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The failure of Mexican customs clearance systems at a national level this week snarled supply chains and may warn of future problems as US-Mexico trade grows. 

The Global Port Tracker calls for a year-over-year gain of 5.3% in US imports over the first six months of the year despite the uncertain security situation in the Red Sea.

While current elevated rates would normally give ocean carriers leverage in annual service contract negotiations, spot rates will likely come down after the pre-Lunar New Year rush and the market is still uncertain about how strong demand will be in the second half of the year.

The seasonal rise in air freight demand out of China ahead of the holiday has been strong, but analysts say the Red Sea effect on rising volumes remains unclear.

The International Longshoremen’s Association’s May 17 deadline will provide an almost five-month window for the union to wrap up talks on a master contract covering the East and Gulf coasts.

Some of the largest truckload carriers, including Werner, Schneider and J.B. Hunt, are putting more emphasis on dedicated fleets as shippers seek stability and security.

The Port of Mobile is looking to boost intrastate rail service with a new intermodal ramp that would give shippers an alternative to using rail from major Southeast ports.

The profitability of global forwarders since the pandemic has piqued Maersk’s interest in the sector and it would be “irresponsible” to ignore DB Schenker’s availability, according to the carrier’s CEO.

Higher rates and surcharges driven by the diversions around southern Africa will provide only a temporary respite from the severe supply-demand imbalance that dragged rates down in 2023, according to the carrier’s CEO.

Forward’s chief legal officer will take over as interim CEO as Tom Schmitt exits following a contentious legal battle with Omni Logistics.

While higher operating costs are inevitable due to longer voyages around the Cape of Good Hope, shippers want more transparency as to what those costs are.

The largest US freight broker is trying to eliminate the wait at the gate by not only scheduling truck appointments for shippers, but finding optimal appointment times. 

The Port of Virginia has handled very few food products coming from or moving to South America, but the new services could bring Norfolk closer to its competitors on the East Coast.

A price correction was not entirely unexpected, but carrier sources believe that rates could move up again next month due to the fiscal year-end shipping rush.

There were also concerns whether the joint venture between bulk shipper Pan Ocean and private equity firm JKL had sufficient financial resources for the deal.

The US Treasury Department is the first major creditor to be repaid by the bankrupt LTL provider, which received the controversial loan early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though talks have seemingly been on hold, Maher Terminals’ Gary Cross said he has “no doubt” the longshore union and port employers along the East and Gulf coasts will reach a new agreement before the existing deal expires.

Truckload spot rates are creeping higher, but trucking executives see no catalyst for stronger price increases absent higher freight demand, even as capacity slowly tightens. 

The average cost savings for a shipper choosing intermodal rail over truckload was consistent during 2023 and should be relatively unchanged at least through the first quarter, according to the latest Journal of Commerce Intermodal Savings Index.

North American intermodal functions mainly as a set of regional networks defined by railroad route structures, one of the handicaps for intermodal as it competes against a “go-anywhere” national truck system, writes analyst Larry Gross.

Project volumes will include steel and modules related to the development of the second phase of the $21 billion Venture Global liquefied natural gas export facility under construction in Plaquemines Parish, downriver from New Orleans.

The Austria-based global logistics provider looks to increase its US presence, adding less-than-containerload services by acquiring a Utah-based forwarder.

A pilot version of a truck appointment scheduling API is part of the hunt for new digital standards for supply chains that are still encumbered by manual processes.

The railroad is eliminating or adjusting service in four cities this month in a move to shift resources to corridors where it believes freight will surge over the next decade.

The South Korean port is the latest to establish its credentials as a sustainable fuel hub as competition between global gateways intensifies.

Domestic intermodal providers have stacked thousands of containers and are warning they will keep capacity out of circulation even when demand picks up unless shippers are willing to pay higher rates.

While shippers are using terms in their contracts to push back against the higher costs linked to the Red Sea and Panama Canal disruptions, carriers are also looking to void those terms altogether.

The second-largest US less-than-truckload carrier plans to increase its terminal capacity alongside freight demand, CEO Marty Freeman told the Journal of Commerce.

While the union said industrial action has ended, the disruption caused by work stoppages that lasted hours and days at a time will take weeks to wind down.

The green methanol feeder service will initially cover Baltic and Scandinavian ports operating out of the Port of Rotterdam.

The flow of roll-on/roll-off cargo shows little sign of slowing as carriers ink long-term deals with automotive and high and heavy manufacturers.

The deal ends a more than decade-long case that involved claims that terminal operator ICTSI Oregon incurred damages when ILWU Local 8 engaged in unlawful work practices and slowdowns from 2012 to 2017 at Terminal 6 in Portland.

The deal gives Ryder a significant jolt in dedicated capacity as well as greater scale with existing and new shipper customers.

The largest US broker and forwarder expects ocean spot rates to subside after the Chinese New Year and for US trucking markets to slowly improve throughout 2024.

With existing capacity utilization at 70%, Los Angeles and Long Beach have probably delayed until the early 2030s the likelihood of experiencing pandemic-era congestion again, according to marine terminal engineers.

While down significantly from 2022, the forwarder remained profitable last year as fourth-quarter gains helped dull the full-year impact of sharply correcting global freight markets.

US retailers and others will reduce their exposure to China as they can, chasing cheaper labor while also hedging the risk associated with relying on one origin for key goods and items.

Building on recent market openings, the point-to-point, long-haul LTL carrier is launching its largest growth push since a 2021 restructuring.

Ocean carriers are not able to honor roughly 25% of their planned loads on available US East Coast weekly sailings out of Nhava Sheva and Mundra ports, local sources say.

Longer voyages around southern Africa have created an instant tonnage shortage and will make it difficult for carriers to maintain weekly sailing schedules, says Jeremy Nixon.