Surface

Professionals gathered at the 2018 Transportation Intermediaries Association Capital Ideas Conference said US market conditions favor surface transportation carriers more today than when the industry convened in Las Vegas one year ago.

XPO Connect will help shippers find and monitor fluctuating capacity across the logistics firm’s transportation modes.

It is vital that US intermodal continues to perform up to its maximum capabilities now that it is entering the normal seasonal upswing in volume and full enforcement of the electronic logging device mandate has commenced.

Full enforcement of the electronic logging device mandate began April 1, but inspectors issued a slew of violations in early 2018, federal data show.

The terminal will be developed on the site of a former bulk terminal in the port’s upper harbor.

DAT and Truckstop.com report that dry van rates have spiked as the new "spring peak" season picks up pace. Furthermore, truckers expect pricing and volumes to stay on an upward track through autumn.

Port officials expect better quarters ahead for the Port of Mobile (above), and one of several reasons is because automotive shipments are poised to grow with the continuing expansion of auto assembly plants in Alabama and surrounding states.

In the electronic logging device era, shippers will have to do more than offer drivers a cup of java and a key to the bathroom if they want access to truck capacity at reasonable rates.

The port’s deployment in May of two new cranes at the port’s only container terminal, Packer Avenue Marine Terminal, and the opening of an extended berth that will enable the port to handle three super post-Panamax vessels at once are the first parts of the expansion.

With the acquisition, Ryder seeks to deliver capacity in last-mile logistics demanded by shippers, as customer fulfillment expectations rise in the e-commerce era.

By partnering with digital marketplace NEXT Trucking, MOL Consolidation Services looks to link Asian vendors with scarce US truck capacity.

New infrastructure along the Rhine-Alpine and Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridors, together with improved administrative and regulatory conditions, are supporting a brisk expansion of intermodal services linking Italy’s and Spain’s ports with hinterlands to the north.

US truck capacity may get worse before it gets better, as electronic logging device enforcement begins this month with anywhere from 10 to 25 percent of drivers not having the required device in their cabs. Even so, shippers can use tips described here to keep their freight moving with minimal disruption.

Investigators in the inquiry, led by Commissioner Rebecca Dye, have directed carriers to provide detailed information about their detention and demurrage practices; the same is being sought from marine terminal operators.

Cosco Shipping Holdings, China's largest shipping company, has continued to aggressively expand into landside logistics, building on Beijing’s Belt and Road strategy to grow its terminal and inland footprint in Asia and Europe.

Marine terminal operators are building beneficial cargo owners' loyalty by providing more-coordinated inland transport, either by owning and operating inland facilities and logistics operations or by partnering with logistics providers.

West Coast ports have taken the lead in breaking down the barriers to information sharing by establishing information portals that will allow all port users to access the shipment data they need in a secure environment. This development promises to accelerate productivity.

Freight brokers with less than $16 million in annual revenue saw shipments jump 20.5 percent in the fourth quarter, but higher truck rates put pressure on margins.

Shippers could find their cargo severely disrupted at the Port of New York and New Jersey if a ban on pre-2007 trucks goes into effect, according to a letter by the New York Shipping Association and several trucking groups that criticizes an effort by two congressmen to revive the ban.

APM Terminals, in its statement to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, blamed the heavy truck buildup on the construction of a road flyover outside the port, a reason previously also cited by DP World Nhava Sheva.

Capacity problems abound on land and in the air, and experts say many of the solutions are the same, including earlier planning and sharing of forecasts by shippers.

Shippers should be aware that there are anecdotal reports that questionable forms of co-brokering or double brokering are on the rise in 2018, as the supply of US trucks tightens and some brokers look to make a quick buck. During these instances, shippers essentially fund a double commission and could be exposed to financial damages, delays or lawsuits when things go wrong.

Shippers are benefiting from a new Contrail intermodal terminal and railroad service from the São Paulo hinterland to the key Brazilian Port of Santos. The Jundiaí Intermodal Terminal is strategically located and has opened at an opportune time — as Brazil’s container volumes rise with the strengthening regional and global economies.

Beneficial cargo owners who ship through the Alameda Corridor can anticipate financial stability at the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA), at least through 2026, based on current trends that include 4 to 5 percent annual increases in container traffic and continued increases in the Consumer Price Index, the combination of which generates ACTA’s revenues.

Truckers in Norfolk protest the persistent delays at the Virginia International Gateway terminal. For shippers, these multiple hour turns can slow the delivery of their containers and add a layer of unpredictability to their supply chain. The Port of Virginia says be patient, things will be getting better soon.

As the electronic logging device mandate enforcement deadline looms, Trucker Path and Convoy have introduced new features to help truckers and shippers manage driver time in the digital era.

Activity-based pay made possible by electronic logging devices and other technology may lead to trucking firms offering drivers more incentives and shippers a more transparent view of costs.

PierPass has its supporters and detractors, but port users agree that the largest US gateway could not handle 17 million TEU per year without a regular schedule of night and weekend gates.

A new study by radio-frequency identification services provider DMICDC Logistics Data Services found that Mundra’s exports and imports by train declined in February.

Container Corporation of India Ltd.’s train will transport 60 TEU in its debut journey, which will be treated as a trial run. Officials will start regular service within two months, after removing any bottlenecks identified during the trial trip.

Shippers are moving so much freight that there are not enough US trucks to move it, causing them to pay rates and surcharges in February not seen in more than 3.5 years for truckload, container drayage, and intermodal rail.

Russian shippers and foreign companies operating in the country are unhappy with the development rates of Far East seaports and their focus on low-cost coal and bulk cargoes, instead of containers. A new railway upgrade plan, combined with seaport development, may solve their problem.

The actual ‘Uber for trucking’ is offering a series of perks to draw new truck drivers to its brokerage and technology platform.

A reporter’s notebook from this week’s Transportation & Logistics Council meeting shows shippers and their suppliers grappling with big trends and fine details, from e-commerce to freight claims.

Shippers at a US Transportation and Logistics Council conference say catering to drivers and improved planning are keys to finding much needed capacity.

PSA International appears to have addressed connection issues that earlier had led to supply chain complications.

Trucking and, in fact, all US surface transportation capacity is tight in early 2018. Shippers are finding it challenging to move freight within North America, and transportation rates are rising. The questions are: Why? How long will this last? What can shippers and exporters and importers do about it?

Under the limit, a three-axle truck laden with a TEU has a 30 tonne weight limit and a FEU on a four-axle truck has a 40 tonne weight limit.

Attendees made the case that Brazil has turned a corner, with trade picking up, and the economy growing, despite Brasilia’s political problems.

After two years in an economic rut, US trucking accelerated in 2017, led by less-than-truckload carriers before truckload carriers merged into the same fast lane later in the year.