Supply chain

P3 carriers are betting their proposed network if allowed to proceed in the spring as planned won’t draw the ire of European Union antitrust authorities long after deployment.

WASHINGTON — The Senate today passed a two-year budget deal that is expected to provide the U.S. economy with surer footing in 2014 by preventing a partial federal government shutdown and better spreading the pain of sequestration cuts.

Shippers of containerized cargo to Japan, be forewarned: the Japanese version of the U.S. 24-hour advanced manifest rule will soon be going into effect. This means that after March 8, 2014, shipments that don’t contain the needed information in shipping instructions will be rejected for loading by customs authorities.

When Jeffrey H. Schwartz looks to China, he sees a land brimming with logistics opportunities — billions of dollars in opportunities, in fact.

CEVA Logistics has been beefing up its global operations with the expansion of a health care distribution center in Leipzig, Germany, and a new warehouse complex in Queensland, Australia.

U.S. shippers expect tighter truck capacity in the months ahead to help push up truckload and less-than-truckload rates. But shippers surveyed by Wolfe Research generally don’t expect tighter highway capacity to drive up rates on the competing mode of intermodal rail, according to a survey conducted by the firm in August and September.

The ports of Seattle; Tacoma, Wash.; and Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, have decided to extend the 2007 Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy partnership through 2020...

WASHINGTON — The Federal Maritime Commission will hold its regulatory summit focused on carrier alliances on Tuesday in Washington with its counterparts from the European Union and China, but the majority of the summit won’t be open to the public.

Suggesting that pressure is growing to deliver faster to e-commerce customers, Home Depot said it will be build three direct fulfillment centers around the country that will enable it to ship orders up to 5 PM on the day they are received.

Shippers using air cargo and expedited services will be among the biggest beneficiaries of the World Trade Organization’s Bali Package of reforms agreed to last week, express providers believe.

The deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation will leave his post at the end of the year, passing the torch to the current Federal Highways Administrator.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Merchant Marine would take another hit if the proposed bipartisan federal budget deal is passed with language that would stop reimbursing agencies for the additional cost of shipping food aid on U.S.-flag vessels.

With online sales soaring 45 percent in the third quarter, Southern retail chain Belk is expanding its e-commerce distribution and fulfilllment network.

WASHINGTON — The Chinese government is expected to clarify its position on the valued-added tax on logistics services that has confused shippers and transport providers since it was imposed Aug. 1.

WASHINGTON — Congress is unlikely to send a long-delayed major water resources bill to President Obama by year end, but shippers and transportation providers can expect action in early 2014.

The Doha round of talks began in 2001, and there seemed little chance of a breakthrough. But surprising almost all but the most optimistic of multilateral advocates, a breakthrough was indeed achieved as WTO negotiators produced the first major accord in the organization’s 18-year history.

The international shipping and logistics industry has welcomed the far-reaching trade facilitation reforms agreed to in Bali last week as part of the World Trade Organization’s latest effort to revitalize the Doha round of global trade talks.

The takeover of the Lazaro Cardenas port in November by the Mexican army underscores an enduring reality in Latin America: its ports a breeding ground for corruption, according to the global risk consultancy Control Risks.

U.S. and Chinese shipper groups are urging their respective regulators to block the proposed P3 Network, arguing the top three global container lines will reduce competition by controlling too much capacity on major trade lanes.

Former Sea Star Line President Frank Peake was sentenced to five years in prison and fined $25,000 for a his conviction in an antitrust conspiracy case that has produced guilty pleas by five other carrier executives and three carriers in the Puerto Rico trade.

Almost a month after Typhoon Haiyan devastated large swathes of the Philippines the relief effort is still struggling to meet the needs of the millions affected. Logistics capacity is proving a key choke point despite many of the world’s leading transport companies offering support.

New federal rules that cut into trucking productivity did not push rates up for most shippers in the third quarter, according to a survey by Wolfe Research.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., this week introduced a bill that would double the federal gas tax and another to push the federal government to look further into raising highway construction funds on the basis of how far trucks travel.

Universal Truckload Services will acquire Westport Axle from a Brazil-based industrial group, gaining new inroads into truck manufacturing and access to more industrial freight.

China’s official PMI indicated expansion during November, but the new orders sub-index lost ground and there are signs that GDP growth rates will slow this quarter, according to analysts.

Federal Maritime Commissioner Richard Lidinsky said the agency will soon stop the clock on its review of the proposed P3 Network, giving him and fellow commissioners enough time to meet with European Union and Chinese regulators on Dec. 17 before determining whether to block the plan.

Hoffberger Holdings has plans to expand its distribution center at the Port of Baltimore.

The Federal Maritime Commission will host European Union and Chinese regulatory officials later this month for a summit on the proposed P3 Network alliance involving the world’s three largest container lines.

State investment in infrastructure will be critical if Southeast Asia is to realize its full economic potential, according to leading analysts.

China says it will attend a summit in Washington in December proposed by the Federal Maritime Commission to discuss the proposed P3 alliance involving the world's three largest container lines, Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA-CGM.

Dachser has established a joint venture in Indonesia as part of its global expansion strategy.

CEVA Logistics has signed a three year contract with Swedish automotive industry manufacturer Scania to manage the delivery of spare parts in Spain and Portugal.

WASHINGTON — A $900 million container terminal and free trade zone in northwest Cuba opening in January will be a Caribbean transshipment and could be major gateway for U.S. trade if the embargo ends, according to Cuban Ambassador Jose Cabana.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has proposed a series of highways to serve as a highway Primary Freight Network...

UPS, DHL Express and FedEx have published new rates for 2014.

The European Union today announced it has launched a formal antitrust investigation into several ocean container carriers to address concerns they have coordinated freight rate hikes on the Asia-Europe trade since 2009.

Canada’s federal government has instructed rail companies to share information with municipalities to ensure there is ongoing dialogue about the transportation of dangerous goods.

Pacer International has predicted its revenue in 2014 will range between $1.1 billion and $1.3 billion, representing an expected increase of 10 percent to 18 percent from its 2013 results.