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While most shippers are concerned about whether there will be enough chassis and fluidity in railroad terminals in 2022, they are also bracing for a steep increase in contract rates.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach acknowledge the recent lack of conformity on the issue of container fees can be counterproductive as they attempt to reduce historic operational bottlenecks in the nation’s largest port complex.

Mediterranean Shipping Co. has edged out Maersk as the world’s largest containership company by capacity, according to Alphaliner, amid fleet growth and higher trans-Pacific volumes.

Vessels have backed up outside the Port of Charleston for the second time in as many months, but port officials believe they can resolve the issue within two weeks if importers retrieve their containers faster.

Increases in spot truckload rates to Chicago from eastern US ports are outpacing rate hikes off the West Coast, as the spot market enters 2022 at record price levels amid “extraordinary” demand.

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 represents yet a further setback for railroads, warehouse operators, and trucking companies to keep workers moving freight.

Carriers and their customers began their 2021-22 service contract negotiations several months earlier than usual, seeking stability and predictability is an eastbound trans-Pacific trade roiled by supply chain disruptions.

The purchase of Midwest Logistics Systems brings more than 1,000 drivers to Schneider National’s dedicated operations and brings the carrier’s annual dedicated revenue closer to $1 billion.

Alabama plans to beef up its main north-south rail line from the Port of Mobile with a series of upgrades and additional capital projects.

Employers and the ILWU fear that the spike in COVID-19 cases that surfaced about two weeks ago in Los Angeles and Long Beach is set to explode over the next two weeks, meaning historic vessel congestion could worsen.

While no COVID-19 cases have been reported at any of Beilun’s three container terminals, warehouse and container depot closures and trucking disruptions have made it difficult for manufacturers and suppliers to get goods to and from Ningbo port.

The creation of an ILWU-supported California task force on automation shows how the union is increasingly determined to fight automation outside the confines of a contract that allows employers to automate.

Ports and marine terminals say that more containers can be moved through on-dock rail now that service has improved, and rail car supply has eased.

Stoughton Trailers, one of two major 53-foot chassis manufacturers in the US, will open a production line in Texas, the third plant the Wisconsin-based company devoted to building chassis.

Blume Global’s acquisition of a sourcing collaboration platform gives it more upstream visibility into manufacturing activity after a year in which component shortages hampered international supply chains.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to hang over the air cargo business, and until regular international travel resumes, shippers will find space in tight supply and rates at elevated levels.

The number of vessels anchored outside Savannah has fallen to fewer than five, a significant improvement from September when the number was as high as 30.

The Port of Oakland opens an off-site container yard that aims to make it easier for ag shippers to access empty containers to use for exports.

Logistics providers are largely embracing a buy-and-build approach to serve their shipper and carrier ecosystems, realizing that internal development resources aren’t usually enough to cater for all their software needs.

The trans-Atlantic trade will report significant volume growth in 2021 as heavy US demand fills all available capacity and pushes rates to record levels.

The Port of Los Angeles has taken aim at empty containers at its terminals with a proposed fee in January that would penalize container lines for failing to move long-dwelling outbound boxes.

Wan Hai has come under scrutiny from the US Federal Maritime Commission for assessing detention charges on containers that shippers assert could not be returned to a container terminal.

An update to new COVID-19 quarantine rules in Hong Kong has prompted Cathay Pacific to halted long-haul freight flights, potentially exacerbating a supply crunch ahead of the Lunar New Year peak.

The Port of New York–New Jersey is seeing an uptick in ships waiting for an open berth as vessel calls rise and more freight gets diverted from other ports.

Canadian Pacific has signed a multi-year agreement to continue to move goods for Canadian Tire, which will include the inland port the tire company purchased a stake in this August.

With import volumes in the trans-Pacific projected to remain strong into the new year and water and landside congestion continuing, the first half of 2022 will look eerily similar to 2021.

Toughening Hong Kong’s quarantine requirement for air cargo pilots would severely disrupt airfreight operations during peak air cargo season and ahead of China’s Lunar New Year holiday.

Evergreen Marine has ordered six new ship-to-shore cranes after it completed berth dredging for a major capacity upgrade at its Los Angeles terminal.

Shippers and forwarders under pressure to pay freight surcharges have an option to apply for credit through a new offering by payment vendor PayCargo’s working capital solutions group.

Although the US supply chain is in desperate need of more chassis, it will take a while longer before enough chassis are injected into the market to make a notable difference.

The latest move by intra-Asia regional carriers and feeder operators to add new connections with India comes amid a buoyant export market there and a sourcing shift toward Vietnam.

Despite the urgency around decarbonizing one of the world’s most polluting industries, the IMO continues to struggle to achieve consensus on the way forward among its 175 member states.

The port of New York–New Jersey is looking at how it can deal with five years of expected cargo growth that has hit the port through 2021, while other Northeast ports are expanding capacity to deal with larger ships.

TradeLens has continued progress in building its network in Asia by securing Pakistan Customs and its single window initiative as a new member, bookending its existing investment in India.

Domestic intermodal shippers who want to use BNSF Railway to send cargo in 53-foot containers will have one fewer service option come Jan. 1, JOC.com has learned.

US industrial real estate markets set records in 2021 for leasing activity, low vacancy rates, rental rate growth, and new construction permits, and shippers looking for warehousing and distribution space should expect more of the same in the coming year.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach once again postpone the long-dwell container fees as a major terminal operator in Long Beach imposes fees of its own.

Although spillover cargo from the congested container market will recede as the market stabilizes, breakbulk and recovering project demand coupled with shrinking capacity are expected to keep MPV/HL rates from sinking to pre-COVID-19 levels

Demand for less-than-container load (LCL) services has driven a customs technology company catering to small US shippers to launch a service from two Chinese ports to New York-New Jersey.

The Port of Long Beach’s project to move over one-third of its container volumes to rail received a boost from the US Department of Transportation through a $52 million grant.