<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">US shippers are opening contract talks early, extending existing agreements, and seeking short-term contracts to hedge against expected 2021 rate increases.</div>

US shippers are opening contract talks early, extending existing agreements, and seeking short-term contracts to hedge against expected 2021 rate increases.

3645976_FI.jpg

<div>The cost of freight transportation in and out of the United States — whether it be for an ocean container, space on an airplane, an empty 53-foot trailer, or a parcel van making a final-mile delivery — is rising significantly. That’s forcing cargo owners to take a hard look at 2021 transportation budgets, in terms of not just how to mitigate cost increases but what they can do to maintain service.Further complicating 2021 transportation budgets is broad uncertainty about the health of the US economy and indeed US consumers themselves, as COVID‑19 cases hit new highs this fall. Although US...

The cost of freight transportation in and out of the United States — whether it be for an ocean container, space on an airplane, an empty 53-foot trailer, or a parcel van making a final-mile delivery — is rising significantly. That’s forcing cargo owners to take a hard look at 2021 transportation budgets, in terms of not just how to mitigate cost increases but what they can do to maintain service. Further complicating 2021 transportation budgets is broad uncertainty about the health of the US economy and indeed US consumers themselves, as COVID‑19 cases hit new highs this fall. Although US consumer demand for physical goods is white-hot, as reflected by the unexpected wave of Asian imports battering West Coast ports, economists are warning of a lengthy economic recovery. That leaves shippers’ budgetary plans balanced on a knife’s edge as they meet with carriers across all modes to discuss the renewal of annual contracts. The tight freight markets of the fourth quarter provide an argument for moderate to significant contractual rate increases, but the possibility of a slower US recovery makes cementing long-term plans increasingly difficult for shippers. Logistics managers are responding by opening contract talks early, extending existing contracts where possible, and seeking short-term contracts for smaller portions of their business, according to several shippers and logistics executives that spoke with JOC.com. They’re making volume forecasts more accurate and protecting the business of core carriers that are crucial to their supply chains. They’re communicating early and often with carriers and with their own CEOs and CFOs. “You can’t hide from market pressure if it is real,” a logistics manager at a Midwest-based food shipper said. At the same time, excessive price pressure may backfire, he said. “Money doesn’t come from thin air. In an environment where swaths of the economy are closed and many business categories and channels are dark, how long should carriers expect to ask for more?” This year is not 2018, the last period when transportation capacity was this tight, at least on land, spurring double-digit rate hikes. At that time, the US economy was expanding healthily. That’s certainly not the case in 2020, and it may not be next year either. “By the second half of 2021, we could be back to a carrier recession with lagging volumes,” the food shipper said. “I wouldn’t mistake market volatility for a carrier bull run on a humming economy.” Disruption, demand tighten capacity Freight capacity across modes is expected to remain tight heading into 2021, however. It’s not just that transportation demand in some sectors, such as big-box retail and e-commerce, is high. Eight months after the COVID-19 pandemic crashed the economy, supply chains of all types remain disrupted and assets and workers dislocated. “The challenges our [shipper] customers face vary by industry,” Mark Yeager, president of third-party logistics provider (3PL) Redwood Logistics, said in an interview. He pointed out that some industries lag others in this recovery. Manufacturing has not recovered to pre-COVID levels of demand and has had difficulty bringing employees back to factory floors. “Some [customers] are facing major shifts in their inbound flows and in production capacity; some are seeing a shift in who they’re shipping to,” Yeager said. “Layer on top of that the complexities of a market that is shifting as quickly as I’ve ever seen, and it’s not surprising that shippers have blown through their budgets. They’re not used to this.” The extent of proposed rate hikes is frustrating shippers, especially those that held themselves out as “shippers of choice” and didn’t press for rate cuts when the bottom dropped out of the market in the second quarter. Shippers are also raising complaints about carrier service, from blanked container ship sailings to late less-than-truckload (LTL) deliveries. “We’re taking a much harder look at the service side” in trucking negotiations, said a West Coast–based consumer goods shipper. “If I’m going to pay the higher rate, then I need something in return. If we’re paying more, and we still get crappy service, we’ve got to find a different vendor.” Shorter contracts, better forecasting The threat of higher rates on land, sea, and air has more and more shippers tossing their old annual contract playbooks and shortening their budgeting horizons. They’re negotiating more narrowly focused, shorter-term contracts that lock in transportation rates and capacity they need today, tomorrow, and next week, rather than six to nine months from now. But shorter-term bids require more data and flexibility from shippers, according to John Haber, CEO of Spend Management Experts. “Now more than ever, shippers need to understand all of their shipping costs and be able to adapt quickly to sudden changes,” Haber told JOC.com. “Investments in visibility and analytic tools are important to [be able to] access and understand shipping data.” Even short-term contracts won’t head off rate increases, however. Data reported by marketing intelligence firm Xeneta show short-term ocean container rates in late October were in the range of $2,400 to $2,500 per FEU to the West Coast. That compares with the trans-Pacific rates of $1,300 to $1,400 per FEU importers secured in annual service contracts this spring. Looking toward 2021, importers are bracing for a possible doubling of ocean freight rates in the trans-Pacific. Although negotiations on 2021-22 contracts won’t begin until next spring, carriers have alerted customers that rates could be in the range of $2,000 to $2,500 per FEU, with one carrier telling JOC.com “negotiations will start at the higher end of that range.” Several sources indicate shippers could be looking at 20 to 30 percent rate hikes from container lines and mid-single-digit increases from intermodal rail and trucking providers. FedEx has announced a general rate increase of 4.9 percent beginning in January, and UPS is expected to follow suit, but parcel carriers are also using surcharges more than in previous years to manage shipment intake. Better forecasting may help retailers and direct importers avoid the nightmare they have endured since summer, when carriers began charging spot rates that exceeded $3,800 per FEU to the West Coast and $4,600 to the East Coast for any imports above a shipper’s minimum quantity commitment (MQC). That nightmare followed them to shore, as Union Pacific Railroad imposed thousands of dollars in surcharges from West Coast ports on freight beyond service contract commitments as imports flooded its network. Surcharges rippled through to some LTL carriers and to parcel operators FedEx and UPS, as each tried to prevent their networks from drowning in freight. As a result, shippers say they will try to be more precise when it comes to forecasting in 2021, to ensure they remain within MQCs. The logistics manager of an automotive parts company whose imports are relatively consistent throughout the year said he will base his MQCs on “normal” demand and then guard against unexpected surges via non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOs) or short-term contracts. The difficulty for many shippers is getting good forecasting data from their suppliers. “We’ve noticed a lot of our factories just are not savvy enough to give good forecasts,” a Southeast furniture shipper said. “The truckload carriers we use need this data; otherwise the factory is going to be jammed up with products because the trucker hasn’t shown up on time.” Simply jumping at the lowest contract rates in the market is a recipe for disaster, beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) told JOC.com. If carriers generally believe the service contract rates they have negotiated in the spring are compensatory, they should be more measured in imposing general rate increases during periods of high demand, shippers said. However, if ocean carriers are as successful in managing vessel capacity next year as they were this year, there is a “probability” that trans-Pacific contract rates increase by $1,000 per container “and that rates to the West Coast effectively double year on year,” said James Caradonna, general manager of pricing, Americas, at M+R Forwarding and MCL-Multi Container Line, an ocean freight forwarder. BCOs believe they can avoid extreme swings in ocean container pricing if service contracts recognize the uncertainties in the current trade environment and the terms are written to protect the ocean carriers as well as shippers if trade conditions change dramatically. The same holds true across transportation modes, shippers and consultants say. “We’re seeing shippers say, ‘I need different strategies to value my incumbents,’” said Ben Cubitt, senior vice president of supply chain and transportation at the 3PL Transplace. His shipper customers are approaching motor carriers early and agreeing not to put their business up for bid, or accepting a moderate rate increase to keep those core carriers, he said. When it comes to last-mile and package pricing, Haber said UPS and FedEx are trying to get shippers into long-term contracts to better plan their own capacity needs. He thinks parcel capacity constraints will ease as additional workers hired in 2020 stay on at the carriers into 2021. “But all of this, of course, is dependent on the availability of a [COVID-19] vaccine, which will impact last-mile delivery capacity availability — by how much is anyone’s guess right now,” he said. Air cargo’s capacity problem While ocean carriers managed — some might even say restricted — capacity this year, airlines simply lost it. A significant percentage of available global air freight capacity is carried in the bellies of passenger aircraft, the vast majority of which were grounded when international travel bans were imposed in late March. That slashed cargo space on the trans-Pacific, Asia–Europe, and Europe–North America routes in half overnight. Some destinations were even more severely affected, such as routes to South America, where as much as 70 percent of cargo travels in passenger planes. The removal of so much capacity sent rates soaring to record levels during the second quarter, and while those rates have come down from their mid-May highs, capacity has remained well below the level of demand, keeping rates at elevated levels on all trade lanes. Now, air cargo-heavy product launches, such as new smartphones, are filling the limited capacity and again pushing up rates. With no widescale resumption of passenger transport likely for two or three years, some cargo owners are turning to expedited ocean and rail services as an alternative, but the majority of air cargo shippers, for whom these are not viable options, can expect the air segment of their transportation spend next year to be substantially higher than in the past. Air capacity will become even tighter when a COVID-19 vaccine is ready for mass production and distribution. “That’s going to be a major disruptor, especially to the cold chain and air freight,” said John Janson, global logistics manager at apparel distributor SanMar. “There just isn’t enough capacity to fulfill the demand if you’re delivering vaccines to millions of people around the globe. That is going to put tremendous pressure on the marketplace.” Rate expectations gap Shippers are deploying some of the same cost control strategies in trucking and intermodal rail as they are on the ocean: using short-term contracts, strengthening core carrier relationships, improving volume forecasts, and hedging against demand shocks by working with 3PLs and additional carriers. “We’ve had to make adjustments week to week,” Matt Montour, senior director of logistics at IPC, the purchasing cooperative for franchisees in the Subway restaurant chain, said in an interview. “The challenge is how do you get through the next months?” Contract negotiations right now are not about price, but about securing needed capacity, he said. The Southeast furniture shipper also sees more frequent bids as part of the solution for rising intermodal costs. “You just can’t do an annual bid and sit back and leave it alone,” he said. “You probably have to be in the market three to five times a year. Sometimes the swings in intermodal pricing can be crazy.” “Volume is definitely elevated in pockets while sorely missing in others,” the Midwest food shipper said. He emphasized the need to protect core carriers and reward those who provide great service. “Flooding your network with low-cost carriers that just want to get a foot in the door tends to decimate the routing guide,” he said. “On the flip side, any carrier approaching the table looking for a double-digit increase due to the pandemic may lose their invitation.” There’s a gap in pricing expectations that has not yet begun to close. While many US shippers expect truck pricing to increase by mid-single digits, some carriers expect much more. The reason most often cited is lack of truck drivers. “We expect contract rates in 2021 to increase on average by 10 to 15 percent,” Eric Fuller, president and CEO of US Xpress Enterprises, told investment analysts during an Oct. 23 earnings call. Fuller believes a year-over-year decline in the number of long-haul truck drivers may reach 200,000 by 2021, keeping pressure on pricing. As a result, Fuller expects to see structural changes in the request for proposal (RFP) bidding process over the next three to five years. “I wouldn’t say that this year is the year” for significant change, he said during the call. “This year, everybody’s really focused around trying to capture capacity because of concerns that are going to be ongoing into 2021.” Taking it to the C-Suite Logistics managers, of course, can’t wait three to five years to discuss next year’s budget with their CFOs and CEOs. This year, those discussions have been tense, to say the least. “My warning to my C-suite this year sent them through a loop,” said a furniture shipper who asked not to be identified. “They called an immediate meeting the next morning with everybody on the phone to talk about ocean rates and asked me how this could have happened. They were in disbelief. But there’s no way out, there’s nowhere to hide.” “How do I go to the C-suite? I go to them with a bulletproof vest on,” another shipper said. “At the same time, everybody who’s doing the same thing we are is dealing with the same thing. We’re not being singled out as a customer by our suppliers. So, if we’re not able to increase pricing in the marketplace, we have to find other areas where we can cut back.” The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the importance of the supply chain and transportation to the attention of everyone from the C-suite down to the sub-basement. When they’re called to explain rocketing costs, logistics managers need to bring more data to the table, said Dave Reiss, senior vice president of customer relations for the 3PL Arrive Logistics. “There’s more data, more indices available today than ever before,” Reiss said. “If you’re going to talk to your finance team or your C-suite, you’ve got to leverage these indices. You can’t just say, ‘Hey, we’re going to get a 5 or 6 percent rate increase year over year.’ You have to have the justification behind it and explain what’s going on in the marketplace.” Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi, Senior Editors Ari Ashe, Greg Knowler, and Bill Mongelluzzo, and Senior Contributor Cathy Morrow Roberson contributed to this story. Contact William B. Cassidy at bill.cassidy@ihsmarkit.com and follow him on Twitter: @willbcassidy .

Air Cargo

Trucking News

Rail News

Maritime

Shippers look to keep 2021 transportation budgets grounded

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The LTL sector will try to hold its ground on pricing until improvements in US manufacturing lift demand.</div>

The LTL sector will try to hold its ground on pricing until improvements in US manufacturing lift demand.

Feature image

<div class="phx-topic">The big picture: US less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers are preparing for the next surge in demand, adding terminals and terminal doors even though freight demand is still tepid. They see demand for industrial freight and retail goods increasing in 2025 and believe there’s not enough LTL capacity in the market to meet that demand. LTL rates began rising in 2023 and remain elevated, and that’s unlikely to change in 2025, with carriers seeking additional price hikes in the mid- to high-single-digit percentage range. <div class="wrapper-narrow float-right-element"><img src="/images/phoenix/5914604_0.1.png"></img></div>A look back: Yellow’s shutdown in July 2023 unleashed an LTL shakeup that is still working its way through the market. It took most of 2024 for the 50,000 or so daily shipments handled by Yellow to find a new carrier, often a pricier one. Yellow auctioned off more than half of its terminals in 2023 and 2024, but 112 terminals remained to be sold in the fourth quarter. That spurred a realignment among the top LTL carriers. In October, LTL all-inclusive selling prices were more than 5% higher than in July 2023, prior to Yellow’s abrupt exit, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics long-haul LTL producer price index (PPI). The LTL PPI was down 0.4% year over year in October, but those PPI selling prices, which include surcharges and other fees, were up 31% from December 2019. LTL carriers not only added terminals and equipment in 2024, but technology, too, as they strove to become more efficient, improve service and reach more customers ahead of the next wave of industrial freight. A look ahead: Although volumes settled in the second half of 2024, a year after Yellow’s shutdown, LTL executives remain optimistic about 2025. Their terminals were busy in the run-up to the holiday season and freight was flowing more efficiently through expanded networks. As larger carriers built out those networks and created denser freight lanes, smaller carriers felt pressure to acquire other companies to remain competitive. And the LTL sector will be increasingly competitive in 2025, with overall capacity still lower than it was in 2022. With the pool of industrial freight still limited, LTL providers will look to diversify through the addition of premium services. They will increasingly target smaller shippers typically served by third-party logistics providers. Changes to the National Motor Freight Classification, the basis for much of LTL pricing, expected in May will challenge smaller shippers, making awareness of shipment dimensions and weight even more critical. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="2786cc6b-4ac0-438c-b08d-a431bef6956d"></dynamic-object></div>The next inflection: The LTL sector will try to hold its ground on pricing until improvements in US manufacturing lift demand. In the fourth quarter, LTL providers issued general rate increases ranging from 4.9% to 7.9%. The first quarter is historically slow for LTL freight but any pull-forward in imports to avoid an early Lunar New Year, an East and Gulf coast port strike and potential tariffs from the new Trump administration could create additional demand. LTL carriers hope lower US interest rates and capital costs will pull US manufacturing out of contraction and generate more consistent volumes by mid-2025. Contact William B. Cassidy at <a href="mailto:bill.cassidy@spglobal.com">bill.cassidy@spglobal.com.</a></div>

The big picture: US less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers are preparing for the next surge in demand, adding terminals and terminal doors even though freight demand is still tepid. They see demand for industrial freight and retail goods increasing in 2025 and believe there’s not enough LTL capacity in the market to meet that demand. LTL rates began rising in 2023 and remain elevated, and that’s unlikely to change in 2025, with carriers seeking additional price hikes in the mid- to high-single-digit percentage range. A look back: Yellow’s shutdown in July 2023 unleashed an LTL shakeup that is still working its way through the market. It took most of 2024 for the 50,000 or so daily shipments handled by Yellow to find a new carrier, often a pricier one. Yellow auctioned off more than half of its terminals in 2023 and 2024, but 112 terminals remained to be sold in the fourth quarter. That spurred a realignment among the top LTL carriers. In October, LTL all-inclusive selling prices were more than 5% higher than in July 2023, prior to Yellow’s abrupt exit, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics long-haul LTL producer price index (PPI). The LTL PPI was down 0.4% year over year in October, but those PPI selling prices, which include surcharges and other fees, were up 31% from December 2019. LTL carriers not only added terminals and equipment in 2024, but technology, too, as they strove to become more efficient, improve service and reach more customers ahead of the next wave of industrial freight. A look ahead: Although volumes settled in the second half of 2024, a year after Yellow’s shutdown, LTL executives remain optimistic about 2025. Their terminals were busy in the run-up to the holiday season and freight was flowing more efficiently through expanded networks. As larger carriers built out those networks and created denser freight lanes, smaller carriers felt pressure to acquire other companies to remain competitive. And the LTL sector will be increasingly competitive in 2025, with overall capacity still lower than it was in 2022. With the pool of industrial freight still limited, LTL providers will look to diversify through the addition of premium services. They will increasingly target smaller shippers typically served by third-party logistics providers. Changes to the National Motor Freight Classification, the basis for much of LTL pricing, expected in May will challenge smaller shippers, making awareness of shipment dimensions and weight even more critical. The next inflection: The LTL sector will try to hold its ground on pricing until improvements in US manufacturing lift demand. In the fourth quarter, LTL providers issued general rate increases ranging from 4.9% to 7.9%. The first quarter is historically slow for LTL freight but any pull-forward in imports to avoid an early Lunar New Year, an East and Gulf coast port strike and potential tariffs from the new Trump administration could create additional demand. LTL carriers hope lower US interest rates and capital costs will pull US manufacturing out of contraction and generate more consistent volumes by mid-2025. Contact William B. Cassidy at bill.cassidy@spglobal.com.

Surface

LTL carriers expanding networks to prepare for long-term growth

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The deal will see Acuitive Solutions’ AcuAudit product integrated into Cass’ freight audit and payment platform, one widely used by large shippers.</div>

The deal will see Acuitive Solutions’ AcuAudit product integrated into Cass’ freight audit and payment platform, one widely used by large shippers.

<div class="phx-topic">Freight payment and audit provider Cass Information Systems on Thursday said it has acquired AcuAudit, a product it says will enable it to deepen its reach in ocean and air freight auditing. Terms were not disclosed. The seller is logistics technology provider Acuitive Solutions, which predominantly serves the retail and high fashion industries with expedited shipment routing, parcel carrier management and auditing tools. Acuitive CEO Phil Marlowe will retain ownership of the rest of the company and serve as an advisor to Cass. Shippers use AcuAudit to audit ocean air freight bills, with an emphasis on understanding how transportation costs factor in a product’s total landed cost. It competes with a range of international freight-focused audit solutions as well as those offered by multimodal audit firms that tend to specialize in truckload invoice auditing. Cass is a part of the latter category as one of the largest audit and payment platforms for US shippers, with an associated index tracking freight economic activity using data from reconciled freight bills. “The Acuitive team has built a truly exceptional solution to support the advanced needs of global shippers,” Tony Urban, president of Cass’ freight audit and payment group, said in a statement. Marlowe said AcuAudit’s customers “will benefit from ... being integrated into Cass, with its financial capabilities and global reach.” Contact Eric Johnson at <a href="mailto:eric.johnson@spglobal.com">eric.johnson@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Freight payment and audit provider Cass Information Systems on Thursday said it has acquired AcuAudit, a product it says will enable it to deepen its reach in ocean and air freight auditing. Terms were not disclosed. The seller is logistics technology provider Acuitive Solutions, which predominantly serves the retail and high fashion industries with expedited shipment routing, parcel carrier management and auditing tools. Acuitive CEO Phil Marlowe will retain ownership of the rest of the company and serve as an advisor to Cass. Shippers use AcuAudit to audit ocean air freight bills, with an emphasis on understanding how transportation costs factor in a product’s total landed cost. It competes with a range of international freight-focused audit solutions as well as those offered by multimodal audit firms that tend to specialize in truckload invoice auditing. Cass is a part of the latter category as one of the largest audit and payment platforms for US shippers, with an associated index tracking freight economic activity using data from reconciled freight bills. “The Acuitive team has built a truly exceptional solution to support the advanced needs of global shippers,” Tony Urban, president of Cass’ freight audit and payment group, said in a statement. Marlowe said AcuAudit’s customers “will benefit from ... being integrated into Cass, with its financial capabilities and global reach.” Contact Eric Johnson at eric.johnson@spglobal.com .

Container Shipping News

Logistics Technology News

Cass acquires international freight invoice auditing tool to widen modal reach

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Shippers moving cargo on the inter-Americas lane can expect to see further volume growth in 2025, potentially reflected by increased attention and capacity from carriers.</div>

Shippers moving cargo on the inter-Americas lane can expect to see further volume growth in 2025, potentially reflected by increased attention and capacity from carriers.

<div class="phx-topic">The big picture: A combination of growing demand, port bottlenecks and vessel and equipment shortages pushed rates from the East Coast of South America to the US to their highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic last year. This year, the inter-Americas trade is poised for more growth, but that growth will likely come with congestion at South American ports and tight capacity on northbound services from the East Coast of South America that keeps rates elevated. <div class="wrapper-narrow float-right-element"><img src="/images/phoenix/5914445_0.1.png"></img></div>A look back: Freight demand on the north-south trade connecting Latin America with North America increased in 2024, but actual volume growth was hindered by port congestion and a lack of available vessel space. Total container volumes between the US and the Carribean, Central America and South America rose 4.3% in the first 10 months of the year, with northbound shipments up 3.8% and southbound volumes up 4.8%, according to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. Growing import demand in South America and poor vessel schedule reliability resulted in tight capacity for imports to the East Coast of South America throughout the year. At the same time, infrastructure projects at multiple ports in Latin America aimed at attracting additional volumes reduced operating capacity at those gateways. Vessel delays caused by the International Longshoremen’s Association’s (ILA’s) strike, which shut down all US East and Gulf coast ports for three days at the beginning of October, further exacerbated vessel bunching at South American ports. That, in turn, worsened existing equipment shortages, as ports and container carriers prioritized clearing the backlog of ships over repositioning empty containers inland for exporters. Some carriers opted to divert ships to lesser-used ports and/or blank sailings to keep ships on schedule, which further reduced effective vessel capacity on the trade and resulted in rolled cargo. Steady growth in rates accelerated in the lead up to the ILA strike, with average spot rates from the East Coast of South America to the US Gulf Coast peaking at $5,800 per FEU in late October, more than double the rate recorded just three months prior and up 251.5% from the same week in 2023, according to Platts, also part of S&amp;P Global. Those rates have since cooled, but only slightly, settling at $5,600 per FEU in the three weeks ending Dec. 13. A look ahead: Shippers moving cargo on the inter-Americas lane can expect to see further volume growth in 2025, potentially reflected by increased attention and capacity from carriers. Demand for US-made products in South America continues to increase, with petrochemicals offering another source of substantial southbound volume growth. The implications of a second Donald Trump presidency for trade policy remain unclear, but the change in administration — particularly the threat of universal tariffs on US imports — could increase costs. However, if Trump imposes much higher tariffs on imports from China, this could prompt US importers to shift some sourcing to Latin America, increasing north-south volumes. Another potential spanner in the works for intra-Americas shippers are the still-unresolved contract talks between the ILA and port employers on the US East and Gulf coasts. If an agreement is not reached by Jan. 15, the union will strike again, and if East and Gulf coast ports are closed for any meaningful amount of time, congestion and equipment shortages in South America are likely to flare up again. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="09c5f6da-205d-43ca-83e7-ae8373849666"></dynamic-object></div>The next inflection: With demand already growing and Trump tariffs potentially accelerating the nearshoring of US imports, the north-south trade is positioned for long-term growth. However, that growth remains dependent on ports expanding and carriers flexing up vessel capacity and equipment supply to handle the rising volumes. Contact Laura Robb at <a href="mailto:laura.robb@spglobal.com">laura.robb@spglobal.com.</a></div>

The big picture: A combination of growing demand, port bottlenecks and vessel and equipment shortages pushed rates from the East Coast of South America to the US to their highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic last year. This year, the inter-Americas trade is poised for more growth, but that growth will likely come with congestion at South American ports and tight capacity on northbound services from the East Coast of South America that keeps rates elevated. A look back: Freight demand on the north-south trade connecting Latin America with North America increased in 2024, but actual volume growth was hindered by port congestion and a lack of available vessel space. Total container volumes between the US and the Carribean, Central America and South America rose 4.3% in the first 10 months of the year, with northbound shipments up 3.8% and southbound volumes up 4.8%, according to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. Growing import demand in South America and poor vessel schedule reliability resulted in tight capacity for imports to the East Coast of South America throughout the year. At the same time, infrastructure projects at multiple ports in Latin America aimed at attracting additional volumes reduced operating capacity at those gateways. Vessel delays caused by the International Longshoremen’s Association’s (ILA’s) strike, which shut down all US East and Gulf coast ports for three days at the beginning of October, further exacerbated vessel bunching at South American ports. That, in turn, worsened existing equipment shortages, as ports and container carriers prioritized clearing the backlog of ships over repositioning empty containers inland for exporters. Some carriers opted to divert ships to lesser-used ports and/or blank sailings to keep ships on schedule, which further reduced effective vessel capacity on the trade and resulted in rolled cargo. Steady growth in rates accelerated in the lead up to the ILA strike, with average spot rates from the East Coast of South America to the US Gulf Coast peaking at $5,800 per FEU in late October, more than double the rate recorded just three months prior and up 251.5% from the same week in 2023, according to Platts, also part of S&P Global. Those rates have since cooled, but only slightly, settling at $5,600 per FEU in the three weeks ending Dec. 13. A look ahead: Shippers moving cargo on the inter-Americas lane can expect to see further volume growth in 2025, potentially reflected by increased attention and capacity from carriers. Demand for US-made products in South America continues to increase, with petrochemicals offering another source of substantial southbound volume growth. The implications of a second Donald Trump presidency for trade policy remain unclear, but the change in administration — particularly the threat of universal tariffs on US imports — could increase costs. However, if Trump imposes much higher tariffs on imports from China, this could prompt US importers to shift some sourcing to Latin America, increasing north-south volumes. Another potential spanner in the works for intra-Americas shippers are the still-unresolved contract talks between the ILA and port employers on the US East and Gulf coasts. If an agreement is not reached by Jan. 15, the union will strike again, and if East and Gulf coast ports are closed for any meaningful amount of time, congestion and equipment shortages in South America are likely to flare up again. The next inflection: With demand already growing and Trump tariffs potentially accelerating the nearshoring of US imports, the north-south trade is positioned for long-term growth. However, that growth remains dependent on ports expanding and carriers flexing up vessel capacity and equipment supply to handle the rising volumes. Contact Laura Robb at laura.robb@spglobal.com.

North American ports

International ports

Rising north-south trade hinges on fluid ports, vessel capacity

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">While the two sides have come to terms on wages, formal negotiations have stalled since mid-November as the union and maritime employers remain stuck on what provisions the deal will include about port automation.</div>

While the two sides have come to terms on wages, formal negotiations have stalled since mid-November as the union and maritime employers remain stuck on what provisions the deal will include about port automation.

<div class="phx-topic">The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) are set to resume talks for a new master contract on Jan. 7, sources said Tuesday.The scheduled resumption of negotiations leaves a small window before the <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/ila-usmx-agree-on-new-wage-offer-and-contract-extension-that-reopens-ports-5741882/">current contract extension runs out on Jan. 15</a> and a likely second strike by the ILA hits ports along the US East and Gulf coasts.The ILA and USMX declined to comment on the status of talks that affect 45,000 dockworkers.While the ILA and USMX have come to terms on wages for a new master contract, the formal negotiations have stalled since mid-November. The union and maritime employers remain stuck on what provisions the new master contract will include about port automation. The ILA has taken <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/ila-breaks-off-contract-talks-accuses-usmx-of-semi-automation-push-5810392">a hard line</a> against automation technology at ports under its jurisdiction. It singled out semi-automated rail mounted gantry cranes (RMGs) as a technology that <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/ila-targets-rail-mounted-gantry-cranes-amid-impasse-in-port-labor-talks-5874742">it wants to bar</a> from further implementation at East and Gulf coast ports under the new contract. The USMX countered that technology, including RMGs, boosts port productivity and creates more opportunities for longshore workers. Progress on the talks have been further complicated by <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/ila-plays-new-trump-card-in-automation-standoff-with-usmx-5905242">the attention of President-elect Donald Trump</a>, who sided with the ILA’s stance against automation. Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) are set to resume talks for a new master contract on Jan. 7, sources said Tuesday. The scheduled resumption of negotiations leaves a small window before the current contract extension runs out on Jan. 15 and a likely second strike by the ILA hits ports along the US East and Gulf coasts. The ILA and USMX declined to comment on the status of talks that affect 45,000 dockworkers. While the ILA and USMX have come to terms on wages for a new master contract, the formal negotiations have stalled since mid-November. The union and maritime employers remain stuck on what provisions the new master contract will include about port automation. The ILA has taken a hard line against automation technology at ports under its jurisdiction. It singled out semi-automated rail mounted gantry cranes (RMGs) as a technology that it wants to bar from further implementation at East and Gulf coast ports under the new contract. The USMX countered that technology, including RMGs, boosts port productivity and creates more opportunities for longshore workers. Progress on the talks have been further complicated by the attention of President-elect Donald Trump , who sided with the ILA’s stance against automation. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

Container lines

Marine terminals

Longshore labor

ILA, USMX contract talks set for Jan. 7 restart ahead of strike deadline: sources

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Despite the kudos for railroads, some market players question the value of pandemic-era comparisons, suggesting that 2024’s peak season aligns more closely with pre-pandemic trends.</div>

Despite the kudos for railroads, some market players question the value of pandemic-era comparisons, suggesting that 2024’s peak season aligns more closely with pre-pandemic trends.

<div class="phx-topic">Following a prolonged peak shipping season, intermodal providers are crediting North American Class I railroads for handling the surge in volume better they did during the tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic. Admittedly, asset and non-asset intermodal marketing companies (IMCs) were irritated over disruptions in <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/imcs-dealing-with-rail-service-disruptions-amid-unusually-high-volumes-5909110">Chicago</a>, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/la-lb-rail-dwells-on-the-rise-as-port-complex-enters-height-of-peak-season-5712900">Los Angeles</a>, Portland and Tacoma during the second half of 2024. Yet those challenges were not as severe as the backlogs experienced in 2020 and 2021 despite a more than 20% year-over-year jump in freight volumes originating in the Southwest US in October and November, IMCs say. Container availability, a problem during the pandemic, was manageable this peak season. Surcharges to use containers only went as high as <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/up-hikes-la-lb-surcharges-again-as-volumes-remain-elevated-5820708">$850 using rail-owned containers</a> and some private boxes of <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/hub-group-regains-rail-share-while-schneiders-q2-volume-stays-flat-5703104">Hub Group, Schneider National</a>, STG Logistics and Swift Intermodal. By comparison, Union Pacific levied fees as high as <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/up-shippers-to-pay-more-in-los-angeles-dallas-and-houston-5248207">$5,000 per box</a> in Los Angeles during the pandemic. Even J.B. Hunt Transport Services, which assessed surcharges exceeding $1,000 per container late this past summer, limited the fees to select customers in 2024. In 2020 and 2021, the railroads and private box owners assessed surcharges on almost every shipper. “We had shippers paying the surcharges in 2020–21, but we couldn’t secure a gate reservation [required to drop off containers] with Union Pacific Railroad for weeks,” said one IMC executive who asked not to be identified. “This year, none of our contractual shippers incurred surcharges, and Union Pacific consistently provided equipment for baseload commitments.” Chassis availability was not a problem for domestic and international intermodal shipments, unlike during the pandemic. While the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach saw volume spikes and <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/la-lb-rail-dwells-spike-to-two-year-high-amid-record-imports-in-september-5750222">two-year highs in rail dwell times</a> this fall, no significant terminal congestion was reported in Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City or Memphis. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="0abc8de8-f8a5-4611-bc92-e001a0bd8f26"></dynamic-object></div>Gate reservations in Los Angeles were hard to procure in September and October, but delays were measured in days, not weeks, according to IMC executives, who also noted BNSF and Union Pacific did a better job communicating than four years ago, which in turn made it possible to keep shippers informed. “The [East and Gulf coast] work stoppage [in October] forced retailers to pull forward some volume as well as reroute away from those ports in favor of Los Angeles-Long Beach,” said a second IMC executive. “Without that, peak intermodal volumes could have been tepid at best.” In the most recent Journal of Commerce Intermodal Service Scorecard survey, 77.4% of intermodal providers say they were satisfied with the performance of North American Class I railroads over the past six months, down from 91.1% in the spring poll. Almost 91% of shippers say they were satisfied with the intermodal providers in the second half of the year, approximately on par with the 90.4% in the first half, according to the survey. The results show that while IMCs felt service on the rails was slower and less reliable in the second half of the year compared with the first — when volume was lower — their shippers did not experience any significant supply chain disruptions over the past six months. The IMCs and railroads successfully insulated shippers from congestion in Los Angeles, whereas disruptions in 2020 and 2021 had a profound negative impact on shippers. More than 250 participants responded to the H2 survey, conducted between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31. <h3>Legit comparison? </h3>Despite the recent kudos for railroads, some market players question the value of pandemic-era comparisons, suggesting that 2024’s peak season aligns more closely with pre-pandemic trends. “It’s probably better to compare this year with a more ‘normal’ peak season than to compare it to the surge of COVID-19 as that seems an apples-to-oranges comparison,” another IMC executive said. There is evidence to support both sides of the question. Railroads hauled approximately 50,000 domestic containers from Los Angeles to Chicago in October — a record for any month — followed by 45,000 in November, the highest volume for that month in history, according to an analysis by the Journal of Commerce of data from the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA). The Los Angeles to Chicago route is the largest by volume annually for domestic and international intermodal. However, the US intermodal fleet has expanded by more than 80,000 containers, or 30%, in the last four years, according to an analysis of data from PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. Some argue that this capacity growth may explain the smoother peak season despite the volume spike out of Los Angeles. Another barometer of success for the railroads is on-time performance. During the pandemic, railroads were required to report weekly on-time performance data for intermodal to the US Surface Transportation Board, and the western railroads set their benchmark as 80%. Railroads are no longer required to report the metric to federal officials, but some IMCs question whether 80% is too low of a standard as trucks can deliver a 90% or better on-time performance on the highest volume lanes out of Los Angeles. Contact Ari Ashe at <a href="mailto:ari.ashe@spglobal.com">ari.ashe@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

Following a prolonged peak shipping season, intermodal providers are crediting North American Class I railroads for handling the surge in volume better they did during the tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic. Admittedly, asset and non-asset intermodal marketing companies (IMCs) were irritated over disruptions in Chicago , Los Angeles , Portland and Tacoma during the second half of 2024. Yet those challenges were not as severe as the backlogs experienced in 2020 and 2021 despite a more than 20% year-over-year jump in freight volumes originating in the Southwest US in October and November, IMCs say. Container availability, a problem during the pandemic, was manageable this peak season. Surcharges to use containers only went as high as $850 using rail-owned containers and some private boxes of Hub Group, Schneider National , STG Logistics and Swift Intermodal. By comparison, Union Pacific levied fees as high as $5,000 per box in Los Angeles during the pandemic. Even J.B. Hunt Transport Services, which assessed surcharges exceeding $1,000 per container late this past summer, limited the fees to select customers in 2024. In 2020 and 2021, the railroads and private box owners assessed surcharges on almost every shipper. “We had shippers paying the surcharges in 2020–21, but we couldn’t secure a gate reservation [required to drop off containers] with Union Pacific Railroad for weeks,” said one IMC executive who asked not to be identified. “This year, none of our contractual shippers incurred surcharges, and Union Pacific consistently provided equipment for baseload commitments.” Chassis availability was not a problem for domestic and international intermodal shipments, unlike during the pandemic. While the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach saw volume spikes and two-year highs in rail dwell times this fall, no significant terminal congestion was reported in Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City or Memphis. Gate reservations in Los Angeles were hard to procure in September and October, but delays were measured in days, not weeks, according to IMC executives, who also noted BNSF and Union Pacific did a better job communicating than four years ago, which in turn made it possible to keep shippers informed. “The [East and Gulf coast] work stoppage [in October] forced retailers to pull forward some volume as well as reroute away from those ports in favor of Los Angeles-Long Beach,” said a second IMC executive. “Without that, peak intermodal volumes could have been tepid at best.” In the most recent Journal of Commerce Intermodal Service Scorecard survey, 77.4% of intermodal providers say they were satisfied with the performance of North American Class I railroads over the past six months, down from 91.1% in the spring poll. Almost 91% of shippers say they were satisfied with the intermodal providers in the second half of the year, approximately on par with the 90.4% in the first half, according to the survey. The results show that while IMCs felt service on the rails was slower and less reliable in the second half of the year compared with the first — when volume was lower — their shippers did not experience any significant supply chain disruptions over the past six months. The IMCs and railroads successfully insulated shippers from congestion in Los Angeles, whereas disruptions in 2020 and 2021 had a profound negative impact on shippers. More than 250 participants responded to the H2 survey, conducted between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31. Legit comparison? Despite the recent kudos for railroads, some market players question the value of pandemic-era comparisons, suggesting that 2024’s peak season aligns more closely with pre-pandemic trends. “It’s probably better to compare this year with a more ‘normal’ peak season than to compare it to the surge of COVID-19 as that seems an apples-to-oranges comparison,” another IMC executive said. There is evidence to support both sides of the question. Railroads hauled approximately 50,000 domestic containers from Los Angeles to Chicago in October — a record for any month — followed by 45,000 in November, the highest volume for that month in history, according to an analysis by the Journal of Commerce of data from the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA). The Los Angeles to Chicago route is the largest by volume annually for domestic and international intermodal. However, the US intermodal fleet has expanded by more than 80,000 containers, or 30%, in the last four years, according to an analysis of data from PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. Some argue that this capacity growth may explain the smoother peak season despite the volume spike out of Los Angeles. Another barometer of success for the railroads is on-time performance. During the pandemic, railroads were required to report weekly on-time performance data for intermodal to the US Surface Transportation Board, and the western railroads set their benchmark as 80%. Railroads are no longer required to report the metric to federal officials, but some IMCs question whether 80% is too low of a standard as trucks can deliver a 90% or better on-time performance on the highest volume lanes out of Los Angeles. Contact Ari Ashe at ari.ashe@spglobal.com .

North-American rail

Intermodal providers

IMCs say railroads handled peak season surge better than pandemic

Use code NYW25 at checkout and save 25% on first year of any annual plan. Offer ends January 5.

Subscribe Now - Anonymous - Wide Box

NEW YEAR SALE

Use code NYW695 at checkout and upgrade to Gold for just $695! Valid for first year of subscription. Offer ends January 5.

Upgrade Subscription - Wide Box

Use code NYW25 at checkout and save 25% on first year of any annual subscription plan. Offer ends January 5.

Subscribe Now - Free Trials - Wide Box

Register today to redeem your Gold subscriber discount!

TPM Discount - Gold

Save 20% on TPM25

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

20% OFF ON TPM25: Register today and redeem your Gold subscriber discount!

TPM Discount - Gold 

20% OFF ON TPM25

NEW YEAR SALE: Use code NYW695 at checkout and save $800 on first year of a Gold subscription. Offer ends January 5.

Upgrade Subscription - Offer Box

Upgrade Subscription

NEW YEAR SALE: Use code NYW25 at checkout and save 25% on first year of any annual plan. Offer ends January 5.

Subscribe Now - Anonymous - Offer Box

Subscribe Today

NEW YEAR SALE: Use code NYW25 at checkout to save 25% on first year of any subscription plan. Offer ends January 5.


Subscribe Now - Free Trials - Offer Box

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

Breakbulk Report - Rectangle Box

Breakbulk Quarterly

Customers scoring their intermodal partners to identify the best service providers

Intermodal Service Scorecard - Rectangle Box

Intermodal Service Scorecard

The only editorially independent conference for the breakbulk & project cargo industry

Breakbulk Conference - Rectangle Box

Attend Breakbulk25

The premier conference for the global container shipping and supply chain community

TPM Conference - Rectangle Box

Attend TPM25

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

ISI Report - Rectangle Box

Intermodal Savings Index

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

Gateway - Rectangle Box

Gateway

A premium access outlook critical to shippers and transportation providers

QI Report - Rectangle Box

Quarterly Intelligence

Breakbulk News shipping | Journal of Commerce

Breakbulk News

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

Container Shipping News | Journal of Commerce

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

More News & Analysis

LTL carriers expanding networks to prepare for long-term growth

Cass acquires international freight invoice auditing tool to widen modal reach

Rising north-south trade hinges on fluid ports, vessel capacity