Surface

Canada’s labor minister said he won’t force binding arbitration between Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and their main union, setting the stage for a lockout next week.

Producer price indexes and the Cass Freight Index show slight increases in truck pricing and volumes in July, but not a rapid turnaround.

Acquiring a majority stake in Loconi International continues the Singapore-based terminal operator’s growth strategy designed to expand control of its cargo handling beyond the quay.

A potential strike by Canada’s two railroads, while an “inconvenience,” would not pose an “immediate and serious danger” to the public, the Canada Industrial Relations Board ruled Friday.

Despite the nearly $140 billion invested in logistics startups globally from 2012 through 2023, most of the industry’s major inefficiencies remain and the underlying structure of the industry has hardly changed.

The average contract cost savings for a shipper choosing intermodal rail over truckload in the US was just over 25% in the second quarter, according to the latest Journal of Commerce Intermodal Savings Index.

Some non-asset logistics providers are adding LTL volume and revenue as truckload brokerage keeps declining. 

Economic indicators and mid-year reports show contract truckload rates still trending downward, with a truckload recovery proving to be slow going.

The $83 million project, which took two years to complete, adds another 455,000 TEUs of annual on-dock rail capacity at NIT.

The intermodal logistics provider said it will change its business model as state and federal laws make it more difficult to classify drivers as independent contractors.

The percentage of import TEUs arriving in Los Angeles and Long Beach and departing as domestic transloads should rise significantly in the third quarter, analyst Larry Gross says.

Large truckload providers have been jettisoning trucks at an historic pace in an imbalanced market, but they are making more efficient use of their remaining trucks.

Norfolk Southern believes a mandatory reservation system for trucking companies bringing containers into its terminals will improve fluidity and prevent congestion from building.

While intermodal demand is not strong in the eastern US, there is surging demand in Southern California that could result in providers levying peak season surcharges on some shippers.

Large LTL trucking companies including XPO, Saia, ODFL and Knight-Swift are increasing volumes by diversifying and going deeper into shipper supply chains as they add customers.

Uber Freight is managing a growing internal LTL network within Canada and cross-border trade, and others are looking for ways to create “alternative” LTL services.

The takeover of Los Angeles-based Dependable Highway Express (DHE) allows Knight-Swift to reach 70% of the US population with its LTL services.

The sale of European Surface Transportation to German-based brokerage sennder is part of a drive to strengthen operations that C.H. Robinson considers core to its business.

Ottensmeyer spent 17 years with Kansas City Southern Railway until the merger with Canadian Pacific Railway in 2023, then served on J.B. Hunt’s board of directors.

Saia, Knight-Swift and other LTL carriers are moving ahead with plans to open terminals once owned by bankrupt Yellow, despite higher costs.

UP’s containerized intermodal volume is up 6% in July as West Coast imports grow and the threat of a strike diverts some Canadian international intermodal freight.

The return of seasonality, tender rejections and an end to discounting all hint at a coming uptick in truckload demand in the second half of the year and higher rates next year, the largest US truckload operator says.

The gateways say they are well-positioned to take on additional diversions from the East and Gulf coasts should an ILA strike occur after the current labor deal expires at the end of September.

More business from logistics partners and retailers helped increase daily shipment count for the second-largest US LTL provider, but year-over-year comps are about to get tougher.

Ocean carriers and shippers are diverting some intermodal freight to US ports to counter the threat of a Teamsters strike against Canadian railroads.

The acquisition of Mexican package company Estafeta gives UPS a full-fledged ground operation in Mexico that can link to its cross-border and global services.

Shrinking inventories have helped drive up warehouse vacancy rates and decreased utilization, but signs that demand is building point to a tightening market.

Carriers such as J.B. Hunt Transport Services are pressing shippers for more detailed forecasts as they look to realign capacity and demand. 

Joni Casey played a critical role in the expansion of the Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Agreement, a set of governing rules over the transfer of containers from one mode to another.

The third-largest US less-than-truckload provider is expanding its service centers along the US-Mexico border, anticipating an increase in northbound industrial freight. 

The largest intermodal company in North America is skeptical that the market is turning away from shippers, saying it needs more evidence before believing carriers have gained the upper hand in pricing negotiations.

Pitt Ohio is the latest LTL carrier to announce additional next-day lanes as the redistribution of former Yellow terminals creates opportunities to speed freight.

Mexico’s domestic intermodal market is benefiting from the relatively new “near-shoring” trend, writes intermodal analyst Lawrence Gross.

Demand fundamentals do not signal a substantial uptick in trucking volumes for the second half of the year, meaning a strong bull market pricing cycle will have to wait, writes analyst Jason Miller.

The company believes shippers will benefit from a payments network it has created to help brokers and carriers bill shippers accurately before an invoice is sent out.

Market conditions appear more favorable toward carriers today compared with 12 months ago, but the pendulum is close to a balanced domestic intermodal market heading into the back half of 2024.

Speakers at the SMC3 Connections Conference this week warned that US truckload pricing will rise slowly heading toward 2025, although others expect a faster move.

Ongoing demand from cargo owners unable to find space with ocean carriers is placing the rail network from China to Europe under increasing pressure with congestion building at key points.

As FedEx Freight increases revenue and profitability, the transportation and logistics company is considering potential steps to “unlock sustainable shareholder value.”

The $1.025 billion acquisition gives RXO growth not otherwise available in a weakened brokerage market and narrows UPS’s focus to package deliveries.