Commentary

Unilever got a strong sign last week of just how concerned China is about inflation.

While U.S. and Chinese officials huddled in Washington in recent days on big trade and global finance issues, there’s plenty of small trade frictions that point to another problem.

These days, companies involved in the cold chain are the cool kids on the playground — everybody wants to be like them, and everyone wants to be their friend.

Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, asks transportation interests to “stick with me” on a path to infrastructure investment.

Most everyone in trade and transportation has a connection to the World Trade Center, if only because it’s named after what we do and was owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Members of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism beware: Validation or revalidation requirements have changed significantly since you were initially or last certified in the voluntary progr

To many of us, the most striking thing about the crowds that gathered in front of the White House and at the former World Trade Center site in New York last week on the news of the successful U.S.

Q: I just read the March 21 Q&A on declared value (“Weights and Measures in Freight Claims”) and have a question regarding weights.

It’s all about the carbon footprint.

The first time I remember hearing about Osama bin Laden was in the days and weeks following the Feb. 26, 1993, bombing of the World Trade Center.

The April 18 National Port Summit in Chicago brought together leaders from the nation’s seaports to discuss the future of America’s transportation system and the role of these important ga

The April 4 Editor’s Letter, “Crisis Point,” about federal financing of port projects ends with the line, “That may mark the end of one era, but the beginning of another.&rdquo

In his 1958 song “Wonderful World,” Sam Cooke cataloged his ignorance.

If you want a good snapshot of the direction of the U.S. economy, the progression of business at UPS is an excellent place to start.

As container lines sought to solidify their recovery last fall and shippers looked to build on their gains of 2010, there were three basic theories about how the global container shipping market would

Q: I have more than 48 years of experience in this industry, and I disagree with your advice to the shipper who had a claim the carrier refused to pay (“Claim Denial: A Case of Bad Timing,&rdquo

Americans are a little schizophrenic about fat. On one hand it's a bad thing. First lady Michelle Obama is leading the charge against childhood obesity.

When Ron Widdows retires as group president and CEO of Neptune Orient Lines at the end of this year, the container shipping industry will lose a tireless advocate and its most visible spokesman.

President Obama ordered the attorney general to hunt down gas price gouging, as his most visible action aga

That chocolate bunny you bought for Easter cost more this year. There has been a flood of bad news about sweet stuff which has played hob with chocolatiers and other confectioners.

The list of Top 50 Trucking Companies is a tale of three stories: parcel, truckload and less-than-truckload. The two parcel carriers dominate the list, accounting for 42 percent of total revenue.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act imposes criminal and civil liability when companies make corrupt payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business.

It’s early April and I’m writing this column as I wait for my flight home to Portland, Ore., after three days in Montreal preparing the agenda for The Journal of Commerce’s 2011 Cana

Logistics and Advertising

National Public Radio recently published a story about an ocean container lying on the ocean floor.

Q: We’re a public warehouse operator.

Deregulation is turning into the topic of the season in international shipping, if comments from senior industry executives are any indication.

After the full scope of looming transportation spending cuts sank in this week, one industry official said "we feel like shrimp up against the whales."

As the budget deal that finally prevented a shutdown of federal agencies took hold, Congress passed a one-week budget extension with a big "cut" in rail grants. Uh, sort of.

Q: Would you be kind enough to give me your thoughts on the following issue?

Because I write only once a month, I have the benefit of time to prepare and review my writing, and I can contemplate issues as opposed to having a deadline a day or less away.

Is Canada using unfair advantage to lure U.S.-bound containers through its ports?

Extinguishing Mexican Cargo Crime

After meeting with shippers and freight carriers across continents and across modes over the first part of 2011, it seems clearer than ever these two sides of the shipping equation share one very clea

After I tweeted a link to the AP article below on South China losing its position as a low-cost manufacturing region, I received the following comments.

On March 1, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk delivered President Obama’s 2011 Trade Policy Agenda and 2010 Annual Report to Congress.

In an increasingly adversarial political environment, it’s refreshing to see AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas J.

Imagine for a moment you’re an importer of consumer goods looking for the fastest possible transit time from China to your distribution center in Chicago.

Q: I just finished reading something about the Japanese government setting up a 50-mile hazard zone around the nuclear power plant that had all those problems after the earthquake, and it got me think

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that an expert in U.S.