Supply chain

C.H. Robinson Worldwide reported its net income in the second quarter of 2013 totaling $111.9 million, down 2.4 percent from $114.6 million in the second quarter of 2012.

Nippon Express Co., Japan’s largest international freight forwarder, said its net profit surged 34.4 percent to 6.858 billion yen ($69.62 million) in its fiscal 2013 first quarter, which ended June 30.

In seasonally adjusted terms, Australia had a goods and services trade surplus of A$602 million (about $541.2 million) in June, an increase of A$95 million, or 19 percent...

Gateway Distriparks Ltd., India’s leading port-based logistics provider, reported a consolidated net income of $4.9 million for its first fiscal quarter, which ended June 30, a decline of 14.7 percent year-over-year.

President Obama has signed an executive order, “Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security,” in response to the explosion earlier this year at a fertilizer facility in West, Texas.

Agility today reported its profit in the second quarter of 2013 was 11.51 million Kuwaiti dinars (about US$40.3 million), jumping 50 percent from 7.66 million dinars in the second quarter of 2012.

The Logwin Group reported its revenue in the first half of 2013 was €622.8 million (about US$824.6 million), sliding from €652.7 million in the same period in 2012.

Why isn’t U.S. trade with India growing more rapidly? One key factor has been the inability of Indian national and local governments to modernize the country’s backward transportation and trade infrastructure.

India has adopted policies favoring its own companies in industries such as clean energy, technology and medical devices. It has also imposed tariffs and local content requirements, and denied and revoked patents, according to an official at the National Association of Manufacturers.

Suttons Group has appointed Anthony Latham as the new director of its North Asia operation.

The Federal Railroad Administration yesterday issued an emergency order aimed at making the hauling of hazardous materials safer, following the deadly Quebec fuel train accident last month.

President Obama this week nominated the nation's drug policy czar to take the reins of Customs and Border Protection, setting the stage for the agency to get its first politically appointed chief in more than a year and a half.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Circuit Judge Janice Rogers Brown wrote that the recent federal appeals court decision on the new hours-of-service rules “brings an end to much of the permanent warfare” between regulators, safety advocates and the trucking industry. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit decision, which upholds most of the new truck driving rules, may have ended the battle, but the war over highway safety is far from finished.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., introduced legislation this week that would delay the federal deadline for positive train control by five years to 2021.

A U.S. appeals court on Friday upheld the majority of new federal hours of service rules, but rejected a 30-minute rest requirement for short-haul drivers, potentially ending a vicious and drawn-out battle between the trucking industry and regulators.

The European Union is ratcheting up efforts to boost short-sea shipping with plans for an attack on customs red tape that will allow sea transport to compete with trucks and trains in moving freight among its 28 member states.

European and U.S. trade officials face the daunting challenge of creating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, the world’s biggest free trade zone, and doing so by the end of 2014.

Major Japanese international freight forwarder Yusen Logistics Co. said that it slipped into the red in the first quarter of fiscal 2013, which started on April 1, despite a big jump in operating revenue.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission is inviting public comment on its initial draft plan for fiscal years 2014 to 2018, which replaces and updates the current plan for 2010 to 2015.

Infrastructure “mega deals” continued to drive up deal value in the transportation and logistics industry in the second quarter of 2013, despite subdued merger and acquisition activity overall...

Anthony Foxx, U.S. transportation secretary, has announced a proposal to eliminate a “burdensome” daily paperwork requirement for professional truck drivers...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection and China’s General Administration of Customs have jointly seized more than 243,000 counterfeit consumer electronics products...

Contrans reported second quarter 2013 net income of C$8.0 million (about US$7.7 million), sliding 1.2 percent from C$8.1 million in the second quarter of 2012.

Con-way reported its net income in the second quarter of 2013 was $42.9 million, improving from $41.8 million in the second quarter of 2012.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., have introduced Senate and House bills to allow local governments to ban high-polluting trucks from ports.

Trucking and logistics giant Transport Corporation of India reported its net income in the first fiscal quarter, which ended June 30, was $2.34 million, increasing 3 percent from $2.27 million in the same period last year.

Gati reported its profit, excluding non-recurring items, in its fiscal year 2013, which ended June 30, 2013, was 170 million Indian rupees (about US$2.8 million), versus 130 million rupees in the previous fiscal year.

India’s economy is expected to grow just 5.1 percent in 2013/14 and remain below 7 percent in fiscal year 2014, according to one leading analyst.

BestTransport has appointed Mike Dolan as president and CEO.

The latest changes to the truck driver hours of service rules are being challenged by a congressman from New York.

The peak shipping season this fall should be uneventful, with only a modest increase in cargo volume, a temporary spike in freight rates and no real shortages of transportation capacity or equipment to disrupt the supply chain, according to industry experts who spoke at a Journal of Commerce webcast Tuesday.

China and the European Union have resolved the accusations that China is dumping solar panels in Europe...

State-owned Container Corp. of India reported its net income in the first fiscal quarter, which ended June 30, was $41.65 million, inching up 0.5 percent from $41.43 million in the same period a year ago.

The Australian government has allocated A$2.5 million (about US$2.3 million) in funding for the Beef Australia expo, which will be held in Rockhampton, Queensland, in May 2015...

Taiwan-based logistics major Dimerco will continue its global expansion through the pursuit of further acquisitions and alliances, according to CEO Paul Chien.

DHL has won a six-year contract to provide logistics services in Australia for Japan-based Brother International.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued two proposed rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act aimed at strengthening assurances that imported food meets the same safety standards as...

Wood pellet exports from North America were up more than 50 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2013, with the U.K. as the major export destination, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review.

Apex Freight Services has acquired Timberline Freight Services, a Colorado-based, full and less-than-truckload transportation company specializing in the movement of temperature-sensitive goods.