Supply chain

Increased driver adoption of apps in the truckload industry was driven in part by now-shuttered broker Convoy, whose technology was relaunched Thursday by forwarder Flexport.

Along with new funding for the domestic manufacturing of container cranes, the Biden Administration has given the US Coast Guard more power to monitor cyberattacks on port and maritime infrastructure.

A new 228,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility near Laredo’s World Trade Bridge will help Ryder scale operations for cross-border shippers.

By the time the IMO measure is introduced, the European carbon tax will have already been in place for three years, raising concerns that lengthy EU scrutiny of the global mechanism could see shippers hit with a double tax.

Across the board, merchant wholesalers are entering 2024 in a better position than this time last year when most sectors were seeing inflation-adjusted sales decline in conjunction with inventories-to-sales ratios that were well above pre-COVID levels.

A core challenge facing container shipping is how to craft a global greenhouse gas pricing regulation that can bridge the price gap between green and fossil fuels while spurring investment in alternative fuels.

ChatGPT and generative AI have captured most of the attention around artificial intelligence in logistics, but the diverse range of processes underpinning global supply chains require multiple types of AI working in concert.

Maersk’s integrator strategy has encompassed more access to air freight capacity, including a new tool for shippers in India to digitally price and book specific flights.

CloudTrucks’ acquisition of Shipwell’s brokerage division signals the importance of giving drivers direct access to loads through the technology platform they use to run their business.

While higher operating costs are inevitable due to longer voyages around the Cape of Good Hope, shippers want more transparency as to what those costs are.

The largest US freight broker is trying to eliminate the wait at the gate by not only scheduling truck appointments for shippers, but finding optimal appointment times. 

A pilot version of a truck appointment scheduling API is part of the hunt for new digital standards for supply chains that are still encumbered by manual processes.

While shippers are using terms in their contracts to push back against the higher costs linked to the Red Sea and Panama Canal disruptions, carriers are also looking to void those terms altogether.

UPS CEO Carol Tomé, who was on UPS’s board of directors at the time of the 2015 Coyote acquisition, acknowledged UPS did not fully appreciate how cyclical truckload and intermodal brokerage was at the time.

Artificial intelligence is quickly being integrated into everyday logistics and shipping processes such as truck check-ins, rate quotes and freight payment.

Most shippers use spreadsheets to manage rates from forwarders and container lines, which contributes to an inefficient process for freight payments and audits.

A guilty verdict against Slync founder Chris Kirchner brings closure on a saga that came to light when Slync employees went unpaid for weeks in spring 2022.

Connecting purchase order management with logistics management has been a challenge since before the pandemic, something BuyCo and Gravity hope to alleviate with a combined offering.

The digital forwarding model saw a stress test in 2023 amid faltering freight volumes and rates, but investments in early 2024 might signify staying power for the concept.

The move by the largest US logistics provider to use a standardized electronic bill of lading accelerates digitization in the less-than-truckload sector. 

Adding the UK and Ireland-focused supply chain specialist will expand the CMA CGM subsidiary’s footprint in the region and add almost $1.9 billion in revenue to its balance sheet.

The sharp decline in ships moving through the Suez Canal is tamping down activity on the busy route between Southeast Asia, the India subcontinent and the US East Coast.

FedEx and UPS will still play a role in residential deliveries, depending on the profitability of those volumes.

Some shippers, such as the Agriculture Transportation Coalition, have pushed the FMC to force carriers to offer more transparency into the economics behind the recent surcharges.

The dredging would be part of a multifaceted project to expand the terminal’s capacity from 500,000 TEUs to 2.5 million TEUs within the next decade and allow it to handle ships of any size.

Along with vacant warehouses, tenants that want to downsize or move through subleases are also adding to supply.

The carrier’s move comes amid increased scrutiny on the positioning of container ships due to the ongoing militant attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea.

Continued diversification in US entry points will eventually lead to greater demand for warehousing and storage at inland nodes.

The acquisition of The Shippers Group gives Kenco greater distribution capacity and underscores resilient demand for space and integrated logistics services despite a weak freight market.

Chassis lessors must work quickly to be prepared to unstack units when the international intermodal market rebounds.

The facilities must adhere to new emissions-cutting rules implemented several months ago by regulators or risk daily fines approaching $12,000 per day.

With ocean carriers rushing to the FMC to seek waivers of the 30-day notice period required to implement surcharges linked to the Red Sea crisis, the head of a major US shipper group says the commission should require carriers to provide more transparency around the additional costs the charges are meant to cover.

Almost four years after COVID-19, a new crisis is once again shining a light on the traditional contentious relationship between container carriers and their customers when it comes to pricing dynamics, writes Lars Jensen.

None of the most prominent venture-backed names in logistics has had a successful exit yet, but perhaps patience is still required before the industry can say for sure if venture capital is a worthy funding route for company founders.

The Federal Maritime Commission’s final rule on detention and demurrage will be a watershed moment in the industry next year, but it won’t be the only one.

The ruling is significant because it means US brokers can no longer use less expensive offshore labor to cut down on operational costs associated with import entry preparation and other brokerage services.

Lower consumer demand for imports and domestic goods reshaped international and US freight markets in 2023.

The proposed 2-million-TEU container terminal would be situated downriver from New Orleans where ships won’t face the air-draft restrictions of the Crescent City Connection bridge that spans the Mississippi River.

UPS and FedEx are delivering more packages on time this holiday season, helped by no shortage of capacity in the modes that feed their networks, while Amazon, Walmart and others build out delivery capabilities.

Those making offers — which analysts say could top $20 billion — are expected to be a list of major global forwarders including DSV, Kuehne+Nagel and DHL Global Forwarding.