<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Agriculture exporters’ complaints also strike deeper chords of US maritime policy that years ago walked away from subsidizing a US flag fleet intended to provide viable transportation for US exports. </div>

Agriculture exporters’ complaints also strike deeper chords of US maritime policy that years ago walked away from subsidizing a US flag fleet intended to provide viable transportation for US exports.

3647506_FI.jpg

<div class="phx-topic">US exporters are in an uproar over denied and canceled bookings and raising alarms with Congress and regulators in Washington, DC. But the complaints are playing out against unprecedented global stress on the container system and a carrier industry that is changing in ways that will likely mean higher costs and less access to equipment in the future. Agriculture exporters’ complaints also strike deeper chords of US maritime policy that years ago walked away from subsidizing a US flag fleet intended to provide viable transportation for US exports. Under pressure from exporters and their representatives in Congress, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) last month expanded the scope of a fact-finding investigation into carrier practices launched back in March, stating the expanded scope will focus, among other things, on “practices related to the carriage of US exports.”This pertains specifically to “refusal to carry export cargo, canceling export bookings/refusing new bookings, lack of appointments, changing ERDs [empty return dates], lack of free time, lack of notice, all which contribute to current supply chain dysfunction,” Agriculture Transportation Coalition executive director Peter Friedmann <a href="https://ajot.com/insights/full/ai-agtcs-friedmann-lauds-fmc-investigation-into-detention-demurrage">told</a> the American Journal of Transportation last month.FMC commissioner Michael Khouri was especially tough on carriers in a speech on Dec. 8, calling the actions an “abandonment of a significant US export industry” — referring to agriculture — which is “shutting them out of global markets.” The agency is determining whether the refusal of some container lines to reposition containers in the US interior violates the Shipping Act of 1984.<h2>A breakdown of the container shipping system</h2>But while exporters have, without question, been severely impacted this year, they are not alone. During a year when container shortages exploded into a global, system-wide breakdown spurred directly by the COVID-19 pandemic, complaints by importers about a lack of equipment and difficulties getting containers loaded onto ships in Asia have been just as frequent.“Some of the exporters — and some importers — are complaining they can’t get all the equipment they want, and you have to scratch below the surface and ask why is that the case? The reason is that American consumers want stuff, they want a lot of stuff, and they want it now, via next-day delivery and they don’t want to wait three days,” said Jeffrey Lawrence, chair of the transportation and trade practice at the law firm Cozen O’Connor in Washington, DC, and executive director of the Ocean Carrier Equipment Management Association (OCEMA). “The fundamental driver here is the enormous, record-breaking consumer demand in the US [and in other developed economies] which has to be satisfied. So, the equipment crunch is a symptom, not a cause,” he said. Indeed, the stark reality this year, observers say, is that problems such as distribution and transload centers operating at less than full capacity to de-van containers due to social distancing, leaving containers to wait weeks to be unloaded, are among the issues that have brought what needs to be an unimpeded circulatory system of container equipment flow to its knees this year. “The speed of movement of containers is at the heart of intermodal transportation. Right now our intermodal infrastructure — physical infrastructure, manpower, and equipment -- is being overwhelmed by the huge US consumer demand,” said Lawrence. “Everyone in the supply chain is trying to do the best they can and the idea that there are villains here is ludicrous.”<h2>Balance of shipper-carrier power changing</h2>The issues US exporters are facing, moreover, are likely to be long-term in nature for reasons unrelated to the pandemic. A greatly consolidated carrier industry able to effectively manage capacity and more focused on the bottom line is less likely to subsidize the positioning of containers at often remote interior locations as they have done for years. “For many, many years because there was such an imbalance the lines positioned containers for exports without a lot of remuneration and their willingness to do that has changed,” James Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority, told JOC.com.“You are seeing an ocean carrier industry that is now very attuned to shipment economics. In my ocean carrier time, often times we felt that if I have a box in Chicago and it’s needed in Lincoln, Nebraska, for an export load I would just move it there at my expense. I don’t think the carriers are willing to do that today,” Newsome said. “It’s an economic decision they are making, and they have the right to decide what cargo to carry or not carry to maximize their profitability.”Others agree the carrier landscape is changing in ways that will result in higher costs going forward. “If you want to keep doing business today the way you did when there was a glut of space, it is going to be hard to do that,” Lawrence said. Indeed, the dispute gets to the heart of ocean transportation in the US. Carriers are private businesses and have the right to take actions to grow their bottom line. There is no requirement that they carry exports. Yet because nearly all major ocean carriers are owned outside the US, they are convenient punching bags for exporters who frequently seek a political solution to what is normally a business issue. If there is to be a political solution, one option that almost never gets discussed is whether to divert the billions in US agriculture subsidies ($22 billion in 2019) to subsidize transportation to ensure US exports are cost-competitive with goods from other countries. The global nature of the container system breakdown this year driven by the COVID-19 pandemic is going to make it difficult for regulators to prove that carriers engaged in discriminatory behavior. As Newsome says, not carrying cargo goes against everything carriers believe in. “In my long shipping career we never got rewarded for moving empties so we would do anything and everything we could to handle export containers as opposed to moving empties,” said Newsome, who was president of Hapag-Lloyd (America) Inc. before taking over the South Carolina Ports Authority in 2009 and previously held positions at Nedlloyd Lines, which was later acquired into Maersk. “The carriers want to carry cargo and they will move heaven and earth to get that done. In other words, there is no effort out there by carriers to avoid carrying cargo.” What is different now is that shippers will increasingly need to get their cargo to the container rather than containers coming to find the cargo. When Hapag-Lloyd announced in October it was suspending export bookings, which elicited a howl of protest from exporter groups, the carrier’s US president, Uffe Ostergaard, told JOC.com the line was still accepting some ag export shipments when they are generated in proximity to ports. For example, at transloading facilities near West Coast ports where grains are transferred from rail cars to marine containers.Unless they can prove that in refusing to carry certain exports and canceling certain bookings container lines engaged in discriminatory behavior in violation of US shipping law, exporters will find little meaningful relief in Washington. That’s unless they were to go for the “nuclear option” and seek changes to the Shipping Act, which was last amended in 1998. Such changes could, for example, force carriers to carry exports, but that would run counter to the long-term trend of deregulation in freight transportation and potentially lead to further reduction in shipper choice if carriers — already frustrated by high costs and poor productivity in the US — responded by opting out of the US market to avoid being forced to carry unprofitable cargo. Contact Peter Tirschwell at <a href="mailto:peter.tirschwell@ihsmarkit.com">peter.tirschwell@ihsmarkit.com</a> and follow him on Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/PeterTirschwell">@petertirschwell</a>.</div>

US exporters are in an uproar over denied and canceled bookings and raising alarms with Congress and regulators in Washington, DC. But the complaints are playing out against unprecedented global stress on the container system and a carrier industry that is changing in ways that will likely mean higher costs and less access to equipment in the future. Agriculture exporters’ complaints also strike deeper chords of US maritime policy that years ago walked away from subsidizing a US flag fleet intended to provide viable transportation for US exports. Under pressure from exporters and their representatives in Congress, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) last month expanded the scope of a fact-finding investigation into carrier practices launched back in March, stating the expanded scope will focus, among other things, on “practices related to the carriage of US exports.” This pertains specifically to “refusal to carry export cargo, canceling export bookings/refusing new bookings, lack of appointments, changing ERDs [empty return dates], lack of free time, lack of notice, all which contribute to current supply chain dysfunction,” Agriculture Transportation Coalition executive director Peter Friedmann told the American Journal of Transportation last month. FMC commissioner Michael Khouri was especially tough on carriers in a speech on Dec. 8, calling the actions an “abandonment of a significant US export industry” — referring to agriculture — which is “shutting them out of global markets.” The agency is determining whether the refusal of some container lines to reposition containers in the US interior violates the Shipping Act of 1984. A breakdown of the container shipping system But while exporters have, without question, been severely impacted this year, they are not alone. During a year when container shortages exploded into a global, system-wide breakdown spurred directly by the COVID-19 pandemic, complaints by importers about a lack of equipment and difficulties getting containers loaded onto ships in Asia have been just as frequent. “Some of the exporters — and some importers — are complaining they can’t get all the equipment they want, and you have to scratch below the surface and ask why is that the case? The reason is that American consumers want stuff, they want a lot of stuff, and they want it now, via next-day delivery and they don’t want to wait three days,” said Jeffrey Lawrence, chair of the transportation and trade practice at the law firm Cozen O’Connor in Washington, DC, and executive director of the Ocean Carrier Equipment Management Association (OCEMA). “The fundamental driver here is the enormous, record-breaking consumer demand in the US [and in other developed economies] which has to be satisfied. So, the equipment crunch is a symptom, not a cause,” he said. Indeed, the stark reality this year, observers say, is that problems such as distribution and transload centers operating at less than full capacity to de-van containers due to social distancing, leaving containers to wait weeks to be unloaded, are among the issues that have brought what needs to be an unimpeded circulatory system of container equipment flow to its knees this year. “The speed of movement of containers is at the heart of intermodal transportation. Right now our intermodal infrastructure — physical infrastructure, manpower, and equipment -- is being overwhelmed by the huge US consumer demand,” said Lawrence. “Everyone in the supply chain is trying to do the best they can and the idea that there are villains here is ludicrous.” Balance of shipper-carrier power changing The issues US exporters are facing, moreover, are likely to be long-term in nature for reasons unrelated to the pandemic. A greatly consolidated carrier industry able to effectively manage capacity and more focused on the bottom line is less likely to subsidize the positioning of containers at often remote interior locations as they have done for years. “For many, many years because there was such an imbalance the lines positioned containers for exports without a lot of remuneration and their willingness to do that has changed,” James Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority, told JOC.com. “You are seeing an ocean carrier industry that is now very attuned to shipment economics. In my ocean carrier time, often times we felt that if I have a box in Chicago and it’s needed in Lincoln, Nebraska, for an export load I would just move it there at my expense. I don’t think the carriers are willing to do that today,” Newsome said. “It’s an economic decision they are making, and they have the right to decide what cargo to carry or not carry to maximize their profitability.” Others agree the carrier landscape is changing in ways that will result in higher costs going forward. “If you want to keep doing business today the way you did when there was a glut of space, it is going to be hard to do that,” Lawrence said. Indeed, the dispute gets to the heart of ocean transportation in the US. Carriers are private businesses and have the right to take actions to grow their bottom line. There is no requirement that they carry exports. Yet because nearly all major ocean carriers are owned outside the US, they are convenient punching bags for exporters who frequently seek a political solution to what is normally a business issue. If there is to be a political solution, one option that almost never gets discussed is whether to divert the billions in US agriculture subsidies ($22 billion in 2019) to subsidize transportation to ensure US exports are cost-competitive with goods from other countries. The global nature of the container system breakdown this year driven by the COVID-19 pandemic is going to make it difficult for regulators to prove that carriers engaged in discriminatory behavior. As Newsome says, not carrying cargo goes against everything carriers believe in. “In my long shipping career we never got rewarded for moving empties so we would do anything and everything we could to handle export containers as opposed to moving empties,” said Newsome, who was president of Hapag-Lloyd (America) Inc. before taking over the South Carolina Ports Authority in 2009 and previously held positions at Nedlloyd Lines, which was later acquired into Maersk. “The carriers want to carry cargo and they will move heaven and earth to get that done. In other words, there is no effort out there by carriers to avoid carrying cargo.” What is different now is that shippers will increasingly need to get their cargo to the container rather than containers coming to find the cargo. When Hapag-Lloyd announced in October it was suspending export bookings, which elicited a howl of protest from exporter groups, the carrier’s US president, Uffe Ostergaard, told JOC.com the line was still accepting some ag export shipments when they are generated in proximity to ports. For example, at transloading facilities near West Coast ports where grains are transferred from rail cars to marine containers. Unless they can prove that in refusing to carry certain exports and canceling certain bookings container lines engaged in discriminatory behavior in violation of US shipping law, exporters will find little meaningful relief in Washington. That’s unless they were to go for the “nuclear option” and seek changes to the Shipping Act, which was last amended in 1998. Such changes could, for example, force carriers to carry exports, but that would run counter to the long-term trend of deregulation in freight transportation and potentially lead to further reduction in shipper choice if carriers — already frustrated by high costs and poor productivity in the US — responded by opting out of the US market to avoid being forced to carry unprofitable cargo. Contact Peter Tirschwell at peter.tirschwell@ihsmarkit.com and follow him on Twitter: @petertirschwell .

Container lines

US container shipping system tilting against exporters

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The $12 million investment in Cargado will be used to expand the load board with other tools for freight brokers to tap into cross-border freight growth.</div>

The $12 million investment in Cargado will be used to expand the load board with other tools for freight brokers to tap into cross-border freight growth.

Feature image

<div class="phx-topic">Cross-border load board provider Cargado on Monday landed a $12 million investment from venture investors a year after its launch, a sign that its backers see potential in helping freight brokers <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/new-cross-border-trucking-platform-aims-to-enable-brokers-5731985">facilitating freight volumes between the US and Mexico</a>. The investment will be used to expand the load board with other tools for freight brokers to tap into cross-border freight growth. “We’ve got customers asking for a lot of other things,” CEO Matt Silver told the Journal of Commerce. “We see the entire process, from getting freight to covering it and executing it, we eventually want to be involved in all of that. We don’t want to just be a load board.” Cargado currently has 200 broker customers and connections to 650 carriers serving the Mexico and cross-border markets. Its customers include eight of the top 10 US brokers, half of the top 100, and a collection of global freight forwarders needing a tool to access cross-border truckload capacity. The product is primarily designed to serve two use cases: first, to have large freight brokers with longstanding Mexico departments open new lanes, source new capacity and find trucks more quickly; and secondly, to help brokers without a Mexico presence meet demand from shippers asking them to find cross-border capacity more easily. The load board, Silver said, is designed to be cross-border-centric, so brokers aren’t having to manipulate a domestic load board to fulfill a purpose it wasn’t intended to serve. <h3>Mexico a freight ‘afterthought’ </h3>Despite the rapid growth of cross-border trade over the last decade, “Mexico is an afterthought when it comes to freight,” Silver said. “Some freight moves on the same trailer across the border, some is transloaded, there’s different cultures and a different language, [and] the border cross itself,” he added. “And lots of [transportation management systems] don’t support the ability to onboard Mexican trucking companies,” of which about 80% of 100,000 trucking companies in Mexico are owner-operators. “Cargado allows us to unlock trusted, vetted capacity,” John Sutton, director of corporate strategy at Sunset Transportation, one of Cargado’s early customers, said in a statement Monday. “Effectively leveraging Cargado enables even the most experienced and proven 3PLs servicing cross-border freight to reimagine how they source capacity, build relationships, and challenge operational norms.” Silver founded and sold cross-border technology platform Forager, acquired in 2022 by Arrive Logistics, while Cargado co-founder Rylan Hawkins spent seven years at Convoy, the <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/convoy-says-will-shut-operations-sell-off-technology-amid-market-downturn-5215523">now defunct broker</a> that helped usher in an era of so-called digital brokerage over the last decade. The funding round announced Monday was led by LGVP, with participation from new investors Conversion Capital, Assembly Ventures, Friends &amp; Family Capital, and existing investors Primary Venture Partners, Ironspring Ventures, Zenda Capital and Proeza Ventures. Contact Eric Johnson at <a href="mailto:eric.johnson@spglobal.com">eric.johnson@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Cross-border load board provider Cargado on Monday landed a $12 million investment from venture investors a year after its launch, a sign that its backers see potential in helping freight brokers facilitating freight volumes between the US and Mexico . The investment will be used to expand the load board with other tools for freight brokers to tap into cross-border freight growth. “We’ve got customers asking for a lot of other things,” CEO Matt Silver told the Journal of Commerce. “We see the entire process, from getting freight to covering it and executing it, we eventually want to be involved in all of that. We don’t want to just be a load board.” Cargado currently has 200 broker customers and connections to 650 carriers serving the Mexico and cross-border markets. Its customers include eight of the top 10 US brokers, half of the top 100, and a collection of global freight forwarders needing a tool to access cross-border truckload capacity. The product is primarily designed to serve two use cases: first, to have large freight brokers with longstanding Mexico departments open new lanes, source new capacity and find trucks more quickly; and secondly, to help brokers without a Mexico presence meet demand from shippers asking them to find cross-border capacity more easily. The load board, Silver said, is designed to be cross-border-centric, so brokers aren’t having to manipulate a domestic load board to fulfill a purpose it wasn’t intended to serve. Mexico a freight ‘afterthought’ Despite the rapid growth of cross-border trade over the last decade, “Mexico is an afterthought when it comes to freight,” Silver said. “Some freight moves on the same trailer across the border, some is transloaded, there’s different cultures and a different language, [and] the border cross itself,” he added. “And lots of [transportation management systems] don’t support the ability to onboard Mexican trucking companies,” of which about 80% of 100,000 trucking companies in Mexico are owner-operators. “Cargado allows us to unlock trusted, vetted capacity,” John Sutton, director of corporate strategy at Sunset Transportation, one of Cargado’s early customers, said in a statement Monday. “Effectively leveraging Cargado enables even the most experienced and proven 3PLs servicing cross-border freight to reimagine how they source capacity, build relationships, and challenge operational norms.” Silver founded and sold cross-border technology platform Forager, acquired in 2022 by Arrive Logistics, while Cargado co-founder Rylan Hawkins spent seven years at Convoy, the now defunct broker that helped usher in an era of so-called digital brokerage over the last decade. The funding round announced Monday was led by LGVP, with participation from new investors Conversion Capital, Assembly Ventures, Friends & Family Capital, and existing investors Primary Venture Partners, Ironspring Ventures, Zenda Capital and Proeza Ventures. Contact Eric Johnson at eric.johnson@spglobal.com .

Truckload

Truck brokers

Logistics Technology News

Mexico potential leads investors to back cross-border load board

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">While strong volume and congestion at both ends of the trade lane are filling the available capacity, the canceled sailings suggest carriers expect demand to falter.</div>

While strong volume and congestion at both ends of the trade lane are filling the available capacity, the canceled sailings suggest carriers expect demand to falter.

<div class="phx-topic">The Ocean Alliance has announced a swathe of blank sailings on Asia-North Europe in April and May as carriers deploy “schedule recovery measures” to mitigate delays from congestion at European hubs. The move to withdraw capacity comes as Gemini Cooperation carriers Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd move in the opposite direction and <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/gemini-will-roll-out-more-ships-to-stop-cargo-from-rolling-habben-jansen-5976477">prepare to deploy more vessels</a> on Asia-North Europe to cover the European port delays and support their new network coverage. Three Ocean Alliance sailings from China were blanked last week with another five to come as part of so-called “schedule recovery measures,” member carrier CMA CGM said in a customer advisory. “For each of those void sailings, we will propose an evacuation plan allowing you to book on an alternative service,” the advisory noted. Carriers also use blank sailings as a way of flexing capacity to match demand, and the withdrawn capacity suggests a slowdown in the strong volume that has combined with port delays and longer voyages around Africa to keep ships full since Lunar New Year. Some of the bank sailings were captured in the latest available data from visibility provider eeSea that shows <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/asia-europe-carriers-hold-back-on-blanks-despite-rate-weakness-5976268">carriers are significantly increasing capacity</a> while reducing the number of canceled sailings on Asia-North Europe. But Peter Sand, chief analyst at rate benchmarking platform Xeneta, said the market should prepare for more blank sailings to be announced that will almost double the capacity to be withdrawn this month. “Despite the increased competition between carriers as they seek to lure new customers into their services and alliances, strategies to underpin freight rates such as blank sailings remain a go-to tool for carriers on Asia-North Europe and beyond,” Sand told the Journal of Commerce Friday. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="bf9f45a4-a69a-4ab8-9556-588dad0c74a8"></dynamic-object></div>The head of ocean freight at a global forwarder based in Europe said strong underlying demand continues to keep space tight in the Asia-Europe trade lane. “It seems like demand is there because some carriers are even not accepting further bookings from China to Europe, but it is hard to see if it is temporary or will be sustained,” the source said. Several carriers on the Asia-North Europe trade lane even set new freight-all-kinds (FAK) rates on April 1 of up to $4,000 per FEU, but the increase was largely shrugged off by the market. Data from Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce, shows the rate was at $1,900/FEU Friday, up $100 over the week prior. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

The Ocean Alliance has announced a swathe of blank sailings on Asia-North Europe in April and May as carriers deploy “schedule recovery measures” to mitigate delays from congestion at European hubs. The move to withdraw capacity comes as Gemini Cooperation carriers Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd move in the opposite direction and prepare to deploy more vessels on Asia-North Europe to cover the European port delays and support their new network coverage. Three Ocean Alliance sailings from China were blanked last week with another five to come as part of so-called “schedule recovery measures,” member carrier CMA CGM said in a customer advisory. “For each of those void sailings, we will propose an evacuation plan allowing you to book on an alternative service,” the advisory noted. Carriers also use blank sailings as a way of flexing capacity to match demand, and the withdrawn capacity suggests a slowdown in the strong volume that has combined with port delays and longer voyages around Africa to keep ships full since Lunar New Year. Some of the bank sailings were captured in the latest available data from visibility provider eeSea that shows carriers are significantly increasing capacity while reducing the number of canceled sailings on Asia-North Europe. But Peter Sand, chief analyst at rate benchmarking platform Xeneta, said the market should prepare for more blank sailings to be announced that will almost double the capacity to be withdrawn this month. “Despite the increased competition between carriers as they seek to lure new customers into their services and alliances, strategies to underpin freight rates such as blank sailings remain a go-to tool for carriers on Asia-North Europe and beyond,” Sand told the Journal of Commerce Friday. The head of ocean freight at a global forwarder based in Europe said strong underlying demand continues to keep space tight in the Asia-Europe trade lane. “It seems like demand is there because some carriers are even not accepting further bookings from China to Europe, but it is hard to see if it is temporary or will be sustained,” the source said. Several carriers on the Asia-North Europe trade lane even set new freight-all-kinds (FAK) rates on April 1 of up to $4,000 per FEU, but the increase was largely shrugged off by the market. Data from Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce, shows the rate was at $1,900/FEU Friday, up $100 over the week prior. Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Container Shipping News

Asia-Europe

Maritime

Ocean Alliance rolls out series of blank sailings on Asia-North Europe

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Eighteen Republican members of Congress said the remedies laid out as part of the US’ investigation into China’s maritime dominance are unworkable for farmers, notably a port tax on Chinese vessels and the requirement that an increasing volume of US exports be shipped on US-flagged vessels. </div>

Eighteen Republican members of Congress said the remedies laid out as part of the US’ investigation into China’s maritime dominance are unworkable for farmers, notably a port tax on Chinese vessels and the requirement that an increasing volume of US exports be shipped on US-flagged vessels.

<div class="phx-topic">A group of 18 farm state Republican members of Congress is warning that a wide-ranging proposal by the US Trade Representative (USTR) to reinvigorate the US shipbuilding industry would instead damage domestic agriculture interests by adding hundreds of millions of dollars to transportation costs and reducing export volumes. In a letter Thursday to USTR Jamieson Greer, the members of Congress said the remedies laid out as part of the US’ so-called <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/plan-to-tax-chinese-ships-turned-maritime-malaise-into-brainstorming-session-5971753">Section 301 investigation</a> into China’s maritime dominance are unworkable for farmers, notably a port tax on Chinese vessels and the requirement that an increasing volume of US exports be shipped on US-flagged vessels. The letter was signed by representatives from Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Washington and is notable in that it represents a large group of Republican House members coming out against a proposal from the Trump administration. Representatives said they feared how ocean carriers using Chinese-made or -operated vessels would respond to being charged as much as $1.5 million per US port call. “While China is the target of USTR’s proposed port fee, ocean carriers will inevitably shift the expense onto their American customers,” the letter read. “We are concerned this proposed action will have disproportionate harm on American farmers and ranchers.” Ag interests also stand to see their transportation costs for bulk exports increase between $372 million and $930 million because the existing US fleet and the USTR’s seven-year phase-in to require more exports on US-flagged vessels “is not adequate to accommodate the needs of the domestic agriculture industry,” the representatives wrote. The letter, which noted the US agriculture industry exports 20% of its total production, said containerized exporters will “face extreme risks” from the USTR proposal, adding the plan would reduce bulk export volumes while doubling the cost of exports. “Agricultural goods are the first to be left behind and the last to resume trade when disruptions in the maritime industry occur,” the letter read. “These actions will collectively undermine the competitiveness of US agriculture in the global marketplace.” Having the support of rural America tends to draw the attention of officials in Washington, Peter Friedmann, executive director of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC), said at the Journal of Commerce’s TPM25 conference in March. “Members of Congress want to see [their] constituents — the ones who live and or work in their district [or] state — to see what they have to say,” Friedmann said. “Not some trade association. They listen to me when I bring [a] pistachio farmer with me ... real people, real constituents.” Contact Laura Robb at <a href="mailto:laura.robb@spglobal.com">laura.robb@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

A group of 18 farm state Republican members of Congress is warning that a wide-ranging proposal by the US Trade Representative (USTR) to reinvigorate the US shipbuilding industry would instead damage domestic agriculture interests by adding hundreds of millions of dollars to transportation costs and reducing export volumes. In a letter Thursday to USTR Jamieson Greer, the members of Congress said the remedies laid out as part of the US’ so-called Section 301 investigation into China’s maritime dominance are unworkable for farmers, notably a port tax on Chinese vessels and the requirement that an increasing volume of US exports be shipped on US-flagged vessels. The letter was signed by representatives from Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Washington and is notable in that it represents a large group of Republican House members coming out against a proposal from the Trump administration. Representatives said they feared how ocean carriers using Chinese-made or -operated vessels would respond to being charged as much as $1.5 million per US port call. “While China is the target of USTR’s proposed port fee, ocean carriers will inevitably shift the expense onto their American customers,” the letter read. “We are concerned this proposed action will have disproportionate harm on American farmers and ranchers.” Ag interests also stand to see their transportation costs for bulk exports increase between $372 million and $930 million because the existing US fleet and the USTR’s seven-year phase-in to require more exports on US-flagged vessels “is not adequate to accommodate the needs of the domestic agriculture industry,” the representatives wrote. The letter, which noted the US agriculture industry exports 20% of its total production, said containerized exporters will “face extreme risks” from the USTR proposal, adding the plan would reduce bulk export volumes while doubling the cost of exports. “Agricultural goods are the first to be left behind and the last to resume trade when disruptions in the maritime industry occur,” the letter read. “These actions will collectively undermine the competitiveness of US agriculture in the global marketplace.” Having the support of rural America tends to draw the attention of officials in Washington, Peter Friedmann, executive director of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC), said at the Journal of Commerce’s TPM25 conference in March. “Members of Congress want to see [their] constituents — the ones who live and or work in their district [or] state — to see what they have to say,” Friedmann said. “Not some trade association. They listen to me when I bring [a] pistachio farmer with me ... real people, real constituents.” Contact Laura Robb at laura.robb@spglobal.com .

Transport, Trade and Regulation News

Trans-Pacific

North American ports

Farm state House members say USTR proposal offers big risks to US ag interests

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The partnership will see SMC3 provide less-than-truckload rating, booking and tracking data into Turvo’s transportation management system, which primarily serves US freight brokers and third-party logistics providers.</div>

The partnership will see SMC3 provide less-than-truckload rating, booking and tracking data into Turvo’s transportation management system, which primarily serves US freight brokers and third-party logistics providers.

<div class="phx-topic">Freight broker-focused transportation management system (TMS) provider Turvo is partnering with SMC3 to integrate less-than-truckload (LTL) management tools into its software as demand for LTL applications grows. The partnership, unveiled Thursday, will see Turvo customers get access to SMC3’s rating, booking, tracking and document retrieval application programming interfaces (APIs), which the TMS provider said will eliminate manual steps currently used to execute those processes. SMC3 is a widely-used platform for LTL rate benchmarking through its CzarLite, RateWare XL and BatchMark XL products while also providing data around LTL transit times and bidding. Turvo, acquired in 2022 by cold chain conglomerate Lineage Logistics, provides TMS products to brokers, shippers and carriers, but with a specialty in serving the brokerage and third-party logistics (3PL) markets. Its customers include Ryder, PortX Logistics and PortCity. SMC3 joins a list of more than three dozen existing Turvo partners, although most cater to the truckload or drayage markets. “The collaboration between Turvo and SMC3 will strengthen our LTL operations by enhancing visibility, improving efficiency and enabling more responsive service,” Kate Leatherbury, director of LTL at 3PL Gebrüder Weiss North America, said in a statement. “Having access to real-time contract, volume and dynamic pricing within our TMS will significantly improve our ability to deliver a seamless experience to both carriers and customers.” Brokers that have previously focused wholly or mostly on truckload are keying in on areas to expand into LTL even as the LTL market goes through a period of largely static demand. LTL carriers are positioning themselves, through the acquisition of regional carriers and expansion of terminal networks, to <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/us-ltl-getting-in-position-for-higher-freight-demand-when-it-comes-5968547">take advantage of renewed growth in LTL</a> when it comes. LTL-focused brokers also see themselves as being in a good position to help shippers adjust to the <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/us-shippers-urged-to-prepare-now-for-upcoming-ltl-class-changes-rate-resetting-5933927">ongoing revision of the LTL freight classification system</a>. Contact Eric Johnson at <a href="mailto:eric.johnson@spglobal.com">eric.johnson@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Freight broker-focused transportation management system (TMS) provider Turvo is partnering with SMC3 to integrate less-than-truckload (LTL) management tools into its software as demand for LTL applications grows. The partnership, unveiled Thursday, will see Turvo customers get access to SMC3’s rating, booking, tracking and document retrieval application programming interfaces (APIs), which the TMS provider said will eliminate manual steps currently used to execute those processes. SMC3 is a widely-used platform for LTL rate benchmarking through its CzarLite, RateWare XL and BatchMark XL products while also providing data around LTL transit times and bidding. Turvo, acquired in 2022 by cold chain conglomerate Lineage Logistics, provides TMS products to brokers, shippers and carriers, but with a specialty in serving the brokerage and third-party logistics (3PL) markets. Its customers include Ryder, PortX Logistics and PortCity. SMC3 joins a list of more than three dozen existing Turvo partners, although most cater to the truckload or drayage markets. “The collaboration between Turvo and SMC3 will strengthen our LTL operations by enhancing visibility, improving efficiency and enabling more responsive service,” Kate Leatherbury, director of LTL at 3PL Gebrüder Weiss North America, said in a statement. “Having access to real-time contract, volume and dynamic pricing within our TMS will significantly improve our ability to deliver a seamless experience to both carriers and customers.” Brokers that have previously focused wholly or mostly on truckload are keying in on areas to expand into LTL even as the LTL market goes through a period of largely static demand. LTL carriers are positioning themselves, through the acquisition of regional carriers and expansion of terminal networks, to take advantage of renewed growth in LTL when it comes. LTL-focused brokers also see themselves as being in a good position to help shippers adjust to the ongoing revision of the LTL freight classification system . Contact Eric Johnson at eric.johnson@spglobal.com .

TMS provider Turvo turns to SMC3 to enable LTL ambitions

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">A general rate increase implemented by carriers in the eastbound trans-Pacific on April 1 has largely stuck, giving shippers less leverage in attempting to lower contract rates for 2025–26 service year.</div>

A general rate increase implemented by carriers in the eastbound trans-Pacific on April 1 has largely stuck, giving shippers less leverage in attempting to lower contract rates for 2025–26 service year.

<div class="phx-topic">Just weeks after signing 2025–26 service contracts with trans-Pacific ocean carriers at $1,600 to $1,800 per FEU for West Coast imports, big-box retailers are attempting to knock those numbers down as they look to assign their remaining cargo to liners they have yet to ink deals with. That final push, which will play out in the coming weeks, may face some headwinds, however. That’s because a general rate increase (GRI) implemented by carriers on April 1 has largely stuck, giving shippers less leverage in attempting to lower contract rates for next service year. The largest big-box retailers <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/largest-us-importers-finalizing-contracts-in-unsettled-trans-pacific-5971122">in recent weeks signed annual service contracts</a> with their core carriers in the range of $1,600 to $1,800 per FEU from Asia to the West Coast and about $2,600 to $2,800 per FEU to the East Coast. Those rates are about 15% to 20% higher than what they signed for in their existing 2024–25 contracts. Most contracts will run from May 1 through April 30, 2026. The Journal of Commerce spoke with 10 forwarders, three carriers and two consultants for this story. Large retailers ship with multiple carriers, and they are reportedly negotiating with their remaining core carriers for lower rates. However, most carriers on Tuesday implemented GRIs of up to $1,000 per FEU on spot rates. “It’s pretty much across the board for almost all carriers,” Kurt McElroy, executive vice president at the forwarder Kerry Apex, said of the GRIs. Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global, pegged spot rates to the West Coast at $2,275 per FEU as of Thursday, up 42% week over week. The East Coast rate was exactly $1,000 higher at $3,275/FEU, up 26%. Carriers attempt to leverage rising spot rates into higher contract rates as they finalize contract negotiations with customers. <h3>GRIs providing support for carriers </h3>When contract negotiations in the eastbound trans-Pacific began earlier this year, carriers said they were aiming for rates of <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/trans-pacific-carriers-reaching-higher-in-early-202526-contract-talks-5952701">$2,000 per FEU to the West Coast and $3,000 to the East Coast</a> with their largest customers. By setting the floor at those rates, carriers would then attempt to sign the second tier of customers for a couple of hundred dollars per FEU higher. But with spot rates in decline until late March, carriers were forced to accept levels about $200 to $400 under their expectations. Now, with a mostly successfully GRI to provide support, they are making a final push to reverse the momentum and get close to their original goal, Ben Coleman, president of the forwarder Teampower Logistics, said. “They started with $2,000 [to the West Coast], then early signings dropped that to $1,600-$1,800, and now they’re trying to claw back to $2,000,” Coleman said. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="e7a65aab-9aac-4f07-9b74-1793746c01ef"></dynamic-object></div>An industry consultant who formerly served as a logistics manager with national retailers said it is not unusual for larger importers to attempt to secure lower contract rates from each carrier they deal with until all their volume has been committed. “They will try to get the best rates they can,” the source said. “Maybe they can get it done with some contracts, but not all.” A carrier executive echoed that point, but noted retailers could end up being shut out by some lines. “The more you try to push down rates, the riskier it will be to get space,” the executive said. “Still, some are still trying to leverage their volumes.” A forwarder said even though the April 1 GRI may not be as fully effective as carriers would like, they appear resolved to reach their initial goals for service contract rates. “We are moving forward with our contract discussions, and benchmarks, at least for named accounts, remaining at $2,000 [for the West Coast] and $3,000 [for the East Coast], respectively,” the source said. Some carriers this week launched a second round of negotiations with non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOs), which will put additional pressure on importers to wrap up their contract negotiations, a second forwarder said. He estimates that most NVO contracts will settle near $2,000 per FEU to the West Coast. Some importers had resisted finalizing their contracts until the Trump administration announced its tariff policy, but with <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/trump-announces-10-across-the-board-tariffs-on-all-us-imports-5975639">Wednesday’s announcement</a>, those retailers and other importers with fall merchandise to book are likely to finalize their contracts and step up their bookings, forwarders said. With spot rates higher, bookings in Asia picking up and importers looking beyond the tariffs to finalize their fall and holiday merchandise needs, shippers realize they can’t wait much longer to wrap up their contract negotiations, one forwarder said. “There’s been a different dynamic the last 72 hours,” the source said. Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at <a href="mailto:bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com">bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com</a>.Contact Laura Robb at <a href="mailto:laura.robb@spglobal.com">laura.robb@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

Just weeks after signing 2025–26 service contracts with trans-Pacific ocean carriers at $1,600 to $1,800 per FEU for West Coast imports, big-box retailers are attempting to knock those numbers down as they look to assign their remaining cargo to liners they have yet to ink deals with. That final push, which will play out in the coming weeks, may face some headwinds, however. That’s because a general rate increase (GRI) implemented by carriers on April 1 has largely stuck, giving shippers less leverage in attempting to lower contract rates for next service year. The largest big-box retailers in recent weeks signed annual service contracts with their core carriers in the range of $1,600 to $1,800 per FEU from Asia to the West Coast and about $2,600 to $2,800 per FEU to the East Coast. Those rates are about 15% to 20% higher than what they signed for in their existing 2024–25 contracts. Most contracts will run from May 1 through April 30, 2026. The Journal of Commerce spoke with 10 forwarders, three carriers and two consultants for this story. Large retailers ship with multiple carriers, and they are reportedly negotiating with their remaining core carriers for lower rates. However, most carriers on Tuesday implemented GRIs of up to $1,000 per FEU on spot rates. “It’s pretty much across the board for almost all carriers,” Kurt McElroy, executive vice president at the forwarder Kerry Apex, said of the GRIs. Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global, pegged spot rates to the West Coast at $2,275 per FEU as of Thursday, up 42% week over week. The East Coast rate was exactly $1,000 higher at $3,275/FEU, up 26%. Carriers attempt to leverage rising spot rates into higher contract rates as they finalize contract negotiations with customers. GRIs providing support for carriers When contract negotiations in the eastbound trans-Pacific began earlier this year, carriers said they were aiming for rates of $2,000 per FEU to the West Coast and $3,000 to the East Coast with their largest customers. By setting the floor at those rates, carriers would then attempt to sign the second tier of customers for a couple of hundred dollars per FEU higher. But with spot rates in decline until late March, carriers were forced to accept levels about $200 to $400 under their expectations. Now, with a mostly successfully GRI to provide support, they are making a final push to reverse the momentum and get close to their original goal, Ben Coleman, president of the forwarder Teampower Logistics, said. “They started with $2,000 [to the West Coast], then early signings dropped that to $1,600-$1,800, and now they’re trying to claw back to $2,000,” Coleman said. An industry consultant who formerly served as a logistics manager with national retailers said it is not unusual for larger importers to attempt to secure lower contract rates from each carrier they deal with until all their volume has been committed. “They will try to get the best rates they can,” the source said. “Maybe they can get it done with some contracts, but not all.” A carrier executive echoed that point, but noted retailers could end up being shut out by some lines. “The more you try to push down rates, the riskier it will be to get space,” the executive said. “Still, some are still trying to leverage their volumes.” A forwarder said even though the April 1 GRI may not be as fully effective as carriers would like, they appear resolved to reach their initial goals for service contract rates. “We are moving forward with our contract discussions, and benchmarks, at least for named accounts, remaining at $2,000 [for the West Coast] and $3,000 [for the East Coast], respectively,” the source said. Some carriers this week launched a second round of negotiations with non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOs), which will put additional pressure on importers to wrap up their contract negotiations, a second forwarder said. He estimates that most NVO contracts will settle near $2,000 per FEU to the West Coast. Some importers had resisted finalizing their contracts until the Trump administration announced its tariff policy, but with Wednesday’s announcement , those retailers and other importers with fall merchandise to book are likely to finalize their contracts and step up their bookings, forwarders said. With spot rates higher, bookings in Asia picking up and importers looking beyond the tariffs to finalize their fall and holiday merchandise needs, shippers realize they can’t wait much longer to wrap up their contract negotiations, one forwarder said. “There’s been a different dynamic the last 72 hours,” the source said. Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com .Contact Laura Robb at laura.robb@spglobal.com .

Forwarding

Trans-Pac GRI offers resistance to retailers’ push for lower contract rates

Use code GTW695 at checkout and save $800 on first year of an annual Gold subscription!

Upgrade Subscription - Gold Trials

Become a Gold Subscriber and Save!

Arm your team with the most trusted information portal for the international container shipping industry.

Group Subscriptions - Wide Box

Get into a group subscription today

Use code STSW20 at checkout to save 20% on the first year of any annual subscription! 

Subscribe Now - Free Trials - Wide Box

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE

Use code GUW795 at checkout and save $700 on first year of a Gold subscription!

Upgrade Subscription - Wide Box

UPGRADE AND SAVE

Access Journal of Commerce content for 30 days

Free Trial - Wide Box

START A FREE TRIAL TODAY

Choose a subscription plan that works best for you!

Subscribe Now - Anonymous - Wide Box

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

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

SMC3rates_shutterstock_5247046.jpg

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>

SMC3rates_shutterstock_5247046 (1).jpg

Filling the Supply Chain Education Gap with LTL Education Courses

SUBSCRIBE TODAY: Choose a subscription plan that works best for you!

Subscribe Now - Anonymous - Offer Box

Subscribe Today

START A FREE TRIAL: Access Journal of Commerce content for 30 days

Free Trial - Offer Box

Free Trial

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE: Use code STSW20 at checkout to save 20% on first year of any subscription plan!


Subscribe Now - Free Trials - Offer Box

GET INTO A GROUP SUBSCRIPTION: Arm your team with unlimited Journal of Commerce content

Group Subscriptions - Offer Box

Group Subscriptions

UPGRADE TO GOLD AND SAVE: Use code GTW695 at checkout and save $800 on first year of a Gold subscription!

Upgrade Subscription

UPGRADE AND SAVE: Use code GUW795 at checkout and save $700 on first year of a Gold subscription! 

Upgrade Subscription - Offer Box

A must-attend conference for shippers & logistics providers moving goods inland

Inland Conference - Rectangle Box

Attend Inland25

A premium access index of savings using domestic intermodal vs. OTR 

ISI Report - Rectangle Box

Intermodal Savings Index

An in-depth analysis of transport trends in the multipurpose and heavy-lift fleet segment

Breakbulk Report - Rectangle Box

Breakbulk Quarterly

An extensive dashboard of charts organized by trade lane, mode, and topic

Gateway - Rectangle Box

Gateway

Customers scoring their intermodal partners to identify the best service providers

Intermodal Service Scorecard - Rectangle Box

Intermodal Service Scorecard

A premium access outlook critical to shippers and transportation providers

QI Report - Rectangle Box

Quarterly Intelligence

The latest container shipping news and analysis of ocean container shipping, logistics, supply chains, technology solutions and end-to-end connectivity. Coverage includes the movement of containerized cargo handled by marine terminals and container ports, depots, container lines, drayage, consignees, importers and shippers, forwarders, non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOs) and off-dock warehousing providers. The Journal of Commerce's container shipping news includes news from the trans-Pacific, Asia–Europe, North America–Caribbean, Central and South America trades, and intra-Asia trades.

Trans-Atlantic

Container shipping news and analysis of ocean container shipping, logistics, supply chains, technology and end-to-end connectivity.

Container Shipping News | Journal of Commerce

Breakbulk News shipping | Journal of Commerce

Breakbulk News

Stay informed on port news worldwide with Journal of Commerce. From decarbonization to labor updates, get insights on global developments.

Port News | Journal of Commerce

Port News

News and analysis of ocean containerized cargo movement, logistics, supply chains, technology, and end-to-end connectivity. Maritime news and analysis of containerized ocean cargo movement, breakbulk and roll-on and roll-off shipping from origin to destination.

Latest News

Attend Inland25

Filling the Supply Chain Education Gap with LTL Education Courses

More News & Analysis

Mexico potential leads investors to back cross-border load board

Ocean Alliance rolls out series of blank sailings on Asia-North Europe

Farm state House members say USTR proposal offers big risks to US ag interests