Latest news

Double-digit decline in US imports from Asia in May continues what is expected to be a second consecutive year of negative container volumes in the eastbound trans-Pacific.

US businesses are rushing to develop a clearer picture of customer demand and freight capacity as they move beyond the early stages of reopening stores and factories.

Air cargo prices have begun to decline from the mid-May highs, but with the withdrawn passenger belly freight unlikely to make a rapid comeback, rates will remain well above last year’s levels.

Supply chain disruption from measures to limit the damage of the coronavirus can delay the collection or return of containers, but D&D charges vary widely across carriers and ports.

Mexico’s exports in April dropped 41 percent year over year, the biggest one-month drop since the country’s 1986 fiscal crisis.

Economists with American Trucking Associations believe the US economy will contract this year at the highest rate since 1946, and that although numbers will look much better in the second half of 2020, it will be another 12 months until markets return to pre-COVID pandemic levels.

“The impact of COVID-19 at major US retail container ports appears to be easing slightly, with projected imports remaining below last year’s levels but not as much as previously forecast,” according to the National Retail Federation's latest Global Port Tracker report.

The extensive blank sailings on major east-west trades are having an uneven impact on the major gateway ports of Europe and North America.

Proponents of reducing the Waterfront Commission role have argued the commission oversteps its authority to combat crime on the docks and slows down hiring.

An unexpected surge in imports in late May, which caused cargo rolling at Asian ports and a spike in spot rates, is spawning tension between forwarders and carriers in the eastbound trans-Pacific.

COVID-19 lockdowns are weighing on global container shipping demand, and CMA CGM has joined other major carriers in expressing gloomy expectations for the second quarter.

The US trucking sector added back a small portion of the jobs lost during March and April as businesses reopened, a sign that shipper demand for trucking services may be on the road to recovering from the COVID-19 recession.

Europe’s rail freight industry is hoping to hold on to improvements made in reliability on a passenger-free network even as the easing of lockdowns bring back traveler movements that are afforded priority over cargo.

Jeremy Nixon, CEO of Ocean Network Express (ONE), says he’s more optimistic of a rebound in trans-Pacific container volumes as Chinese factory production builds and some importing sectors such as retailers bringing in summer items begin restocking inventories.

Indian shippers argue they shouldn’t be subjected to port storage charges when factors beyond their control have prevented the timely pickup of containers or return of equipment.

MPV/HL carrier AAL’s Asia–Europe service, which has filled a vacuum created by the demise of Zeamarine, is seeing relatively strong demand despite a pandemic-hampered market.

Werner is the latest broker to use software from Trucker Tools to tap into the app provider’s reach into the North American small carrier and independent driver population.

More venture capital is being funneled toward logistics automation tools, this time a large early stage round in an Ireland-based software provider that build procurement bots for shippers.

Lower fuel prices are helping small trucking businesses survive the worst economy since the 1930s, according to Donald Broughton, which means shippers may find more truck capacity and less pricing pressure than expected this fall.

All 10 of the busiest US cargo ports registered declines in container volumes in early 2020, with only modest improvement forecasted for the second half of the year due to a muted peak season.

Air freight carriers are reporting high load factors on trades between Europe and the US, as falling demand continues to outstrip the available capacity.

Shipments were down year over year in May at less-than-truckload carriers ODFL and Saia, but not by as much as in April, a sign the US industrial economy is beginning to improve.

Russia's spring thaw allows Combi Lift and SAL to begin delivery of project cargo for a massive Siberian gas project.

Continued aggressive capacity reductions in major container trades are a clear indication of low demand expectations from carriers for the next few months, and possibly into the trans-Pacific peak season.

While air freight demand for medical supplies is expected to fall starting in mid-June, it remains unclear how much of that volume will be replaced by rising consumer demand and whether there will be enough capacity to carry the cargo.

US exporters of scrap metals, paper, and plastics saw increased demand in 2019, but volumes have come crashing down in early 2020 due to supply and demand destruction caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

The acquisition of ScanData gives Transplace broader supply chain reach as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates e-commerce demand.

A group of 10 maritime bodies argues for accelerating the pace of port data standardization and adoption of modern, single-window systems, among a list of other initiatives.

BendPak’s 100,000-square-foot distribution center near the Port of Mobile will allow the company to offer one- and two-day shipping to customers in the eastern half of the US.

ZIM’s new eCommerce Xpress service offers 12-day transit times from South China to Los Angeles with expedited cargo handling and inland transportation connections at West Basin Container Terminal.

The urgent need for medical equipment is beginning to slow as countries begin to emerge from COVID-19 lockdowns, with rates falling as airlines make more use of passenger planes for all-cargo flights.

Forward cargo bookings stabilize, but weak demand continues to hold back the reinstatement of withdrawn carrier capacity.

Blockchain-based electronic bills of lading can simplify shipping hurdles created when the effects of COVID-19 hamper travel and restrict normal processes.

Alibaba has tied up with logistics software provider Freightos to provide logistics services on its business-to-business platform while also allowing buyers to extend payment terms to sellers.

London-based digital 3PL Beacon lands a $15 million venture capital investment by focusing on supply chain finance, as the digital forwarder model continues to attract growth funding.

The acquisition of FMIC from Chainalytics helps transform DAT Solutions into a broader freight intelligence business aimed at enabling shippers, brokers, and truckers to understand freight costs and pricing.

Yeninas joined the JOC in 1987 to establish and lead its art department, ushering in the modern, four-color art and data-driven graphics at the now nearly 200-year-old media company.

A plethora of technology providers have emerged in recent years to arm forwarders with the ability to quote digitally, but not all are in the same category and most are geared to help existing forwarders compete with digitally-minded competitors.

A collapse in US exports of scrap paper and forest products due to tariffs, environmental restrictions, and slowing economies in receiving countries is expected to continue this year due to the effects of the COVID-19 crisis.

Spot container rates spiked from the previous week as retailers replenished diminished inventories and after capacity has been reduced through dozens of blank sailings in May.