Commentary

The slow but steady economic expansion we witnessed during 2012 will continue through 2013.

When Congress passed MAP-21 last summer, the legislation offered a much-needed commitment to transportation infrastructure funding for the next two years.

For those of us in the shipping industry’s regulatory sector, we expect the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to continue its efforts to increase efficiency and to encourage innovative business strategies in 2013.

As if planning and managing a seamless supply chain weren’t tough enough, a group of gremlins put their heads together last year to find more fiendish ways to bedevil logisticians.

There are two major changes that if they occur this year would be a good thing for us in future years.

Although some may argue that there is gradual stability in the transportation and logistics market, I remain only cautiously optimistic and contend there is still a great deal of uncertainty and unforeseen hurdles in our future.

As we look out into 2013, we see enough economic concerns to make us cautious about our optimism for growth.

2013 has arrived, but you may not have fully adjusted to the turning of the calendar. Some of you are just coming to accept that the world didn’t end on Dec. 21; others are still breathing sighs of relief that U.S. waterfront labor is still at work, although no one knows how long this will last.

Judging from the number of calls and inquiries I receive from analysts and experts, intermodal is no longer a stranger to transportation cognoscenti.

Railroads are no strangers to operational efficiencies or being on the leading edge of new technologies.

As 2013 begins, economic indicators suggest a more moderate pace of growth.

The railroad industry has made some progress in seeking out costs and eliminating them.

A shipper claims a set-off against a broker for storage charges incurred after a later-than-requested pickup of a less-than-truckload shipment. Is the shipper on solid legal ground?

Each year brings challenges and opportunities to the global transportation sector born out of events beyond its control. So much of the sector’s fate depends on the U.S. economy and the changing global trade market.

Two seismic events occurred in the fourth quarter of 2012 that will have a lasting impact well into 2013 and beyond. The first event — a $6 billion, four-year push to bring dramatic change to our gridlocked political system — never materialized and the end result was a November vote for the status quo.

Get ready for another year of modest growth for U.S. containerized imports.

Given the number of unknowns faced by the global economy, any predictions as to what lies ahead for 2013 are likely to be about as accurate as reading the entrails of crows.

2013 will be a continued year of change.

The “game changer” we have been championing for the industry for the past two years has been capital constraints.

To use an oft-cited, but appropriate, metaphor, the global container shipping community continues to find itself in somewhat of a “perfect storm.”

Since bargaining kicked off nearly a year ago, it’s been clear that the road to a new International Longshoremen's Association contract would run through New York-New Jersey.

Anyone searching for unqualified good news in 2012 was bound to be disappointed.

We see increased strategic opportunities in the air freight market for 2013.

The air freight industry continues to look for ways to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

As it was in 2011, the adverse global economy was the prevailing issue for the air cargo industry in 2012.

With the reelection of President Obama, one can reasonably expect a continuation of the trade policies of the last four years...

The maritime industry, and in particular the container segment, is subject to an array of regulatory requirements.

In discussing the changes I see for the year ahead, I believe it’s more prudent to recognize the influences that will cause these changes.

With debates over fiscal policy, the national debt, taxes and government spending getting all the headlines in Washington, one issue not getting much attention is energy.

We may have come to expect statistical lying from politicians and advertisers, but industry professionals should know better. In cargo crime prevention, those of us reading or listening to unsupported statistics should be smart enough to recognize baloney when we see it.

Global trade magazines today are full of articles about cloud-based software, commonly defined as business applications offered via the Internet.

Nicaragua's infrastructure is akin to that of many Latin Amercian third world countries. But most third world countries aren’t pursuing a $30 billion interoceanic canal.