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Two years into a reorganization that has sharply reduced net losses and led to operating profit, YRC Worldwide is confident enough to consider its first major public stock offering in years as a means of cutting long-term debt from its books.

ABF Freight System and the Teamsters union extended their current contract through Aug. 31, as the less-than-truckload carrier and union work on supplemental agreements rejected last month by ABF’s Teamster employees.

Mediterranean Shipping Co. has placed so many orders for new container ships recently that its orderbook is the largest among all carriers, according to Alphaliner.

Old Dominion Freight Line today reported net income in the second quarter of 2013 increased 21.8 percent year-over-year to $58.3 million, compared with $47.8 million in the same period last year.

Wal-Mart executives want people to know they are increasing the food safety requirements of their suppliers, are working to verify the safety of imported foods and increasing standards in foreign stores as well.

Ryder System today reported its profit in the second quarter of 2013 was $62.2 million, jumping 33.2 percent from $46.7 million in the second quarter of 2012.

Central Transport joined other less-than-truckload carriers pushing for higher pricing this summer, raising its tariff rates 5.9 percent on average last week.

Central Freight Lines will raise tariff rates 5.9 percent on average July 29, joining several less-than-truckload carriers taking general rate increases this summer.

Heartland Express reported net income in the second quarter of 2013 was $19.1 million, increasing 5.0 percent or $0.9 million from $18.2 million in the same period last year.

The July 22 debut of JOC Port Productivity research comes with a message that rings loud and clear: Marine terminal operators must do a better job of delivering the vessel productivity required by ocean carriers and those whose cargo is aboard their ships.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority said first half profit was unchanged from a year ago. Lower ship dues were offset by higher rental revenue.

After a strong start in the first part of this decade, the slowdown in export growth means the U.S. will not meet President Obama's goal of doubling exports by 2015 from 2009 levels.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services reported net earnings in the second quarter of 2013 were $87.70 million, improving 9 percent compared with $80.45 million in the second quarter of 2012.

Less-than-truckload carriers are battling to grab bigger slices of a small pie: total available LTL revenue. At $32 billion, LTL revenue represents about 5 percent of all trucking sales.

JOC Senior Editor William B. Cassidy interviews Jack Holmes, president of UPS Freight, and hears his views on consolidation in the less-than-truckload industry.

Although further consolidation might benefit some less-than-truckload motor carriers — YRC Freight, for example — mergers are no panacea for the challenges facing LTL trucking. There may be smarter routes to growth that trucking companies, along with shippers and logistics partners, should explore.

JOC Senior Editor William B. Cassidy interviews David Congdon, president and CEO of Old Dominion Freight Line.

JOC Senior Editor William B. Cassidy interviews William Logue, president and CEO, FedEx Freight.

JOC Senior Editor William B. Cassidy interviews James Welch, CEO of YRC Worldwide, and hears his views on consolidation and pricing in the less-than-truckload industry.

Overall U.S. container trade with Asia increased 1.3 percent to 19.5 million 20-foot-equivalent units in the 12 months ending in March compared to the prior 12-month period, according to data from PIERS, a Journal of Commerce sister company.

Port of Long Beach Executive Director Chris Lytle will leave Southern California this month to assume the Port of Oakland’s top position. Although the ports are only 400 miles apart, the culture, location and leadership needs in Northern California are so different from the Long Beach scene that Lytle might as well be moving to another state.

Thomas Fields, who is taking over as president of the Long Beach Harbor Commission, believes the commissioners have worked out their internal differences and are ready to move forward as a united commission.

Shipping lines are entering the peak season in the major east-west trade lanes at a decided disadvantage because they aren’t taking the steps necessary to control capacity to match modest growth in container volumes.

The top 21 ocean container carriers increased the combined capacity of their fleets by 6.3 percent in the past year amid slowing cargo demand, according to industry analyst Alphaliner.

The planned alliance between Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM poses a major challenge for ports and container terminals in Europe, the U.S. and Asia serving the carriers’ pooled network of 255 ships on 29 service loops, according to shipping consultant Drewry.

Members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have voted to approve a national master agreement with ABF Freight System, Inc., although some local/area supplemental agreements were rejected.

Schneider National is installing new tracking technology across its fleet of van trailers and intermodal containers.

UPS has a new national master package contract, but Teamsters in many regions threw up roadblocks by voting down key supplemental agreements and a UPS Freight contract, forcing a new round of negotiations.

Ports could face a logistical nightmare when Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM next year flood the U.S. East and West coasts with big containerships as part of their new P3 Network alliance, but Long Beach and Los Angeles are taking the news in stride.

The P3 Network announced between Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM will bring together portions of the three largest global container ship fleets. The alliance, which is planned for the second quarter of 2014, will enable the three carriers to deploy their largest vessels in the Asia-Europe trade and cascade slightly smaller ships into the trans-Pacific and the trans-Atlantic lanes. This infographic gives a look at how the partners' fleets - both individually and as contributed to the alliance - measure up against the global fleet.

The P3 Network announced today between Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM will have little or no impact on the glut of vessel capacity that has been depressing global freight rates, but will enable the world’s three largest container lines to substantially cut their operating costs on the Asia-Europe, trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic trades.

French carrier CMA CGM will increase rates on westbound cargo moving on its Epic service from India to North Europe and the Mediterranean, starting July 1.

The hull of the MOL Comfort, a 7,041 20-foot-equivalent unit container ship operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, split in two about 200 nautical miles from Yemen during inclement weather.

U.S. containerized exports could exceed imports during certain months as soon as 2016 and on an annual basis by 2020, Walter Kemmsies, chief economist at Moffatt & Nichol, told the annual meeting of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition.

The Port of Los Angeles reported cargo volume in May dropped 12.9 percent compared with the same month last year.

A.P. Moller-Maersk will pay about $100 million less than expected for its 20 Triple E vessels ordered from South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, The Economic Times reports.