Supply chain

Shippers and all involved in trade take note: US railroads, in some respects, hold the destiny of the 2018 intermodal year in their hands.

INTTRA officials see their company as potentially a key player in any central portal or pipeline designed to give shipping industry players end-to-end supply chain visibility, especially if it is blockchain-based.

With a huge investment, JD.com is looking to add high speed rail to its domestic delivery system.

Crunching shipper data, Zipline Logistics has found that the electronic logging device mandate is having a measurable impact on US trucker transit times and capacity.

Exporters in the United Kingdom are struggling to find new markets for the huge volume of recycled waste that has been banned by China.

Changing the hours-of-service rules could give US truckers more flexibility or mask shipper inefficiencies.

Pasha said US-flag domestic vessel capacity between the US mainland and Puerto Rico now is sufficient for the trade’s regular carriers.

Intermodal equipment provider Direct ChassisLink Inc.’s (DCLI's) Digital DCLI initiative seeks to leverage the company’s REZ-1 technology for myriad supply chain improvements, in a three-year effort that goes far beyond basic chassis supply.

Many shippers overlook transportation data that monitor their delivery exceptions. Mining data about delivery exceptions might provide shippers with smarter, more-effectual transportation performance data.

US shippers will like the additional capacity less-than-truckload (LTL) trucking companies plan to provide this year — but they will not like the LTL price increases that are sure to come. Still, the added revenue will fund much-needed investments in capital and talent.

The Trump administration wants to reduce the amount of money importers are charged for using ports, a move that would cut the amount of federal aid the latter get for dredging and jetty maintenance.

Shippers are complaining and fearing a huge increase in US transportation costs. For those who keep informed of developments impacting this spike in prices, this should not have come as a shock. Further, the factors impacting the hikes are outside the control of the trucking industry.

Efficiency gains from the remote-controlled crane and automated stacking system implemented by Hong Kong International Terminals at CT9 North will be felt by liner customers and improve the terminal's ability to handle large cargo surges from bigger vessels.

Channel-deepening projects at the ports of Savannah and Corpus Christi are included in the Trump administration’s US Army Corps of Engineers budget request; Congress has the final say regarding funding. Georgia's governor argued the Savannah project is the Southeast's most important infrastructure project.

US trucking capacity is tightening faster than anticipated in the electronic logging era, and some shippers say that is making it tougher and costlier to move freight as they navigate between higher costs and increasingly constrictive customer demands.

The ocean carriers’ long-standing determination to retain the business of large retailers and other large trans-Pacific importers, even if it means accepting marginally profitable or even loss making cargo, is slamming head on into the reality of the US trucking market.

Shippers that are skeptical of the efficiency of the Port of New York and New Jersey and its ability to handle higher cargo volumes may take comfort that authorities are considering extended gate hours and how to boost rail efficiency after crippling delays in early 2018.

Convoy and Uber Freight, two technology startups, are attempting to persuade US shippers they can deliver immediately covered contract and spot market loads, new capacity, total rate transparency, real-time tracking and data analytics, and market intelligence that can drive supply chain decisions.

Experts argue shippers, truckers, and forwarders are paying the price and the European Union is putting its economic growth at risk because of inadequate spending on transport and digital infrastructure.

Technology investments in the warehouse, at LTL docks, and in the last-mile delivery business are in the works at XPO Logistics, which expects consumer and business demand to propel technology in 2018.

US spot market truck rates are receding from January peaks, but not by much, and shippers should not take too much consolation in the dip: spring is coming.

A rule requiring a new, cleaner bunker fuel in 2020 will likely boost ocean carrier fuel costs — and analysts say that behooves shippers to determine whether their carrier transport cost includes fuel or whether it could be an add-on fuel charge.

Solving no-shows and improving efficiency in container shipping make blockchain technology highly relevant for beneficial cargo owners and forwarders.

The creation was propelled by need: the supply from chassis providers has not kept pace with the explosive growth at the region’s ports, a Georgia official said.

“Carriers face an increasing threat from digital attackers,” — competitors that have embraced technology, a Boston Consulting Group report released Friday argues.

Given limited domestic air cargo space, and increasing demand for quick-shipped goods, Bangladesh businesses are exploring air cargo options outside the country.

The carrier's Marseille, France-based incubator, known as Ze Box, will host a dozen startups, which have yet to be identified.

San Francisco-based digital forwarder Flexport has entered a very competitive sector – one that’s highly fragmented and with low margins.

The sheer scale of China’s waste import business means exporters need to find alternative markets for their recyclable products.

Member companies that have invested in costly new trucks want the April 1 deadline enforced, saying they will be at a competitive disadvantage versus those who are allowed to continue driving older trucks.

Expected and unexpected challenges have marked the start of the electronic logging device mandate era — magnifying shipper concerns about inadequate truck capacity and rising rates.

In launching a joint venture company with IBM, with whom it has had a relationship going back to the 1950s, Maersk would seem to be in the pole position to exploit blockchain’s potential in container shipping.

Officials say the technology will also help create more trucker dual transactions.

The Mexican Federal Competition Commission, the report-issuing body, declined to comment on the release date but issued a statement saying the agency is still going through the steps set out by Mexican regulations for such investigations.

BCOs calling at the largest US port complex want predictability, reliability, and velocity, and the port directors said those goals can be achieved only through technology and process improvements.

Truckers seek “dual transactions,” or revenue moves in both directions and at LA-LB, technology will play a key role in achieving that goal, which will also reduce turn times — getting cargo to its destination quicker.

After four years of behind-the-scenes work, US shippers, truckers, and intermediaries last month finally secured the federal regulatory hearing on their congestion-related fees for which they are not at fault. They should not expect speedy relief from the federal body.

Although the evidence is not inconvertible yet, the number of factors suggesting the current truck capacity shortage is not merely a cyclical downturn are starting to add up.

As supply chain visibility tech advances, shippers have to confront questions such as how much is it worth? Will other parties collaborate to ensure it functions? And: how to handle large amounts of data that may come in a variety of formats?

India's government tax reforms and rising investment in logistics infrastructure are opening the country up to increased trade in 2018 and beyond.