Supply chain

Panalpina’s earnings dipped two percent in the second quarter on sluggish growth in ocean container traffic and a decline in air freight volumes.

UPS reportedly is in talks to acquire fast-growing Coyote Logistics, as round after round of logistics acquisitions this year increase speculation about potential mergers.

Congressional proposals to clamp down on longshore unions in reaction to West Coast port slowdowns could backfire, warned the chief attorney for waterfront employers on the East and Gulf coasts.

A new era of cooperation between Seattle and Tacoma will dawn Thursday when the Northwest Seaport Alliance becomes effective following approval of the agreement by the Federal Maritime Commission.

FedEx Express is re-engineering its global network by replacing older, higher capacity planes with more efficient, technically advanced aircraft that have lighter payloads. The result should be a more efficient, higher yield operation in an era of slower air cargo trade.

Logistics property developer GLP and a consortium of investors have established a $7 billion China-focused logistics infrastructure fund aimed at developing modern warehouse facilities across the mainland.

The U.S. Maritime Administration expects by late summer or early fall to seek public comments for its proposed national maritime strategy, which has been a top goal of Marad Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen.

The U.S. Senate Tuesday failed to move forward with legislation that would have authorized funding for American roads and infrastructure for another six years, after Democrats said they hadn’t had enough time to review the bill.

Strong demand for outsourced services will help U.S. logistics suppliers expand and encourage more mergers and acquisitions, a consultant told Stifel investors.

Descartes, which operates the Global Logistics Network, recently purchased MK Data Service for $76.3 million in cash, giving shippers who use the network one more way to protect themselves from doing business with denied parties.

The Teamsters are deploying a bi-coastal strategy to challenge what the union charges is misclassification of drayage truck drivers as independent contractors, an indication of how the issue has expanded far beyond the San Pedro Bay area.

China’s taste for U.S.-made products purchased online has been driven by concerns over fake products offered at home and developed by new and efficient cross-border e-commerce solutions.

The European Shippers’ Council adamantly opposed UPS’ proposed takeover TNT Express, but the group has no qualms with FedEx buying the ailing parcel provider for $4.8 billion.

A recently-launched Federal Maritime Commission Section 15 investigation of a terminal operators discussion agreement could have a chilling effect on the mandatory inspection of chassis by International Longshore and Warehouse Union mechanics at West Coast ports.

India’s major public ports, whose stagnant productivity, which is causing them to lose market share to their smaller private rivals, may soon be up for grabs as the Indian government pushes for a corporatization policy as part of its efforts to jumpstart the Indian economy.

China’s annual economic growth will continue to slow over the next 15 years as its population ages and growth shifts from being driven by exports to a full-fledged consumer market.

India’s merchandise exports to the rest of the world fell for the seventh successive month in June, representing a serious setback for New Delhi’s long-term goal of doubling its global outbound trade over the next five years.

UPS expanded the insurance and logistics services it offers shippers of high-value cargo such as jewelry by acquiring Insured Parcel Services from G4S, a global integrated security company.

European shippers needing industrial spare parts to prevent the stalling of production lines will be able to take advantage of a new global distribution hub.

A U.S. Senate committee Wednesday voted to send new legislation requiring U.S. ports to provide monthly productivity reports to the federal government to the Senate floor.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed an $8 billion measure to extend federal highway funding through the end of the year. It’s enough time, Republicans say, to find a long-term for the Highway Trust Fund’s chronic shortfalls.

German logistics operator DB Schenker and Austria’s Express Interfracht have been fined a combined 49 million euros ($54 million) by European Union trust busters for fixing freight rates for eight years.

Refrigerated trucking company Marten Transport increased its profit while adding trucks in the second quarter, as dedicated revenue rose more than 60 percent.

China’s 700 million farmers can now buy their tractors online through Alibaba Group's e-commerce platform Taobao Marketplace following the recent launch of a shopping channel dedicated to farm products.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission is considering formation of an industry advisory council to discuss port congestion, and said a starting point might be demurrage and per-diem detention fees.

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced legislation to extend federal highway funding through the end of the year to buy time to find funding and votes for the six-year long-term bill that both the GOP and Democrats want.

A new six-year surface transportation reauthorization bill in the U.S. includes more than a quarter-trillion dollars in infrastructure investment and designated funding for freight corridors. The formula that divvies up that funding among states, however, is intrinsically flawed, according to analysts at the Brookings Institution.

Kuehne + Nagel’s net earnings rose 6.8 percent in the second quarter as strong growth in air freight tonnage offset lower ocean container volumes.

Discount retailer Dollar Tree is building a $104.4 million distribution center in 'upstate' South Carolina, near the Greer Inland Port and the I-85 corridor, expanding its Southeastern logistics footprint.

The heat is on for the cold supply chain industry as it prepares for the roll-out of new, more stringent federal regulations this fall. Now an Israeli company may have a solution to at least one of the challenges the industry will face when the Food and Drug Administration hands down its new regulations.

Shippers seeking damages from cargo airlines accused of price-fixing have been granted class-action status, allowing hundreds of thousands of people to seek damages against the airlines.

The benefits for containerized trade have not yet been clearly spelled out in China’s One Belt, One Road plan, but the scale of the initiative and the economic figures involved should make compelling reading for Asia-Europe shippers.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has issued an order forcing ocean carriers to provide critical data and information needed to monitor a FMC-authorized agreement formed to fight West Coast port congestion. The agency is also putting on hold an attempt to expand the discussion agreement, known as the Pacific Ports Operational Improvement Agreement.

Vacancy rates for New Jersey distribution centers and warehousing have dipped below 8 percent for the first time in six years and are pushing up rents, the Cushman & Wakefield commercial real estate firm says.

A U.S. district court has ruled that federal law precludes Massachusetts from regulating transportation rates, routes and services by requiring express-delivery drivers to be company employees.

Getting containers to Africa’s ports is the easy part, but transporting those boxes inland to their final destination is taxing the minds of logistics executives in the region.

Wal-Mart has opened four new warehouses in Tianjin to expand its distribution centre in northern China, the latest example of rising mainland demand for modern logistics property that is increasingly in short supply.

CaroTrans Thursday announced it would resume its direct, weekly import service between Rotterdam and Antwerp and the Port of Los Angeles, backing reports that U.S. West Coast port congestion is finally easing almost six months after labor disputes there came to a close.

The grouping of the world’s largest container lines into four large alliances covering all east-west trades has had an unexpected result: Shippers no longer view alliances as potential vehicles for rate collusion, and, in fact, have come to appreciate their ability to prop up smaller lines that are finding it increasingly difficult to compete against the three largest carriers.

Germany’s Deutsche Post is pushing ahead with plans for new low-cost DHL parcel delivery companies in its domestic market after resolving a long-running dispute with unions that had led to a series of strikes over the past three months.