late March, CEO Stefan Paul said the Switzerland-based forwarder had already <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/kuehne-nagel-says-gaining-market-share-key-to-driving-earnings-growth-5969587">captured several air cargo customers from its North Europe</a> rivals in the fourth quarter. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The last two jurisdictional hurdles in the regulatory path to DSV’s $16 billion acquisition of DB Schenker have now been cleared, with the takeover process to be completed on April 30. Approval from the European Commission and the expiration of the applicable waiting period in the US mean the transaction and the integration process can now go ahead, DSV told investors in a statement Tuesday. “As of today, all closing conditions for DSV’s pending acquisition of ... DB Schenker ... have been fulfilled,” the Denmark-based forwarder said. A total of 36 regulatory bodies across the world were required to give the green light before the lengthy integration process could begin. With the integration set to begin, DSV announced a round of appointments Tuesday with executives being promoted from both DSV and DB Schenker. Vishal Sharma, currently CEO of Schenker’s Asia-Pacific region, will become the new DSV group CCO; Helmut Schweighofer, CEO of Schenker’s Region Europe, will become the new CEO of the road division; and Saskia Blochberger, chief people officer for Schenker in Europe, will become DSV group people officer. DB Schenker CEO Jochen Thewes will be nominated for election to the DSV board at an extraordinary general meeting following the completion of the acquisition. “We want to create clarity and move ahead with the integration as soon as the acquisition is closed,” Jens Lund, DSV group CEO, said in a separate statement. “This has led to the appointment of very experienced executive leaders from both DSV and Schenker.” Full integration could take two years DB Schenker is DSV’s largest acquisition, having previously taken over Agility’s Global Integrated Logistics (GIL) in 2021 for $4.2 billion, Panalpina in 2019 for $4.6 billion and UTi in 2015 for $1.35 billion. The scale of the acquisition means it could take up to two years before DB Schenker’s business is fully integrated to create the world’s largest forwarder, DSV CEO Jens Lund said during an earnings call in February. However, the global forwarding market is so fragmented that the combined DSV-DB Schenker operation will still only have a market share of 6% to 7%. The top 20 forwarders have an estimated global market share of 30% to 40% combined, with the rest of the market consisting of multiple regional and local players. While DSV and DB Schenker prepare to finalize the transaction, other forwarders are already circling and picking off customers. During Kuehne + Nagel’s capital markets day in late March, CEO Stefan Paul said the Switzerland-based forwarder had already captured several air cargo customers from its North Europe rivals in the fourth quarter. Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Air Cargo Forwarder News

Transport, Trade and Regulation News

Last regulatory hurdles cleared for DSV takeover of DB Schenker

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">US importers and their Mexican logistics and customs partners are experiencing longer wait times when northbound shipments arrive at border towns, and that’s inevitably raising transportation costs and leading to supply chain disruptions.</div>

US importers and their Mexican logistics and customs partners are experiencing longer wait times when northbound shipments arrive at border towns, and that’s inevitably raising transportation costs and leading to supply chain disruptions.

<div class="phx-topic">Monterrey, Mexico — On the US-Mexico border, it’s not just the actual tariff amount that’s making trouble for shippers, but also the delays and increased paperwork associated with those levies, logistics managers said at the Redwood Logistics Cross-Border Logistics Council here. US importers and their Mexican logistics and customs partners are experiencing longer wait times when northbound shipments arrive at border towns such as Nuevo Laredo, the gateway to Laredo, Texas, the largest US land border crossing point. That’s inevitably pushing up transportation costs and leading to supply chain disruptions — whether goods are subject to tariffs or not, shippers and speakers at the event said. How high costs go depends on many factors, but the increases come with a bite. “We’re seeing Mexican soldiers opening trucks, breaking seals, as they search for fentanyl,” Alonso Gonzalez, vice president at GONTOR Logistics, a US and Mexican customs broker in Laredo, said at the conference last week. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum deployed her country’s National Guard to the border in February <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/02/06/nx-s1-5288667/mexico-us-border-tariff-national-guard">to crack down on drug smuggling</a>. That has added another layer of delay and uncertainty for shippers in a suddenly more complex cross-border market. “Everything is being double- or triple-checked at the border when it’s crossing and [US-bound] exports are taking more time,” said Claudia Montemayor, international trade manager at H-E-B, a Texas-based supermarket chain with 70 stores in Mexico. That’s critical to H-E-B, which ships many foods with short shelf lives. Long delays northbound or southbound at the border can reduce the shelf life of products or extend the use of temperature-controlled tractor-trailers, driving transportation costs higher. A Redwood survey of more than 100 shippers found that more logistics managers were concerned about supply chain disruptions (38%) and inflation (37%) than higher tariffs (17%). “There are too many touchpoints when freight gets to the border,” said Jessica Solis, Mexico operations director for Redwood Mexico, a division of Redwood Logistics. In terms of freight volume headed to the US, “it’s been a mini-marathon every month,” she said. February, March and April all had tariff deadlines that <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/disrupted-cross-border-freight-shipping-braces-for-us-tariffs-5974787">pushed goods toward the border</a> in waves, Solis said. Although there’s no deadline for Mexico in May, “we anticipate a crazy end to April,” she said. “This is the peak season now [for 2025].” <h3>Riding the yo-yo </h3>For Dometic, a maker of outdoor products from camping stoves to marine electronics, “it’s been a yo-yo effect the past few months,” said Bill Fogt, the company’s senior vice president for the Americas. Dometic chose not to “pull forward” imports before the 25% tariff on Mexico went into effect. “We didn’t want to take a risk on growing inventories,” Fogt said, adding that has created a “yo-yo” effect. “We were stopping production, and weren’t sending anything across the border, and then we turned it back on two days later,” he said. “It was up and down.” Dometic was caught with too much inventory in 2022 when the market for recreational vehicles dropped post-pandemic, Fogt said. The shipper didn’t want to repeat that. “We kept our inventory low and then we just played the yo-yo game,” he said. The company has also delayed shipments to ensure they’re compliant with the rules of origin in the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Most of the shippers at the Redwood Mexico conference said their shipments were USMCA-compliant, so far avoiding the 25% duty. However, proving a shipment is USMCA-compliant can be a costly and time-consuming process. Since the tariff was implemented in March, “our work has doubled or tripled,” said GONTOR Logistics’ Gonzalez. “Where we used to need only one HTS [Harmonized Tariff Schedule] code, we now may need as many as four or five codes,” he said. That’s because US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) wants verification that both products and their components conform to the USMCA rules. “A lot of shippers are going back and revisiting their USMCA content,” Gonzalez said. “They’re looking at percentages of aluminum and steel.” It’s as if a shipment once treated as a doll is now seen as a Russian nesting doll, and the origin of each of the interior dolls needs to be exactly accounted for under the USMCA. More frequent audits of customs brokers are likely. “We’ve never seen anything like this,” Gonzalez said. “Some of you have already been charged an increase by your US customs broker and if not, you will be. The rates are all going to go up.” Contact William B. Cassidy at <a href="mailto:bill.cassidy@spglobal.com">bill.cassidy@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

Monterrey, Mexico — On the US-Mexico border, it’s not just the actual tariff amount that’s making trouble for shippers, but also the delays and increased paperwork associated with those levies, logistics managers said at the Redwood Logistics Cross-Border Logistics Council here. US importers and their Mexican logistics and customs partners are experiencing longer wait times when northbound shipments arrive at border towns such as Nuevo Laredo, the gateway to Laredo, Texas, the largest US land border crossing point. That’s inevitably pushing up transportation costs and leading to supply chain disruptions — whether goods are subject to tariffs or not, shippers and speakers at the event said. How high costs go depends on many factors, but the increases come with a bite. “We’re seeing Mexican soldiers opening trucks, breaking seals, as they search for fentanyl,” Alonso Gonzalez, vice president at GONTOR Logistics, a US and Mexican customs broker in Laredo, said at the conference last week. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum deployed her country’s National Guard to the border in February to crack down on drug smuggling . That has added another layer of delay and uncertainty for shippers in a suddenly more complex cross-border market. “Everything is being double- or triple-checked at the border when it’s crossing and [US-bound] exports are taking more time,” said Claudia Montemayor, international trade manager at H-E-B, a Texas-based supermarket chain with 70 stores in Mexico. That’s critical to H-E-B, which ships many foods with short shelf lives. Long delays northbound or southbound at the border can reduce the shelf life of products or extend the use of temperature-controlled tractor-trailers, driving transportation costs higher. A Redwood survey of more than 100 shippers found that more logistics managers were concerned about supply chain disruptions (38%) and inflation (37%) than higher tariffs (17%). “There are too many touchpoints when freight gets to the border,” said Jessica Solis, Mexico operations director for Redwood Mexico, a division of Redwood Logistics. In terms of freight volume headed to the US, “it’s been a mini-marathon every month,” she said. February, March and April all had tariff deadlines that pushed goods toward the border in waves, Solis said. Although there’s no deadline for Mexico in May, “we anticipate a crazy end to April,” she said. “This is the peak season now [for 2025].” Riding the yo-yo For Dometic, a maker of outdoor products from camping stoves to marine electronics, “it’s been a yo-yo effect the past few months,” said Bill Fogt, the company’s senior vice president for the Americas. Dometic chose not to “pull forward” imports before the 25% tariff on Mexico went into effect. “We didn’t want to take a risk on growing inventories,” Fogt said, adding that has created a “yo-yo” effect. “We were stopping production, and weren’t sending anything across the border, and then we turned it back on two days later,” he said. “It was up and down.” Dometic was caught with too much inventory in 2022 when the market for recreational vehicles dropped post-pandemic, Fogt said. The shipper didn’t want to repeat that. “We kept our inventory low and then we just played the yo-yo game,” he said. The company has also delayed shipments to ensure they’re compliant with the rules of origin in the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Most of the shippers at the Redwood Mexico conference said their shipments were USMCA-compliant, so far avoiding the 25% duty. However, proving a shipment is USMCA-compliant can be a costly and time-consuming process. Since the tariff was implemented in March, “our work has doubled or tripled,” said GONTOR Logistics’ Gonzalez. “Where we used to need only one HTS [Harmonized Tariff Schedule] code, we now may need as many as four or five codes,” he said. That’s because US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) wants verification that both products and their components conform to the USMCA rules. “A lot of shippers are going back and revisiting their USMCA content,” Gonzalez said. “They’re looking at percentages of aluminum and steel.” It’s as if a shipment once treated as a doll is now seen as a Russian nesting doll, and the origin of each of the interior dolls needs to be exactly accounted for under the USMCA. More frequent audits of customs brokers are likely. “We’ve never seen anything like this,” Gonzalez said. “Some of you have already been charged an increase by your US customs broker and if not, you will be. The rates are all going to go up.” Contact William B. Cassidy at bill.cassidy@spglobal.com .

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The world of LTL is slow to embrace change. Business anachronisms permeate current supply chain processes. These vestiges of the way things used to work define the LTL freight transportation procurement process of many modern shippers.David Knuth, logistics specialist at IEWC, a global supplier of cable and wire based in Wisconsin, is happy to have modernized the RFP process, automating the entire LTL bidding procedure with Bid$ense, SMC³’s automated truckload and LTL freight transportation sourcing solution. But when prompted, he can still recall what once was.In his previous job, a large part of his duties were consumed by creating an intermodal bid package for carriers. In a spreadsheet, Knuth detailed the company’s volumes lane by lane, taking care to delete any errant keystrokes or misleading data. He would then email out the information to each carrier, taking time to respond to detailed technical questions about the spreadsheet data. Finally, he had to compile all the results, create an algorithm that would compare the carriers on each lane, and award the business.“It was a huge undertaking. It took about four months to do,” Knuth said of the old process. “It was almost a full-time job for that part of the year, every year.”In his new job at IEWC, he sat down with Bid$ense on day one and was amazed at the capabilities. Knuth had never before used a bid tool. SMC³’s latest versions of Bid$ense automate the process even further, taking truckload and LTL RFPs entirely online. The tool draws on RFP best-practices protocols to streamline the bidding communication process, enabling bidding carriers to respond accurately and promptly to shipper requests. The solution also does all the distribution work automatically, electronically submitting shipper bid data to carriers based on their actual service capabilities and performance records. Carriers are alerted with timely prompts for RFP deliverables, so shippers aren’t waiting by the phone for responses.Another benefit of automating the process is the data-cleansing assistance. When Knuth sent spreadsheets to carriers, data errors might cloud the bidding process; he might have to resend data or simply accept a price that did not truly reflect the costs of doing business. Data cleansing is incredibly beneficial, he said.The spreadsheet technique also made bidding analysis an onerous task. Since Bid$ense automates and streamlines the entire RFP process, intensive examination is now simple. SMC³ knows that each bid has more than one best outcome. With uniform responses from each carrier, shippers can quickly rank results and create an unlimited quantity of what-if scenarios to make the optimal procurement decision.Jesse Burnett of Central Garden &amp; Pet experiences many of the same benefits. Founded in 1980, Central Garden &amp; Pet has spent the last three decades growing from a small garden supply company to a provider of a range of products from dog chews and bird seed to soil supplements and natural insecticides. For much of its life, the company shipped these disparate goods via LTL and truckload carriers to retailers throughout the country, relying on each business unit to negotiate directly with their freight transportation providers. This arrangement worked fairly well for a small company, but as Central Garden &amp; Pet expanded, leadership decided to consolidate decision making.Burnett helped centralize the transportation decision making in 2015 with SMC³’s Bid$ense. Before Bid$ense, every business unit operated independently as far as negotiating with carriers.“There were a lot of different things just floating around,” he said. “We didn’t have master agreements in place; no national pricing at all. The pricing from carriers was just all over the place, depending on where you were.”The transformations he saw with Bid$ense were immediate. Burnett has been using the tool about every other year since its implementation at the company. Central Garden and Pet’s $19.6 million 2019 LTL bid saved the company just more than 9 percent when compared to its historical average. For Burnett, though, bid automation extends far beyond savings.“We knew that we weren’t getting the best pricing offer from our carriers just because nothing was centralized,” he continued. “We knew that if we combined everything from all these business units and paired it with one corporate offering, then it would drive some cost benefit with it.”When the company initially decided to centralize bid procurement, executives researched a number of different methodologies and technologies. In the end, though, Burnett found that Bid$ense was both widespread and well known, and that his carrier partners already knew how to use the application. Burnett also highlighted the data-cleansing process as a major benefit, saying the rigorous process ensures that carriers always return the best price.“It definitely has helped drive savings,” he said. “Any time you go out there and you drive that competitiveness with the carriers and they know they’re in a bid environment, it seems to sharpen their pencils.”Transportation procurement is an integral part of the modern supply chain. With Bid$ense, shippers can develop a strategic implementation plan that saves them time and money, but also helps them create strong relationships with their carrier partners. These carriers appreciate the solution’s data-cleansing process; when carriers receive a complete shipment history and future volume forecast, they don’t have to guess on pricing. Carriers that receive more data from shippers get a complete picture of that shipper’s freight, allowing them to accurately plan instead of simply preparing for the worst-case scenario. Clean data presented through an automated system can lead to both bigger shipment savings and a lasting partnership between carrier and customer.Whether customers are looking to streamline over-the-road transportation bidding by automating the RFP process or create an entirely new, centralized sourcing process, Bid$ense has the analytical horsepower to get the job done.SMC³ 2020 Customer Case Study

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Shippers save money, time with automated transportation bidding tools

If there’s one immutable truth in the world of logistics, it’s this: LTL is an inherently complex form of transportation. Tariffs, rates, DIM weights, transit times — it’s enough to confuse even seasoned logistics professionals. The solution to this knowledge gap has historically been on-the-job training or university supply chain education, but for a variety of reasons there is now a pressing need for third-party, remote LTL training that prepares logistics workers for transportation success. Global Scope Can Overlook Local Intricacies In the past, professionals looking to move into a supply chain career learned about the basics of supply chain from universities. However, many of these college supply chain programs are now global in scope, focusing on worldwide supply chain management instead of the intricacies of specialized domestic transportation. And even these programs, which used to be widespread, are becoming less common. LTL is not an industry of broad-brush strokes; supply chain professionals really need a pointillistic understanding of the logistics of LTL in order to excel in the industry. Accelerating Need for Dedicated LTL Education This lack of specified training put the onus on employers to prepare new hires with the LTL knowledge needed to do their jobs. Dedicated LTL study is a necessity, not a luxury. At the same time, changes in LTL and the broader supply chain world are accelerating. The reliance on e-commerce has ballooned since the start of the pandemic, and last-mile LTL shipments and related e-commerce strains on the supply chain won’t diminish once social distancing abates. That genie isn’t going back into the bottle. So supply chain employers need logistics workers that are fully versed in all aspects of the industry, ready to solve unique shipping and delivery problems based on their extensive supply chain knowledge But why care about LTL? It’s been reported that some shippers in today’s world are no longer concerned with what mode is used to ship their goods. A Multimodal Approach Ensures On-Time Delivery This mode agnosticism means supply chain stakeholders have to be well versed in all modes of transportation. As unforeseen weather events and other disruptions, such as protests, become more common, savvy logistics employees will need to be armed with familiarity of all modes, not just the most popular, to ensure that freight is delivered on time, without damage, and in the most financially expedient way possible. Offerings like SMC³’s LTL online education courses cover a wide range of topics from LTL basics and operations to more advanced concepts like pricing analytics and transportation law. The company also has plans to continually refresh content, adding new expert presenters and taking the feedback of students to make the courses even better as time goes on. Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://logisticstrainingcenter.com/smc3-courses/" rel="noreferrer" class="joc_admin__link">SMC³’s LTL Online Education program</a>&nbsp;and view the 2021 hybrid schedule, featuring live industry experts,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.smc3.com/onlinelearning2021/" rel="noreferrer" class="joc_admin__link">here.</a>

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