Commentary

Q: Do you agree with this statement?

The U.S. Postal Service’s Parcel Select Regional Ground, introduced April 17, offers discounted rates for low-weight, short-range residential shipments.

As the Internet and an increasingly global economy continue to make the world smaller, retailers are finding new customers and suppliers by reaching farther across the globe.

“Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose” — The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Logistics managers worldwide are growing more concerned by the day about pricing, but it’s not the pricing you think.

With what so far has been a forgettable year for ocean container lines and a welcome relief for shippers on rates, will 2011 turn into a “lost year” for carriers after the remarkable turna

Jim Crane made it back into freight forwarding after he lost an epic battle for his company, and now he’s made it back into the sports world.

Q: For a domestic shipment moving under a uniform bill of lading, it’s been my understanding that a carrier can accept/settle a claim with the named consignor or named consignee, as both are nam

File this under the header, “What can happen when you tick an agency off.”

Of the major east-west container lines, none has a larger share of its fleet — 44 percent — deployed in the trans-Pacific trade than APL, according to Alphaliner data.

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?