<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">W. Don Welch, who guided the development of the Port of Charleston into a modern container port duri</div>

W. Don Welch, who guided the development of the Port of Charleston into a modern container port duri

<div>W. Don Welch, who guided the development of the Port of Charleston into a modern container port during 26 years as head of the South Carolina State Ports Authority, died Tuesday in Vero Beach, Fla. He was 78.Mr. Welch joined the ports authority in 1971, just as general cargo in South Atlantic ports was beginning to shift to containers. At the time, he predicted, "Anything that can be containerized will be," and steered the port to prepare for the change. When he retired in 1997, Charleston ranked second among East Coast ports in container volume.As executive director of the ports...

W. Don Welch, who guided the development of the Port of Charleston into a modern container port during 26 years as head of the South Carolina State Ports Authority, died Tuesday in Vero Beach, Fla. He was 78. Mr. Welch joined the ports authority in 1971, just as general cargo in South Atlantic ports was beginning to shift to containers. At the time, he predicted, "Anything that can be containerized will be," and steered the port to prepare for the change. When he retired in 1997, Charleston ranked second among East Coast ports in container volume. As executive director of the ports authority, Mr. Welch guided the development of the Wando Terminal from the purchase of its land in 1972, to the terminal's opening in 1981, and its near completion in 1997. In 2005 the terminal was renamed the Wando Welch Terminal. He also led the overhaul of the ports authority's other facilities to provide open storage for containres. "Don Welch's many contributions to the State Ports Authority and economic development in this state are apparent now and will be felt for many years to come," said John F. Hassell III, the ports authority's interim president and CEO and board president. "We in the port industry mourn the loss of a dedicated leader, consummate professional and friend." A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Mr. Welch earned a B.A. in economics from the University of Florida in 1951 and an M.S. in transportation from the University of Tennessee in 1956. During the Korean War, he served as an Army artillery officer. After teaching transportation logistics at the University of Tennessee for two years, he worked four years as transportation research manager for Humble Oil & Refining Co. in Houston. In 1962 he became corporate general manager of traffic and transportation at U.S. Plywood-Champion Papers Inc. in Hamilton, Ohio, before becoming port director at Charleston. After retiring, he and hiw wife moved to Florida. Mr. Welch received a number of honors, including World Trade "Man of the Year" by the Propeller Club of Charleston and the "Distinguished Service Award" granted by the Southern Growth Policies Board. He was also named named the University of Tennessee's "Distinguished Alumnus" for 1981. In April 1991 Mr. Welch was presented the transportation industry's most prestigious award, the Harry E. Salzberg Memorial Medallion, by the School of Management at Syracuse University. Mr. Welch served as the 1981 chairman of the American Association of Port Authorities. In 1990, the College of Charleston established the W. Don Welch Medallion to be awarded in Welch's honor for "meritorious contributions in the transportation industry." Survivors include his wife, Lillemor; two daughters; a son; five grandchilden; a great-granddaughter; and an aunt. Funeral services will be private. Cox-Gifford-Seawinds Funeral Home of Vero Beach is handling arrangements. The online guest book is available at Seawindssfh.com. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to VNA Hospice of Indian River County, 1110 35th Lane, Vero Beach, Fla. 32960

Maritime

Don Welch, longtime S.C. port director, dies at 78

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The carrier, which reported $1 billion in net profit for the third quarter, says the potential boost in volumes could come as US importers seek to beat the possible implementation of new tariffs on Chinese goods by the incoming Trump administration.</div>

The carrier, which reported $1 billion in net profit for the third quarter, says the potential boost in volumes could come as US importers seek to beat the possible implementation of new tariffs on Chinese goods by the incoming Trump administration.

Feature image

<div class="phx-topic">Hapag-Lloyd could see a cargo rush ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays in January partly due to shippers seeking to beat the possible imposition of new and increased US tariffs on Chinese products by the incoming Trump administration, its CEO said Thursday. That comes as demand remains strong in the fourth quarter, although Q4 profitability is set to slide compared with the carrier’s highly profitable third quarter, it said. “That we’re going to see a little bit of a rush going into Chinese New Year, I would certainly not rule it out,” Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said in an online briefing after the carrier released its third-quarter earnings. He said it was too soon to tell how big the potential boost in volumes could be. Habben Jansen said cargo demand returned quickly after the October holidays in China and was currently “robust.” “But how much of that is pre-loading, is difficult to judge,” he said. “We see, at the moment, demand is very healthy.” The CEO indicated that increased demand ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday would most likely have a positive impact on short-term freight rates. The Lunar New Year holiday starts on Jan. 29, just over a week after Donald Trump is inaugurated as the US president. Habben Jansen thought the introduction of more tariffs by the US could cause a further shift in trade flows, as happened during the first Trump administration in 2017–21 when manufacturers moved some production away from China. “I would not be surprised if there was going to be something similar this time,” he said. “I’m cautiously optimistic that in the end trade flows may change, but we’ll hopefully still see fairly decent global trade. If we want to grow wealth around the world, it’s important we have free trade.” Hapag-Lloyd is currently forecasting cargo demand growth of 3% next year. Habben Jansen said Hapag-Lloyd is not yet preparing for the possibility of renewed industrial action by dockworkers at ports on the US East and Gulf coasts when the current extended contract between the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) and the International Longshoremen’s Association expires on Jan. 15. “I would still hope an amicable agreement is ... reached between USMX and the ILA,” he said. The ILA <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/ila-breaks-off-contract-talks-accuses-usmx-of-semi-automation-push-5810392">on Wednesday broke off talks with the USMX</a> scheduled for this week after it said maritime employers continued to push for automation and semi-automation in its proposed master contract in a move the ILA claimed would eliminate longshore jobs. Habben Jansen, meanwhile, confirmed that Gemini Cooperation, its coming alliance with Maersk, would open for cargo bookings in two weeks as it prepares for a Feb. 1 launch. He said while Hapag-Lloyd has signed up “a bit more volume” for next year from Asia to Europe in the current ongoing contract negotiations with shippers, it was “way too early to draw any conclusions” whether Gemini was responsible. Gemini hopes to grow its market share partly on the basis of having improved schedule reliability by having fewer port pairings, Habben Jansen added. “I would expect because of higher schedule reliability and better predictability in the supply chain people might be willing to pay a bit more,” he said. “But of course, we first need to implement that and demonstrate that schedule reliability week in, week out.” <h3>Q3 net profit soars </h3>Habben Jansen’s comments came after Hapag-Lloyd said third-quarter net profit surged 256% to $1 billion, up from $293 million in the prior year period. The quarterly figure was also 32% higher than the total $792 million in net profit reported for the first half of the year. But indicating lower earnings in the fourth quarter despite robust demand, the carrier estimated earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of between $460 million and $861 million for the fourth quarter based on full-year forecasts. Jefferies Equity Research said the carrier’s third-quarter results were in line with expectations. ”Hapag-Lloyd is in solid shape financially and benefiting from a strong underlying freight market,” Jefferies said in a research note Thursday. Hapag-Lloyd said group revenue climbed to $5.8 billion in the third quarter, up 29% from $4.5 billion a year earlier. That was driven by a 23% increase in average revenue per TEU, to $1,612 per TEU, plus a 3.8% increase in liftings to 3.2 million TEUs, fueled by volume gains on the trans-Pacific, trans-Atlantic and Far East trades. Contact Keith Wallis at <a href="mailto:keithwallis@hotmail.com">keithwallis@hotmail.com</a>. </div>

Hapag-Lloyd could see a cargo rush ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays in January partly due to shippers seeking to beat the possible imposition of new and increased US tariffs on Chinese products by the incoming Trump administration, its CEO said Thursday. That comes as demand remains strong in the fourth quarter, although Q4 profitability is set to slide compared with the carrier’s highly profitable third quarter, it said. “That we’re going to see a little bit of a rush going into Chinese New Year, I would certainly not rule it out,” Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said in an online briefing after the carrier released its third-quarter earnings. He said it was too soon to tell how big the potential boost in volumes could be. Habben Jansen said cargo demand returned quickly after the October holidays in China and was currently “robust.” “But how much of that is pre-loading, is difficult to judge,” he said. “We see, at the moment, demand is very healthy.” The CEO indicated that increased demand ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday would most likely have a positive impact on short-term freight rates. The Lunar New Year holiday starts on Jan. 29, just over a week after Donald Trump is inaugurated as the US president. Habben Jansen thought the introduction of more tariffs by the US could cause a further shift in trade flows, as happened during the first Trump administration in 2017–21 when manufacturers moved some production away from China. “I would not be surprised if there was going to be something similar this time,” he said. “I’m cautiously optimistic that in the end trade flows may change, but we’ll hopefully still see fairly decent global trade. If we want to grow wealth around the world, it’s important we have free trade.” Hapag-Lloyd is currently forecasting cargo demand growth of 3% next year. Habben Jansen said Hapag-Lloyd is not yet preparing for the possibility of renewed industrial action by dockworkers at ports on the US East and Gulf coasts when the current extended contract between the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) and the International Longshoremen’s Association expires on Jan. 15. “I would still hope an amicable agreement is ... reached between USMX and the ILA,” he said. The ILA on Wednesday broke off talks with the USMX scheduled for this week after it said maritime employers continued to push for automation and semi-automation in its proposed master contract in a move the ILA claimed would eliminate longshore jobs. Habben Jansen, meanwhile, confirmed that Gemini Cooperation, its coming alliance with Maersk, would open for cargo bookings in two weeks as it prepares for a Feb. 1 launch. He said while Hapag-Lloyd has signed up “a bit more volume” for next year from Asia to Europe in the current ongoing contract negotiations with shippers, it was “way too early to draw any conclusions” whether Gemini was responsible. Gemini hopes to grow its market share partly on the basis of having improved schedule reliability by having fewer port pairings, Habben Jansen added. “I would expect because of higher schedule reliability and better predictability in the supply chain people might be willing to pay a bit more,” he said. “But of course, we first need to implement that and demonstrate that schedule reliability week in, week out.” Q3 net profit soars Habben Jansen’s comments came after Hapag-Lloyd said third-quarter net profit surged 256% to $1 billion, up from $293 million in the prior year period. The quarterly figure was also 32% higher than the total $792 million in net profit reported for the first half of the year. But indicating lower earnings in the fourth quarter despite robust demand, the carrier estimated earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of between $460 million and $861 million for the fourth quarter based on full-year forecasts. Jefferies Equity Research said the carrier’s third-quarter results were in line with expectations. ”Hapag-Lloyd is in solid shape financially and benefiting from a strong underlying freight market,” Jefferies said in a research note Thursday. Hapag-Lloyd said group revenue climbed to $5.8 billion in the third quarter, up 29% from $4.5 billion a year earlier. That was driven by a 23% increase in average revenue per TEU, to $1,612 per TEU, plus a 3.8% increase in liftings to 3.2 million TEUs, fueled by volume gains on the trans-Pacific, trans-Atlantic and Far East trades. Contact Keith Wallis at keithwallis@hotmail.com .

Container Shipping News

Container lines

Hapag-Lloyd sees possible pre-LNY cargo rush amid ‘very healthy’ demand

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The company sees its new Broker Access product as another channel for brokers to find capacity outside of contracts with truckload carriers and posting spot freight on a load board. </div>

The company sees its new Broker Access product as another channel for brokers to find capacity outside of contracts with truckload carriers and posting spot freight on a load board.

<div class="phx-topic">Uber Freight on Thursday opened its network of truckload carriers to fellow freight brokers under a new product called Broker Access. The product, which is operated independently of Uber’s own freight brokerage business, gives other brokers the ability to expand the pool of capacity available to move truckloads for those brokers’ shipper-customers. Broker Access, in some ways, mirrors the development of a similar product at the now-defunct freight broker Convoy, which in 2021 launched Convoy for Brokers to similarly give other brokers access to drivers within its network. Convoy’s technology was later acquired by forwarder Flexport, which earlier this year restarted Convoy for Brokers under a new name, the Convoy Platform. The commonality between the two products is leveraging a network of hundreds of thousands of truckload drivers who have downloaded the companies’ respective mobile apps. Those apps allow drivers to book loads, sequence multiple loads (something Uber Freight calls re-loads) and automate other workflow aspects in the shipment lifecycle. Uber Freight sees Broker Access as another channel for brokers to find capacity outside of contracts with truckload carriers and posting spot freight on a load board, Brooks McMahon, the company’s vice president of emerging products and business development, told the Journal of Commerce. Key to enabling this third path is that some carriers are embracing mobile apps as workflow enablement tools, not a technology nuisance. “We think it’ll continue to happen, where more and more carriers will want to work this way,” said McMahon, who spearheaded Convoy for Brokers before joining Uber Freight in late 2023. “But there will always be a place for relationships and there will always be a place for load boards. Keep doing what you’re doing and consider this another path to get access to this new carrier base.” As brokers look for vetted carriers outside their network, there is a cohort of drivers who are embracing apps such as Uber’s because they’re technologically savvy or English is a second language and they feel disadvantaged when business is conducted over the phone, McMahon said. “Programs like this sort of level the playing field for carriers,” he said. <h3>Data behind a firewall </h3>One key behind the Broker Access offering is that it utilizes the same back-end technology that Uber Freight uses for its own brokerage business, but data is kept behind a firewall, so the Uber Freight brokerage business isn’t advantaged. “We’ve got different tables for all of our data,” McMahon said, acknowledging that overcoming the perception that Broker Access isn’t independent is important. “We have access controls. We don’t share data with the [third-party logistics] teams. They don’t share with us. So, we truly have put up walls. We have to offer this the right way.” McMahon said Uber Freight has been trialing Broker Access with a group of brokers since May. The product can be accessed by brokers via application programming interface (API), electronic data interchange (EDI) or via a web-based interface. The API and EDI connections allow external brokers to enable automated workflows around tendering, booking, tracking and payment reconciliation, but the web interface is there for smaller brokers not yet ready for integrations but who still want access to drivers using the Uber Freight app. Contact Eric Johnson at <a href="mailto:eric.johnson@spglobal.com">eric.johnson@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

Uber Freight on Thursday opened its network of truckload carriers to fellow freight brokers under a new product called Broker Access. The product, which is operated independently of Uber’s own freight brokerage business, gives other brokers the ability to expand the pool of capacity available to move truckloads for those brokers’ shipper-customers. Broker Access, in some ways, mirrors the development of a similar product at the now-defunct freight broker Convoy, which in 2021 launched Convoy for Brokers to similarly give other brokers access to drivers within its network. Convoy’s technology was later acquired by forwarder Flexport, which earlier this year restarted Convoy for Brokers under a new name, the Convoy Platform. The commonality between the two products is leveraging a network of hundreds of thousands of truckload drivers who have downloaded the companies’ respective mobile apps. Those apps allow drivers to book loads, sequence multiple loads (something Uber Freight calls re-loads) and automate other workflow aspects in the shipment lifecycle. Uber Freight sees Broker Access as another channel for brokers to find capacity outside of contracts with truckload carriers and posting spot freight on a load board, Brooks McMahon, the company’s vice president of emerging products and business development, told the Journal of Commerce. Key to enabling this third path is that some carriers are embracing mobile apps as workflow enablement tools, not a technology nuisance. “We think it’ll continue to happen, where more and more carriers will want to work this way,” said McMahon, who spearheaded Convoy for Brokers before joining Uber Freight in late 2023. “But there will always be a place for relationships and there will always be a place for load boards. Keep doing what you’re doing and consider this another path to get access to this new carrier base.” As brokers look for vetted carriers outside their network, there is a cohort of drivers who are embracing apps such as Uber’s because they’re technologically savvy or English is a second language and they feel disadvantaged when business is conducted over the phone, McMahon said. “Programs like this sort of level the playing field for carriers,” he said. Data behind a firewall One key behind the Broker Access offering is that it utilizes the same back-end technology that Uber Freight uses for its own brokerage business, but data is kept behind a firewall, so the Uber Freight brokerage business isn’t advantaged. “We’ve got different tables for all of our data,” McMahon said, acknowledging that overcoming the perception that Broker Access isn’t independent is important. “We have access controls. We don’t share data with the [third-party logistics] teams. They don’t share with us. So, we truly have put up walls. We have to offer this the right way.” McMahon said Uber Freight has been trialing Broker Access with a group of brokers since May. The product can be accessed by brokers via application programming interface (API), electronic data interchange (EDI) or via a web-based interface. The API and EDI connections allow external brokers to enable automated workflows around tendering, booking, tracking and payment reconciliation, but the web interface is there for smaller brokers not yet ready for integrations but who still want access to drivers using the Uber Freight app. Contact Eric Johnson at eric.johnson@spglobal.com .

Logistics Technology News

Truckload

Truck brokers

Uber Freight opens up truckload capacity network to rival brokers

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The deal for privately-owned IMC Cos. gives NVO Kuehne+Nagel a significant advantage in selling door-to-door products to cargo owners.</div>

The deal for privately-owned IMC Cos. gives NVO Kuehne+Nagel a significant advantage in selling door-to-door products to cargo owners.

<div class="phx-topic">Kuehne+Nagel said Thursday it has acquired a majority stake in IMC Cos., one of the largest ocean drayage providers in the US with terminals in almost every major port city and rail hub. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The non-vessel-operating common carrier (NVO) will have a 51% stake in Tennessee-based IMC Cos., formerly known as Intermodal Cartage, giving K+N a significant advantage in selling door-to-door products to cargo owners. IMC handles about 2 million TEUs annually from US ports and rails and generated $800 million in revenue in 2023. “IMC’s range of capabilities significantly expands our service offering and allows us to develop even more attractive solutions for the value chains of our sea freight customers,” K+N CEO Stefan Paul said in a statement, adding the IMC brand will be retained. While ocean carriers own other US drayage providers, none are as large as IMC Cos., a family-owned company founded by current Chairman Mark George. Maersk acquired Performance Team in 2020 for $545 million. It has also owned Hudd Transportation-Damco Distribution for more than two decades. Mediterranean Shipping Co. acquired C&amp;K Holdings in 2022, including the C&amp;K Trucking drayage division. IMC is much larger than Hudd-Damco and C&amp;K Holdings. IMC owns 49 terminals in the US, covering nearly every major port city and rail hub, except in the Pacific Northwest and Florida, and owns five transloading facilities. For comparison, C&amp;K Holdings owns 20 terminals in the US, while Performance Team has eight locations. The largest remaining privately-owned US drayage provider is RoadOne IntermodaLogistics, which is co-owned by the Kellaway family and two private equity firms. The K+N-IMC transaction is expected to close at the beginning of the first quarter of 2025. Contact Ari Ashe at <a href="mailto:ari.ashe@spglobal.com ">ari.ashe@spglobal.com</a></div>

Kuehne+Nagel said Thursday it has acquired a majority stake in IMC Cos., one of the largest ocean drayage providers in the US with terminals in almost every major port city and rail hub. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The non-vessel-operating common carrier (NVO) will have a 51% stake in Tennessee-based IMC Cos., formerly known as Intermodal Cartage, giving K+N a significant advantage in selling door-to-door products to cargo owners. IMC handles about 2 million TEUs annually from US ports and rails and generated $800 million in revenue in 2023. “IMC’s range of capabilities significantly expands our service offering and allows us to develop even more attractive solutions for the value chains of our sea freight customers,” K+N CEO Stefan Paul said in a statement, adding the IMC brand will be retained. While ocean carriers own other US drayage providers, none are as large as IMC Cos., a family-owned company founded by current Chairman Mark George. Maersk acquired Performance Team in 2020 for $545 million. It has also owned Hudd Transportation-Damco Distribution for more than two decades. Mediterranean Shipping Co. acquired C&K Holdings in 2022, including the C&K Trucking drayage division. IMC is much larger than Hudd-Damco and C&K Holdings. IMC owns 49 terminals in the US, covering nearly every major port city and rail hub, except in the Pacific Northwest and Florida, and owns five transloading facilities. For comparison, C&K Holdings owns 20 terminals in the US, while Performance Team has eight locations. The largest remaining privately-owned US drayage provider is RoadOne IntermodaLogistics, which is co-owned by the Kellaway family and two private equity firms. The K+N-IMC transaction is expected to close at the beginning of the first quarter of 2025. Contact Ari Ashe at ari.ashe@spglobal.com

Transport, Trade and Regulation News

Drayage

Surface

K+N acquires majority stake in big US drayage provider

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">While the presidential campaign is no longer a factor, the new Trump administration will likely be similarly disinterested in a strike of any significant length and, it can be assumed, will get directly involved in talks.</div>

While the presidential campaign is no longer a factor, the new Trump administration will likely be similarly disinterested in a strike of any significant length and, it can be assumed, will get directly involved in talks.

<div class="phx-topic">Following President Joe Biden’s intervention in October <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/ila-usmx-agree-on-new-wage-offer-and-contract-extension-that-reopens-ports-5741882">to end the brief strike at East and Gulf coast ports</a>, US longshore labor negotiations can no longer be seen through a traditional lens. The precedent now firmly established is that politics will prevail over the traditional give-and-take at the negotiating table. <div class="wrapper-narrow float-right-element"><img src="/images/phoenix/5817573_0.1.jpg"></img></div>A traditional lens on the current scenario, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/ila-breaks-off-contract-talks-accuses-usmx-of-semi-automation-push-5810392">following the suspension of talks again by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) on Wednesday</a>, would show labor and management dug in with few evident pathways to bridge the gap and the real possibility of another strike as of Jan. 15. Management’s fundamental view is that given minimal physical additions to US port capacity, efficiency gains through automation — starting with contractual rights — are required to move growing volumes through existing facilities. Although no current union jobs would be placed at risk, the union sees automation as a threat to its nearly 150-year-old franchise and is intent on rolling back the limited right of terminal operators to automate under the existing contract. The union suspended further talks this week over that issue, with management, represented by the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), stating the union is intent on “restricting future use of technology that has existed in some of our ports for nearly two decades.” But the real question is: Does it matter? Is the economic rationale for greater port efficiency relevant in terms of how decisions will get made over the coming few months? Does it matter that US ports appear nowhere in the top 50 of the <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2024/06/01/regional-disruptions-drive-changes-in-global-container-port-performance-ranking">Container Port Performance Index</a>, a data set developed by the Journal of Commerce, and that costly bottlenecks are a frequent occurrence at US ports? Conversations the Journal of Commerce has had with multiple sources close to the negotiations say with a Republican, pro-business administration coming into power on Jan. 20 and anti-union figures including Elon Musk advising President-elect Donald Trump, management may have more leverage in the negotiations than they did in October. But sources admit the possibility cannot be ruled out that management’s position is, in fact, no stronger than it was. In other words, even as the White House changes hands, the outcome will be the same as it was in October — presidential intervention in favor of the union irrespective of the costs to the industry and the economy. The carriers being on the losing end was precisely what happened in October. The USMX and its ocean carrier members were <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/behind-the-scenes-white-house-arm-twisting-got-ila-wage-deal-done-5747241">all but forced by the White House</a> to agree to a 62% pay increase for dockworkers over six years in a preliminary settlement on the wage issue. The “deal” ended the strike after three days and took the issue off the table as a dangerous campaign factor for Democrats. <h3>Little apparent leverage for management </h3>This time, the campaign is no longer a factor, but the new administration will likely be similarly disinterested in a strike of any significant length and, it can be assumed, will get directly involved, following precedent set by a series of presidents going back to George W. Bush, who acted to end a 10-day lockout of West Coast dockworkers in 2002. What does the incoming President-elect Trump do? Reject the views of blue-collar workers — a core Trump constituency — and a union that did him a favor during the campaign by withholding an endorsement of his opponent, as it had given to Biden in 2020? Having met with Trump late last year, documented in a photo widely spread on social media, ILA President Harold Daggett said in a social media post that “President Trump promised to support the ILA in its opposition to automated terminals in the US,” a statement that can hardly be written off. If Trump is all too willing to raise the costs of trade via tariffs, the reasoning goes, why would he be concerned about inefficiency at ports? That is why some close to the negotiations believe USMX will ultimately agree to the union’s demands, including agreeing to its terms on automation. The result would be avoiding a strike, or at the very least a lengthy one, and averting another White House showdown management had no chance of winning in October and could have no chance of winning in January. “The employers in the end are likely to agree to language that effectively bans new automation for the life of the contract,” a knowledgeable source told the Journal of Commerce. “The employers will want to put this contract behind them and prioritize strategy for future negotiations in hopes of avoiding a repeat of what happened just before the presidential election.” Ocean carriers, for whom the US is an important market, have traditionally sought to maintain a low profile, knowing they are foreign entities and politically speaking have few friends in Washington, as was seen when the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA-22) was signed into law over their objections. That thinking appears to be part of the union’s calculus that, at the moment, it holds all the cards and if so, why not seize the day in seeking to not just prevent an expansion of automation, but to roll back employers’ existing automation rights? Under that scenario, USMX would live to fight another day and likely take the next few years to re-tool in a bid to fare better in future negotiations. Contact Peter Tirschwell at <a href="mailto:peter.tirschwell@spglobal.com">peter.tirschwell@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Following President Joe Biden’s intervention in October to end the brief strike at East and Gulf coast ports , US longshore labor negotiations can no longer be seen through a traditional lens. The precedent now firmly established is that politics will prevail over the traditional give-and-take at the negotiating table. A traditional lens on the current scenario, following the suspension of talks again by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) on Wednesday , would show labor and management dug in with few evident pathways to bridge the gap and the real possibility of another strike as of Jan. 15. Management’s fundamental view is that given minimal physical additions to US port capacity, efficiency gains through automation — starting with contractual rights — are required to move growing volumes through existing facilities. Although no current union jobs would be placed at risk, the union sees automation as a threat to its nearly 150-year-old franchise and is intent on rolling back the limited right of terminal operators to automate under the existing contract. The union suspended further talks this week over that issue, with management, represented by the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), stating the union is intent on “restricting future use of technology that has existed in some of our ports for nearly two decades.” But the real question is: Does it matter? Is the economic rationale for greater port efficiency relevant in terms of how decisions will get made over the coming few months? Does it matter that US ports appear nowhere in the top 50 of the Container Port Performance Index , a data set developed by the Journal of Commerce, and that costly bottlenecks are a frequent occurrence at US ports? Conversations the Journal of Commerce has had with multiple sources close to the negotiations say with a Republican, pro-business administration coming into power on Jan. 20 and anti-union figures including Elon Musk advising President-elect Donald Trump, management may have more leverage in the negotiations than they did in October. But sources admit the possibility cannot be ruled out that management’s position is, in fact, no stronger than it was. In other words, even as the White House changes hands, the outcome will be the same as it was in October — presidential intervention in favor of the union irrespective of the costs to the industry and the economy. The carriers being on the losing end was precisely what happened in October. The USMX and its ocean carrier members were all but forced by the White House to agree to a 62% pay increase for dockworkers over six years in a preliminary settlement on the wage issue. The “deal” ended the strike after three days and took the issue off the table as a dangerous campaign factor for Democrats. Little apparent leverage for management This time, the campaign is no longer a factor, but the new administration will likely be similarly disinterested in a strike of any significant length and, it can be assumed, will get directly involved, following precedent set by a series of presidents going back to George W. Bush, who acted to end a 10-day lockout of West Coast dockworkers in 2002. What does the incoming President-elect Trump do? Reject the views of blue-collar workers — a core Trump constituency — and a union that did him a favor during the campaign by withholding an endorsement of his opponent, as it had given to Biden in 2020? Having met with Trump late last year, documented in a photo widely spread on social media, ILA President Harold Daggett said in a social media post that “President Trump promised to support the ILA in its opposition to automated terminals in the US,” a statement that can hardly be written off. If Trump is all too willing to raise the costs of trade via tariffs, the reasoning goes, why would he be concerned about inefficiency at ports? That is why some close to the negotiations believe USMX will ultimately agree to the union’s demands, including agreeing to its terms on automation. The result would be avoiding a strike, or at the very least a lengthy one, and averting another White House showdown management had no chance of winning in October and could have no chance of winning in January. “The employers in the end are likely to agree to language that effectively bans new automation for the life of the contract,” a knowledgeable source told the Journal of Commerce. “The employers will want to put this contract behind them and prioritize strategy for future negotiations in hopes of avoiding a repeat of what happened just before the presidential election.” Ocean carriers, for whom the US is an important market, have traditionally sought to maintain a low profile, knowing they are foreign entities and politically speaking have few friends in Washington, as was seen when the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA-22) was signed into law over their objections. That thinking appears to be part of the union’s calculus that, at the moment, it holds all the cards and if so, why not seize the day in seeking to not just prevent an expansion of automation, but to roll back employers’ existing automation rights? Under that scenario, USMX would live to fight another day and likely take the next few years to re-tool in a bid to fare better in future negotiations. Contact Peter Tirschwell at peter.tirschwell@spglobal.com .

North American ports

Longshore labor

New precedent established for politics to drive longshore union negotiations

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Dockworkers in British Columbia, as well as Montreal, say Labor Minister Steve MacKinnon’s order to accept binding arbitration goes against their rights under Canada’s constitution.</div>

Dockworkers in British Columbia, as well as Montreal, say Labor Minister Steve MacKinnon’s order to accept binding arbitration goes against their rights under Canada’s constitution.

<div class="phx-topic">Longshore foremen at British Columbia ports plan a legal challenge against a government order for them to return to work and submit to binding arbitration in contract talks with maritime employers, even as Canada’s busiest port plans to reopen Thursday. Meanwhile, Montreal’s dockworkers are also balking at a similar request, arguing such a demand from the government is unconstitutional. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 said <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/bc-montreal-ports-set-to-reopen-under-orders-from-canadas-labor-chief-5792214">the order from Canadian Labor Minister Steve MacKinnon for binding arbitration</a> in contract talks between the union and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) was unconstitutional, as was his order to reopen ports. The union added that it plans to file a “charter challenge” against the Canada Industrial Relations Board’s (CIRB’s) constitutional power to make such an order. “We will fight this order in the courts,” Frank Morena, president of Local 514, said in a statement. “We will fight the arbitrated forced contract in the courts.” The labor minister’s orders aimed <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/port-lockouts-extend-from-bc-ports-to-montreal-5790073">to end a two-week closure of the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert</a> due to the <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/bc-container-ports-set-for-shutdown-after-foremen-begin-strike-5785499">BCMEA locking out members of Local 514 after they voted to strike</a>. MacKinnon’s order also applied to the Port of Montreal’s 1,200 dockworkers who have been in <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/montreal-dockworkers-target-mscs-terminals-for-strike-this-week-5781453">a series of rolling labor actions against maritime employers there since October</a>, culminating in management locking out longshore workers. Local 514 in British Columbia has been in protracted negotiations with the BCMEA over a new contract covering its 700 members since the expiration of the previous deal in March 2023. A separate dispute over the implementation of semi-automated rail mounted gantry cranes at Vancouver’s DP World Centerm terminal prompted the union to strike that facility, but the CIRB ruled that vote was illegal. Despite the union’s challenge, the BCMEA said port operations across the province are set to resume with the night shift on Thursday. As of Thursday, there were four container ships at the Port of Vancouver’s anchorage sites, with another seven dwelling just outside the port’s jurisdiction. While the number of ships waiting for a berth is relatively small, it’s unclear when Vancouver’s marine terminals will be able to clear up the backlog due to a more limited pool of longshore labor available during November and December.“With the resumption of work, coupled with an anticipated high volume of vessels and cargo, there will be extensive province-wide labor requirements across all port areas,” the BCMEA said in its statement. <h3>Direct appeal to CIRB </h3>Local 514’s charter challenge first involves a direct appeal to the CIRB about its ability to order a return to work. Even though it was maritime employers who locked out longshore foremen, the CIRB’s return-to-work order also covers any labor actions on the part of the union. If a direct appeal doesn’t work, then Local 514 can turn to Canada’s Supreme Court for a hearing on MacKinnon’s constitutional power to issue such an order. The union’s move is similar to what <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/canadas-labour-minister-orders-end-to-rail-work-stoppage-via-binding-arbitration-5709672">the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) tried when its members were locked out by Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City back in August</a>. At that time, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/canadian-rail-workers-back-on-job-after-failed-challenge-to-binding-arbitration-5712234">MacKinnon also ordered union members back to work and to accept binding arbitration</a>, allowing the railroads to resume operations. TCRC is also challenging the minister’s order in court. Separately, the Canadian Union of Public Employees CUPE) Local 375 in Montreal said in a Tuesday statement that it was “disappointed” by MacKinnon’s order, saying he was “trampling on their constitutionally protected rights” and that the government should not interfere in collective bargaining between labor and management. “There is no incentive for them to bargain in good faith because they know the federal government will back their side,” Candace Rennick, CUPE’s national secretary-treasurer, said in the statement. It was not immediately clear whether CUPE will also mount a similar legal challenge to MacKinnon’s order. Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Longshore foremen at British Columbia ports plan a legal challenge against a government order for them to return to work and submit to binding arbitration in contract talks with maritime employers, even as Canada’s busiest port plans to reopen Thursday. Meanwhile, Montreal’s dockworkers are also balking at a similar request, arguing such a demand from the government is unconstitutional. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 said the order from Canadian Labor Minister Steve MacKinnon for binding arbitration in contract talks between the union and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) was unconstitutional, as was his order to reopen ports. The union added that it plans to file a “charter challenge” against the Canada Industrial Relations Board’s (CIRB’s) constitutional power to make such an order. “We will fight this order in the courts,” Frank Morena, president of Local 514, said in a statement. “We will fight the arbitrated forced contract in the courts.” The labor minister’s orders aimed to end a two-week closure of the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert due to the BCMEA locking out members of Local 514 after they voted to strike . MacKinnon’s order also applied to the Port of Montreal’s 1,200 dockworkers who have been in a series of rolling labor actions against maritime employers there since October , culminating in management locking out longshore workers. Local 514 in British Columbia has been in protracted negotiations with the BCMEA over a new contract covering its 700 members since the expiration of the previous deal in March 2023. A separate dispute over the implementation of semi-automated rail mounted gantry cranes at Vancouver’s DP World Centerm terminal prompted the union to strike that facility, but the CIRB ruled that vote was illegal. Despite the union’s challenge, the BCMEA said port operations across the province are set to resume with the night shift on Thursday. As of Thursday, there were four container ships at the Port of Vancouver’s anchorage sites, with another seven dwelling just outside the port’s jurisdiction. While the number of ships waiting for a berth is relatively small, it’s unclear when Vancouver’s marine terminals will be able to clear up the backlog due to a more limited pool of longshore labor available during November and December. “With the resumption of work, coupled with an anticipated high volume of vessels and cargo, there will be extensive province-wide labor requirements across all port areas,” the BCMEA said in its statement. Direct appeal to CIRB Local 514’s charter challenge first involves a direct appeal to the CIRB about its ability to order a return to work. Even though it was maritime employers who locked out longshore foremen, the CIRB’s return-to-work order also covers any labor actions on the part of the union. If a direct appeal doesn’t work, then Local 514 can turn to Canada’s Supreme Court for a hearing on MacKinnon’s constitutional power to issue such an order. The union’s move is similar to what the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) tried when its members were locked out by Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City back in August . At that time, MacKinnon also ordered union members back to work and to accept binding arbitration , allowing the railroads to resume operations. TCRC is also challenging the minister’s order in court. Separately, the Canadian Union of Public Employees CUPE) Local 375 in Montreal said in a Tuesday statement that it was “disappointed” by MacKinnon’s order, saying he was “trampling on their constitutionally protected rights” and that the government should not interfere in collective bargaining between labor and management. “There is no incentive for them to bargain in good faith because they know the federal government will back their side,” Candace Rennick, CUPE’s national secretary-treasurer, said in the statement. It was not immediately clear whether CUPE will also mount a similar legal challenge to MacKinnon’s order. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

Marine terminals

BC ports to reopen, but longshore union plans challenge to back-to-work order

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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

SSA Marine Mexico has made significant strides in modernizing its infrastructure at the Port of Manzanillo, investing $15 million to enhance operational efficiency and sustainability at its facilities. This move is part of the company's broader strategy to remain at the forefront of the shipping and logistics industry. •	Strengthening Sustainability with Advanced Technology <figure class="joc_admin__inline-image-position-left joc_admin__inline-image-size-medium" data-figure-size="medium" data-figure-position="left"><img src="/content-assets/1730488295264_Cranes%20arrival%20to%20TEC%20I.png" alt="Cranes arrival to TEC I" class="joc_admin__inline-image-inherit"></figure> In July, SSA Marine Mexico added seven state-of-the-art E-RTG (Electric Rubber-Tired Gantry) cranes to its fleet, valued at $14 million. These advanced cranes were distributed across its two terminals: four cranes were assigned to the Multipurpose Terminal, and three to the Specialized Container Terminal I. What sets these cranes apart is their dual-operation capability, allowing them to function either on electric power or diesel fuel. This innovation plays a critical role in reducing the environmental impact of operations, contributing to a 7% increase in energy efficiency. This efficiency improvement is equivalent to eliminating nearly 4,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually, underscoring SSA Marine Mexico's commitment to sustainability. Through this acquisition, SSA Marine Mexico not only enhances its cargo-handling capabilities but also reinforces its leadership in integrating cutting-edge, eco-friendly technology in the maritime industry. The company continues to push the boundaries of efficiency and sustainability, ensuring long-term value for both its customers and the environment. •	Upgraded Facilities to Meet Growing Demand <figure class="joc_admin__inline-image-position-left joc_admin__inline-image-size-medium" data-figure-size="medium" data-figure-position="left"><img src="/content-assets/1730488350634_Multipurpose%20terminal.png" alt="Multipurpose Terminal" class="joc_admin__inline-image-inherit"></figure> In addition to the new cranes, SSA Marine Mexico has completed crucial modernization and repair work across its Multipurpose Terminal and Specialized Facility at the Port of Manzanillo. This $1 million investment targeted critical infrastructure enhancements, focusing on both structural integrity and operational functionality. Key improvements included leveling approximately 12,000 square meters in the dock area, along with the removal of outdated concrete curbs and asphalt layers. The upgraded space now features high-resistance pavers designed to optimize water drainage and prevent pooling, ensuring safer and more efficient operations. Moreover, the Specialized Facility saw significant upgrades, including the leveling of key warehouse areas to facilitate smoother cargo handling processes. These infrastructure improvements directly enhance the handling of TEUS (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit containers), further demonstrating SSA Marine Mexico's unwavering commitment to continuous modernization, operational safety, and efficiency. With these initiatives, SSA Marine Mexico is well-positioned to meet the growing demands of the global shipping industry while setting new standards in sustainable port operations. LINK:<a href="https://www.ssamarine.mx/ssa-ing/index" rel="noreferrer" class="joc_admin__link"> https://www.ssamarine.mx/ssa-ing/index</a>

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SSA Marine Mexico Modernizes Facilities with $15 Million Investment 

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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