Supply chain

The U.S. federal government won’t tell Congress until later this month the results of a controversial pilot program tracking Mexican trucking companies hauling goods across the border, but opponents are already railing against continuing or expanding the initiative.

The Federal Maritime Commission has put into effect a new rule allowing the commission to use its website instead of the Federal Register to provide public notice when it revokes or suspends the licenses of ocean transportation intermediaries.

Yusen Logistics is beefing up its footprint in Turkey by partnering with Turkish logistics provider İnci Logistics.

Some bad news for shippers: Switching to low-sulfur fuel on a global basis in 2020 could cost the container shipping industry up to $100 billion per year, which will likely cause container freight rates to rise as carriers attempt to pass the costs onto beneficial cargo owners.

Nearly 300 shippers, port authorities and transportation groups are urging the U.S. Congress to follow through with its plan to send more money collected via harbor maintenance taxes back to ports.

The Mexican Senate will likely consider rail reform legislation this month, paving the way for the country’s three largest railroads to keep their concessions and preventing any supply chain disruptions caused by proposed legislation that would force them to open their networks to third-parties.

A new U.S. Customs and Border Protection pilot program aims to reduce the frequency of intellectual property rights exams for trusted importers while still protecting trademark rights, saving U.S. shippers time and money.

Modern Logistics S.A. has secured funding that will help the Brazilian logistics services provider launch operations within two months, offering regional warehousing and air and ground distribution.

Several industry associations representing private port terminals throughout Brazil and private terminal operators inside organized port areas were quick to condemn a law intended to clear up irregularities and inconsistencies in an infrastructure improvement plan.

The world’s top integrators are waiting to see how the recent ruling by China’s State Council to liberalize domestic package delivery will play out across the multibillion dollar market dominated by a multitude of small low-cost operators.

Shippers need to think about end-to-end power costs, not just fuel prices, when designing supply chains, speakers at the CSCMP meeting said. Those costs, they warn, could become more volatile.

Large forwarders are less inclined to accept loss leading business and will turn down contracts rather than supply transport services at below break-even levels, according to logistics companies with strong Asia Pacific business.

Ryder System is expanding its inland distribution network in Mexico, starting with a transloading center for Chrysler at the Gulf Coast Port of Altamira.

The executive branch of the European Union has taken Spain to court over security at its ports.

BDP International (India) and its long-time local partner Unique Global Logistics have approved a merger agreement between the two parties, allowing the Philadelphia-based logistics group to consolidate its operations in the country.

On an improved macroeconomic backdrop, U.S. retail holiday sales growth this year is expected to top that of last year, putting increased pressure on logistics and parcel delivery companies.

Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co. have completed the self-assessment of their proposed “2M” vessel-sharing agreement for European regulators, ensuring compliance with European Union law.

Logistics property developer GLP has completed the second and final tranche of its $2.5 billion agreement with a group of state owned companies and financial institutions in China that gives the company greater access to strategic property sites in one of the world’s fastest developing markets.

DB Schenker (India) has opened a 55,000-square-foot logistics facility in Ahmedabad, India, to serve customers in the western region.

CEVA Logistics opened a new branch office in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi to tap into opportunities for growth in the country’s northern region.

The U.S. Commerce Department set duties on 53-foot dry intermodal containers from China after a preliminary determination concluded manufacturers received unfair subsidies from the Chinese government

Kuehne + Nagel, the world’s largest sea freight forwarder, said it is targeting the trans-Atlantic container trade to offset slowing Asian exports to Europe.

China’s logistics industry is expected to show double-digit growth over the next five years, continuing a trend of 21 percent compound annual growth since 1991 and driven by rising online shopping and a growing trend of outsourcing non-core activities.

U.S. diesel prices slipped 0.6 percent or 2.3 cents to $3.778 per gallon on Sept. 22, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which brought the price to its lowest level since July 16, 2012.

A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would prevent the publication of safety scores for trucking and bus companies and revamp the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s CSA scoring system.

Near-shoring of manufacturing from China to Mexico, tight U.S. transportation capacity and competition from Amazon as a logistics provider were prominent topics in an annual survey of 27 third-party logistics CEOs sponsored by Penske Logistics and released today.

Air and ocean freight are expected to see “good” trade volume growth through the third and fourth quarters of 2014, especially in air freight, given a strong peak season outlook and a number of high-profile tech product launches, according to a new survey from the investment firm Stifel Nicolaus.

Even as air freight space out of China is has tightened because of the launch of the Apple iPhone 6, the typical air freight surges associated with major electronics product launches are not what they used to be.

Kerry Logistics aims to tap growing trade between Asia and Oceania, and between Australia and New Zealand through a joint venture with a New Zealand-based global freight forwarding company.

Container lines will continue to expand their share of the refrigerated cargo market, but specialized reefer carriers can survive if they diversify and pick their niches carefully, Drewry Maritime Research says in its annual analysis of the reefer shipping market.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has ordered Ken’s Trucking company, based in Grand Ridge, Florida, to immediately shut down following a federal investigation that revealed numerous violations of safety regulations.

Canadian National Railway faces a fine from the Canadian government after failing to obey Ottawa’s order to move a minimum amount of grain weekly.

A powerful U.S. resource that backers say helps many American exporters stay competitive globally will likely survive another nine months after the U.S. House of Representatives granted a funding extension for the U.S. Export-Import Bank on Wednesday. The Senate is expected to vote on a companion bill today.

U.S Senate investigators said Wednesday that computer networks of transportation companies that work for the U.S. military were broken into 20 times in one year by hackers with links to the Chinese government, highlight the growing cyberattack risk to shippers and carriers.

U.S. containerized exports will grow in the next five years on the back of a strong construction demand around the globe, JOC Group Economist Mario Moreno says.

Strong domestic volumes in the air and on the ground delivered double-digit profit growth for FedEx in the first quarter of its new fiscal year.

The newly appointed head of international trade at U.S. Customs and Border Protection said she wants to streamline regulation, make better use of data and improve employees’ analytical skills to improve cargo trade facilitation. As a result, the agency will be able to better focus its attention on high-risk cargo, giving safe shipments faster clearance.

Low prices invariably generate increased demand, so exports of corn, soybeans and energy products derived from those commodities will do quite well in the coming year and beyond, said David Hightower, principal at Hightower Associates in Chicago and publisher of the Hightower Report on commodities.

Research firm Gartner identified 15 European companies with the best performing supply chains, based on metrics including inventory turns, return on assets and revenue.

In a sharp turnaround from previously proposed rules, forwarders and non-vessel-operating common carriers in the U.S. wouldn’t have to post larger bonds under the Federal Maritime Commission’s revised ocean transportation intermediary rule overhaul proposals.