Transport, Trade and Regulation News

Payouts to states by the Department of Transportation for construction projects under the 2009 stimulus law totaled just below $29 billion as of June 10, the Obama administration said on its Recovery.

CEVA Logistics will lease more than 1,000 trailers from Ryder System, bringing its total U.S. trailer capacity to more than 4,700 units, the company said Monday.

Horizon Lines announced a second one-week postponement of a deadline for securing bondholders’ support for a plan to refinance the debt of the largest U.S. domestic ocean carrier.

New York City’s district attorney will indict Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines on Monday on charges that it is part of Iran's effort to obtain banned technology for its nuclear and missil

European Union competition regulators launched an investigation into the German government’s financing of Leipzig-Halle airport, DHL Express’s European cargo hub, to ensure it complies wit

Somalia jailed an American, three Britons and two Kenyans for illegally bringing $3.6 million in cash into the country, allegedly to pay ransoms for two ships seized by pirates.

The global production of crude steel in the 64 countries reporting to the World Steel Association reached 130 million metric tons May 20, an increase of 4.2 percent above the same month in 2010.

Just when privately owned Domodedovo airport in Moscow was gearing up for its ambitious May initial public offering that would raise $700 million to $1 billion, the plans came crashing down.

In any discussion of trade facilitation and security along the U.S.-Mexico border, the cross-border trucking controversy is the elephant sitting in the corner.

The U.S. tries to keep foreign-flag ships from polluting U.S. waters, but not every operator gets the message.

U.S.

Trade along the U.S.-Mexico border is a delicate balancing act that has wobbled between facilitation and security for years.

With the retailing sector already in the midst of a shaky recovery, the seismic shift to online sales is changing the retail distribution model.

Hong Kong-based Li & Fung says it is restructuring its distribution network in China to meet the fast-growing demand for consumer goods even as rising costs pressure the retail products company&rs

U.S. steel exports declined 9.3 percent in April from March and 8.8 percent year-to-year, the Commerce Department said.

Construction of homes and apartments increased 3.5 percent in May from the previous month but was down 3.4 percent year-to-year, the Commerce Department said.

Vessel calls at U.S. ports increased 13 percent last year as the country recovered from the worst recession in decades, the Maritime Administration said Wednesday.

U.S.

Canada’s national postal service is shut down today because of a company lockout, as Canada Post abruptly sent home its 50,000 workers in what appears to be an attempt to force back-to-work legi

The UK’s Royal Mail reported operating profit slumped 78 percent to $63.6 million in the 2010-2011 financial year from $293 million in the previous 12 months as mounting losses in letters and pa

Overall retail sales fell in May for the first time in 11 months but the decline was less than expected and due largely to a sharp drop in auto sales, government data show.

The Bank of Japan upgraded its assessment of the domestic economy for the first time in three months, as the country is making progress in efforts to restore supply chains disrupted by the March 11 tw

The U.S.

Most major economies are showing signs of "a mild loss of growth momentum" in the next few months, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said.

Canada’s 10-day series of rotating postal strikes mushroomed Monday to 10 cities in seven provinces as a potentially more damaging strike at Air Canada loomed for midnight.

The U.S.

In less than 10 years, China will be crisscrossed by a national highway system 53,000 miles long that will cover all the country’s cities with populations of 250,000 or more, all logistics parks

House Republicans introduced a bill to reword the Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act of 2007 with such changes as the measurement of lead content.

The threat level is rising along with the water along the Mississippi River, endangering two-thirds of U.S.

Shippers and carriers are complaining about a Puerto Rico Ports Authority plan to require electronic imaging of every domestic container and trailer arriving from the U.S.

With one of North America’s most dramatic bridges as a backdrop, Michigan Gov.

Proposed changes to export rules that would eliminate post-departure filing on all but a select number of agricultural shipments are raising the ghosts of battles on trade facilitation vs.

The National Industrial Transportation League is urging the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration not to change the truck driver hours-of-service rules.

U.S. wholesalers’ inventories rose 0.8 percent last month, held down by tighter automotive inventories, while sales increased 0.3 percent, the Commerce Department said.

President Obama is keeping open the option of drawing oil out of the U.S.

Two national trucking groups called on the Department of Transportation to begin researching the benefits of crashworthiness standards for heavy trucks.

Record exports fueled by a slumping dollar combined with a drop in automotive and oil imports to shrink the U.S. trade deficit in April by 6.7 percent to $43.7 billion, the lowest since December.

Customs and Border Protection announced a major step toward fulfilling a 10-year-old goal of giving importers a “single window” to government.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce leaders said Wednesday that the U.S. and Mexico should elevate their efforts to promote security and trade facilitation at the border.

Freight volume carried by for-hire transportation companies in April fell 1 percent from the previous month but was up 3.7 percent from April 2010, the Transportation Department reported.