<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Maersk Line will impose a peak-season surcharge on trades from Far East Asia to Latin America, starting May 20.
 
 The planned surcharge will be $300 per 20-foot equivalent unit.
</div>

Maersk Line will impose a peak-season surcharge on trades from Far East Asia to Latin America, starting May 20. The planned surcharge will be $300 per 20-foot equivalent unit.

<div>Maersk Line will impose a peak-season surcharge on trades from Far East Asia to Latin America, starting May 20.The planned surcharge will be $300 per 20-foot equivalent unit.&amp;ldquo;Due to a shortage of 20-foot dry containers from Far East Asia to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and the west coast of South America, we are applying a peak-season surcharge on 20-foot dry containers,&amp;rdquo; the Danish carrier said.Maersk also said it will seek a general rate increase on services from Far East Asia to the east coast of South America. Effective May 15, the proposed GRI will be $500 per TEU.</div>...

Maersk Line will impose a peak-season surcharge on trades from Far East Asia to Latin America, starting May 20. The planned surcharge will be $300 per 20-foot equivalent unit. &ldquo;Due to a shortage of 20-foot dry containers from Far East Asia to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and the west coast of South America, we are applying a peak-season surcharge on 20-foot dry containers,&rdquo; the Danish carrier said. Maersk also said it will seek a general rate increase on services from Far East Asia to the east coast of South America. Effective May 15, the proposed GRI will be $500 per TEU.

Container lines

Forwarding

Maersk to Raise Asia-Latin America Rates

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Outpost is broadening its business from truck parking to a national shared-terminal network that offers multiple carriers access to “full-service” facilities. </div>

Outpost is broadening its business from truck parking to a national shared-terminal network that offers multiple carriers access to “full-service” facilities.

Feature image

<div class="phx-topic">The need for greater speed and flexibility in supply chains is fueling the growth of shared third-party truck terminals, a new twist on the use of multi-client logistics facilities. Outpost, a company founded in 2021 to provide secure fleet yards for truck parking, is expanding beyond that initial goal to create a network of full-service, shared-use terminals that allow carriers to quickly ramp up business in areas without building facilities. Major third-party logistics providers (3PLs) have long offered multi-client warehousing at their facilities, but multi-client truck terminals appear to be a new thing. Outpost’s latest step is the acquisition of four terminal sites near US logistics hubs. Those purchases, announced last week, are part of a $500 million expansion program by the Austin, Texas-based company. Each of the four properties — located in Dallas; Las Vegas; Savannah, Georgia; and Fontana, California — has cross-docks, maintenance facilities, warehouses, office space and acreage for trailer drop yards and parking, said Trent Cameron, Outpost’s founder and CEO. Outpost now has about 25 real estate “assets” in place across the US and plans to buy an additional 10 to 12 properties by the end of the year, Cameron said. The company has raised venture capital funding from GreenPoint Partners and Speedwagon Capital Partners, according to Crunchbase. The cost of the recent acquisitions was not disclosed. The goal of the moves is to provide flexible, scalable infrastructure for logistics, Cameron told the Journal of Commerce, accommodating expansion and countering disruption. “Freight demand shifts faster than fixed infrastructure,” he said. “Recent tariff policy changes reflect just how quickly the supply chain can move.” On-again, off-again import taxes and waves of freight arriving in the US are forcing shippers to rethink domestic transportation networks, and the impact is rippling through to motor carriers. Trucking companies need to be able to respond to changes in demand, routes, origin points and destinations as quickly as their shipper customers, and that can come down to having the right terminal at the right place and time. But finding a location, getting approval for construction and building a terminal can take years. That led less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers to jump at the opportunity to buy hundreds of terminals from bankrupt carrier Yellow following its collapse in 2023. Outpost sees itself as an alternative carriers can consider rather than buying or building facilities. “We don’t think there’s a need for companies to make long-term investments in facilities like terminals that aren’t very fluid,” Cameron said. <h3>Digital connections </h3>Outpost says it is attracting some large customers with its third-party approach to terminals, including Werner Enterprises, Prime, Landstar System and PAM Transport. However, this type of third-party, shared network can’t function without technology. “We’re not just building physical infrastructure, but a digital backbone,” Cameron said, with that backbone connecting the infrastructure, including visibility technology that tracks every vehicle entering and leaving a terminal. And although the primary customer is a truckload provider, Outpost is also working with LTL and intermodal operators. “We have a facility in Phoenix purchased from Yellow in January 2024 that has an LTL carrier using the cross dock and truckload and intermodal companies using maintenance and parking space,” Cameron said. “Everyone is cohabiting on this one outpost even though they’re in different modes of transportation.” The company also consults with the ultimate source of its business: the shipper. “We have shippers who want this type of option embedded in carrier contracts, and we have shippers with private fleets using the network,” Cameron said. “If more carriers join the network, we can make the network even denser, add more nodes, and give carriers and shippers more options.” Contact William B. Cassidy at <a href="mailto:bill.cassidy@spglobal.com">bill.cassidy@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The need for greater speed and flexibility in supply chains is fueling the growth of shared third-party truck terminals, a new twist on the use of multi-client logistics facilities. Outpost, a company founded in 2021 to provide secure fleet yards for truck parking, is expanding beyond that initial goal to create a network of full-service, shared-use terminals that allow carriers to quickly ramp up business in areas without building facilities. Major third-party logistics providers (3PLs) have long offered multi-client warehousing at their facilities, but multi-client truck terminals appear to be a new thing. Outpost’s latest step is the acquisition of four terminal sites near US logistics hubs. Those purchases, announced last week, are part of a $500 million expansion program by the Austin, Texas-based company. Each of the four properties — located in Dallas; Las Vegas; Savannah, Georgia; and Fontana, California — has cross-docks, maintenance facilities, warehouses, office space and acreage for trailer drop yards and parking, said Trent Cameron, Outpost’s founder and CEO. Outpost now has about 25 real estate “assets” in place across the US and plans to buy an additional 10 to 12 properties by the end of the year, Cameron said. The company has raised venture capital funding from GreenPoint Partners and Speedwagon Capital Partners, according to Crunchbase. The cost of the recent acquisitions was not disclosed. The goal of the moves is to provide flexible, scalable infrastructure for logistics, Cameron told the Journal of Commerce, accommodating expansion and countering disruption. “Freight demand shifts faster than fixed infrastructure,” he said. “Recent tariff policy changes reflect just how quickly the supply chain can move.” On-again, off-again import taxes and waves of freight arriving in the US are forcing shippers to rethink domestic transportation networks, and the impact is rippling through to motor carriers. Trucking companies need to be able to respond to changes in demand, routes, origin points and destinations as quickly as their shipper customers, and that can come down to having the right terminal at the right place and time. But finding a location, getting approval for construction and building a terminal can take years. That led less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers to jump at the opportunity to buy hundreds of terminals from bankrupt carrier Yellow following its collapse in 2023. Outpost sees itself as an alternative carriers can consider rather than buying or building facilities. “We don’t think there’s a need for companies to make long-term investments in facilities like terminals that aren’t very fluid,” Cameron said. Digital connections Outpost says it is attracting some large customers with its third-party approach to terminals, including Werner Enterprises, Prime, Landstar System and PAM Transport. However, this type of third-party, shared network can’t function without technology. “We’re not just building physical infrastructure, but a digital backbone,” Cameron said, with that backbone connecting the infrastructure, including visibility technology that tracks every vehicle entering and leaving a terminal. And although the primary customer is a truckload provider, Outpost is also working with LTL and intermodal operators. “We have a facility in Phoenix purchased from Yellow in January 2024 that has an LTL carrier using the cross dock and truckload and intermodal companies using maintenance and parking space,” Cameron said. “Everyone is cohabiting on this one outpost even though they’re in different modes of transportation.” The company also consults with the ultimate source of its business: the shipper. “We have shippers who want this type of option embedded in carrier contracts, and we have shippers with private fleets using the network,” Cameron said. “If more carriers join the network, we can make the network even denser, add more nodes, and give carriers and shippers more options.” Contact William B. Cassidy at bill.cassidy@spglobal.com .

Trucking News

Truckload

Surface

Shipper need for agility fuels growth of US shared-terminal trucking network

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The shutdown, due to begin Tuesday evening, will disrupt a broad range of businesses that use DHL, from apparel brands such as Lululemon to industrial companies including Siemens Canada.</div>

The shutdown, due to begin Tuesday evening, will disrupt a broad range of businesses that use DHL, from apparel brands such as Lululemon to industrial companies including Siemens Canada.

<div class="phx-topic">DHL Express, one of the top road carriers in Canada, will stop accepting parcels within the country and between Canada and the US until further notice due to a contract dispute with union workers north of the border and new federal legislation from Ottawa that restricts the use of replacement workers. The shutdown, due to begin Tuesday evening, will disrupt a broad range of businesses that use DHL, from apparel brands such as Lululemon to industrial companies including Siemens Canada. Major e-commercial retailers Shein and Temu would also be impacted. The halt will impact parcel operations in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and Quebec. “DHL Express will continue discussions with [labor] over a new collective agreement that provides fair compensation to our team members while ensuring a sustainable, long-term foundation for our operations in Canada,” DHL said in an advisory Monday. “We remain committed to the process and hope to reach an agreement soon that allows us to resume the provision of the high quality of service our customers have come to expect of DHL.” Other divisions, such as DHL’s less-than-truckload operations and supply chain solutions business, are not affected. DHL was unable to reach a collective bargaining agreement with Unifor, the union representing more than 2,100 truck drivers and warehouse and sortation workers responsible for parcel deliveries. Union labor walked off the job June 8, prompting DHL to use replacement workers to handle parcel volumes. On June 20, however, <a href="https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/c-58">legislation will go into effect</a> prohibiting the use of replacement workers, leaving no legal means for DHL to keep parcel operations running without union labor. Violating the new regulation would result in a C$100,000 ($73,250) per day fine. The primary dispute in the contract negotiations is the size of proposed salary increases for hourly employees and owner-operator truck drivers. <h3>Alternatives could minimize disruption </h3>Competitors FedEx, UPS and Canada Post and regional carriers such as Purolator remain operational and will likely absorb additional volumes until the DHL dispute is resolved, which may minimize the disruption to shippers. Nevertheless, costs could rise in the short term. UPS enacted <a href="https://assets.ups.com/adobe/assets/urn:aaid:aem:2840054d-e7bd-47d5-925d-a940bcd4efe5/original/as/surge-fee-us-en.pdf">surge fees</a> last month on US-to-Canada parcels in anticipation of DHL’s labor disruption. The fees consist of an additional $1.25 per pound for UPS Worldwide Economy packages to Canada and $0.49 per package on UPS Standard service to Canada and expedited service such as UPS Worldwide Express. Contact Ari Ashe at <a href="mailto:ari.ashe@spglobal.com">ari.ashe@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

DHL Express, one of the top road carriers in Canada, will stop accepting parcels within the country and between Canada and the US until further notice due to a contract dispute with union workers north of the border and new federal legislation from Ottawa that restricts the use of replacement workers. The shutdown, due to begin Tuesday evening, will disrupt a broad range of businesses that use DHL, from apparel brands such as Lululemon to industrial companies including Siemens Canada. Major e-commercial retailers Shein and Temu would also be impacted. The halt will impact parcel operations in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and Quebec. “DHL Express will continue discussions with [labor] over a new collective agreement that provides fair compensation to our team members while ensuring a sustainable, long-term foundation for our operations in Canada,” DHL said in an advisory Monday. “We remain committed to the process and hope to reach an agreement soon that allows us to resume the provision of the high quality of service our customers have come to expect of DHL.” Other divisions, such as DHL’s less-than-truckload operations and supply chain solutions business, are not affected. DHL was unable to reach a collective bargaining agreement with Unifor, the union representing more than 2,100 truck drivers and warehouse and sortation workers responsible for parcel deliveries. Union labor walked off the job June 8, prompting DHL to use replacement workers to handle parcel volumes. On June 20, however, legislation will go into effect prohibiting the use of replacement workers, leaving no legal means for DHL to keep parcel operations running without union labor. Violating the new regulation would result in a C$100,000 ($73,250) per day fine. The primary dispute in the contract negotiations is the size of proposed salary increases for hourly employees and owner-operator truck drivers. Alternatives could minimize disruption Competitors FedEx, UPS and Canada Post and regional carriers such as Purolator remain operational and will likely absorb additional volumes until the DHL dispute is resolved, which may minimize the disruption to shippers. Nevertheless, costs could rise in the short term. UPS enacted surge fees last month on US-to-Canada parcels in anticipation of DHL’s labor disruption. The fees consist of an additional $1.25 per pound for UPS Worldwide Economy packages to Canada and $0.49 per package on UPS Standard service to Canada and expedited service such as UPS Worldwide Express. Contact Ari Ashe at ari.ashe@spglobal.com .

DHL Express to suspend Canadian parcel business amid labor dispute

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The China-based liners carried a combined 1.09 million TEUs in imports to the US through April, up 23% over the same period in 2024, according to Journal of Commerce rankings. </div>

The China-based liners carried a combined 1.09 million TEUs in imports to the US through April, up 23% over the same period in 2024, according to Journal of Commerce rankings.

Cosco Shipping and its OOCL subsidiary, already the top carriers for US imports from Asia, grew their combined volumes substantially during the first four months of the year, according to the Journal of Commerce rankings of the top 15 container lines on the eastbound trans-Pacific. The liners carried almost 1.09 million TEUs in imports to the US through April, up 23% over the same period in 2024. Their combined market share increased 1.6 percentage points to 17%. The big gains for the Chinese carriers came amid increasing scrutiny of China’s maritime industry and attempts by Washington to dull that influence . The top 15 container lines for imports carried 98.9% of the 6.4 million TEUs from Asia in the first four months of 2025, up 11.2% year over year. The carriers in second through sixth place saw slight year-over-year declines in market share. CMA CGM/APL retained the second slot for imports with 830,039 TEUs, good for a 13% market share. Their combined volumes fell almost 5% during the first four months, shrinking market share by 2.2 percentage points. Mediterranean Shipping Co. moved from fourth in 2024 to third this year, importing 11.5% of US cargo from Asia through April. MSC brought in 739,324 TEUs, up 10.5% from 2024. Bumped to fourth, Ocean Network Express’s (ONE’s) market share was 11.3%, down 0.6 percentage point from 2024. Evergreen Line trimmed the same from its market share to land in fifth place with 10.9%. Sixth place went to A.P. Møller – Maersk, with 8.9% of the total market share — down 2 percentage points from last year. Zim Integrated Shipping Services and Hapag-Lloyd increased their eastbound trans-Pacific market share during the first four months, driven by big gains in volumes. Zim increased its imports 47.3%, while Hapag-Lloyd’s grew 43.9%. Exports shift slightly The rankings for the top 15 carriers for exports to Asia in the first four months of 2025 showed less volatility, with no changes to the top six slots. With the largest market share for exports at 16.3%, CMA CGM moved out 275,585 TEUs. Overall, though, the carrier’s export volumes fell 13.3% year over year, while its market share decreased 1.6 percentage points. ONE maintained second place for exports with a 15.6% market share, down 1.9 percentage points from last year; Cosco was unmoved at 14.9% in third place, up 0.2 percentage point. The top 15 trans-Pacific container lines for exports carried 99.9% of the 1.7 million TEUs that moved from the US to Asia in the first four months of 2025, down 4.6% year over year. Port rankings steady On the port side, the market share for US imports from Asia was mostly unchanged through the first four months of the year. The Journal of Commerce rankings had the Port of Los Angeles in the top slot, handling 24.2% of US imports from January through April. Volumes of 1.55 million TEUs were up 6% from last year. The Port of Long Beach brought in 23.9% of imports, with volumes jumping 25.3% to 1.53 million TEUs. The Port of New York and New Jersey was in third place with a 12.2% market share, with Savannah at 10.3%. The only shift occurred between fifth and sixth place, where the Northwest Seaport Alliance of Seattle and Tacoma overtook Houston with a 6.2% market share against Houston’s 5.8%. The Journal of Commerce top 15 US ports for imports from Asia handled 6.4 million TEUs from Asia in the first four months, up 11.2% year over year. Meanwhile, the top seven ports for exports were unchanged, also led by Los Angeles and Long Beach with 23.3% and 13.9% market shares, respectively. The top 15 US ports by exports to Asia handled 98.6% of the 1.7 million TEUs in the first four months of 2025, a decrease of 4.6% from 2024. Contact Laura Robb at laura.robb@spglobal.com .Journal of Commerce Top 15 Container Lines by US Imports from Asia Containerized US imports from Asia, in laden TEUs, January-April 2025 vs. January-April 2024 Rank Carrier Market Share 2024 2025 YoY Change 1 Cosco Shipping/OOCL 17.0% 884,071 1,087,455 23.0% 2 CMA CGM/APL 13.0% 872,388 830,039 -4.9% 3 Mediterranean Shipping Co. 11.5% 668,993 739,324 10.5% 4 Ocean Network Express 11.3% 683,332 724,227 6.0% 5 Evergreen Line 10.9% 666,918 701,312 5.2% 6 A.P. Møller - Maersk* 8.9% 626,832 571,105 -8.9% 7 Zim Integrated Shipping Services 6.2% 270,601 398,529 47.3% 8 Hapag-Lloyd 5.4% 238,473 343,187 43.9% 9 HMM 4.5% 275,015 290,757 5.7% 10 Yang Ming Line 3.8% 262,653 243,649 -7.2% 11 Wan Hai Lines 2.8% 115,794 178,931 54.5% 12 SM Line 1.5% 97,424 94,363 -3.1% 13 Matson 1.1% 64,762 67,609 4.4% 14 Swire Shipping 0.5% 14,721 31,852 116.4% 15 Sea Lead 0.5% 30,949 TOTAL US IMPORTS FROM ASIA 5,762,698 6,405,895 11.2% *A.P. Møller - Maersk includes Maersk Line, Sealand, Safmarine and Hamburg Süd. Source: S&P Global © 2025 S&P Global. Journal of Commerce Top 15 Container Lines by US Exports to Asia Containerized US exports to Asia, in laden TEUs, January-April 2025 vs. January-April 2024 Rank Carrier Market Share 2024 2025 YoY Change 1 CMA CGM/APL 4.3% 317,947 275,585 -13.3% 2 Ocean Network Express 4.1% 309,434 263,244 -14.9% 3 Cosco Shipping/OOCL 3.9% 260,067 251,734 -3.2% 4 Evergreen Line 3.1% 206,778 198,392 -4.1% 5 Mediterranean Shipping Co. 2.6% 163,470 163,710 0.1% 6 A.P. Møller - Maersk* 1.9% 133,450 124,682 -6.6% 7 Hapag-Lloyd 1.9% 48,988 122,092 149.2% 8 HMM 1.8% 116,130 116,550 0.4% 9 Yang Ming Line 1.4% 85,229 86,893 2.0% 10 Zim Integrated Shipping Services 0.5% 82,387 32,718 -60.3% 11 SM Line 0.4% 25,072 28,437 13.4% 12 Wan Hai Lines 0.2% 5,099 9,610 88.5% 13 Swire Shipping 0.0% 5,161 1,852 -64.1% 14 Matson 0.0% 10,804 1,503 -86.1% 15 Wallenius Wilhelmen Lines 0.0% 6 2 -65.2% TOTAL US EXPORTS TO ASIA 1,770,766 1,689,094 -4.6% *A.P. Møller - Maersk includes Maersk Line, Sealand, Safmarine, and Hamburg Süd. Source: S&P Global © 2025 S&P Global. Journal of Commerce Top 15 US Ports by Imports from Asia Containerized US imports from Asia, in laden TEUs, January-April 2025 vs. January-April 2024 Rank US Port Market Share 2024 2025 YoY Change 1 Los Angeles, Calif. 24.2% 1,462,756 1,550,833 6.0% 2 Long Beach, Calif. 23.9% 1,223,285 1,532,235 25.3% 3 New York and New Jersey 12.2% 700,707 780,517 11.4% 4 Savannah, Ga. 10.3% 589,565 662,445 12.4% 5 Northwest Seaport Alliance 6.2% 339,529 396,475 16.8% 6 Houston, Texas 5.8% 354,348 373,637 5.4% 7 Oakland, Calif. 3.7% 229,170 236,807 3.3% 8 Virginia 3.7% 248,774 234,650 -5.7% 9 Charleston, SC 3.6% 231,030 229,947 -0.5% 10 Baltimore, Md. 1.6% 68,093 102,490 50.5% 11 Mobile, Ala. 1.2% 86,580 73,699 -14.9% 12 Miami, Fla. 1.0% 60,569 62,420 3.1% 13 Jacksonville, Fla. 0.7% 40,005 43,921 9.8% 14 Tampa, Fla. 0.6% 38,651 36,518 -5.5% 15 Boston, Mass. 0.5% 28,024 29,314 4.6% TOTAL US IMPORTS FROM ASIA 5,762,698 6,405,895 11.2% Source: S&P Global © 2025 S&P Global. Journal of Commerce Top 15 US Ports by Exports to Asia Containerized US exports to Asia, in laden TEUs, January-April 2025 vs. January-April 2024 Rank US Port Market Share 2024 2025 YoY Change 1 Los Angeles, Calif. 23.3% 378,676 393,297 3.9% 2 Long Beach, Calif. 13.9% 249,290 235,513 -5.5% 3 Northwest Seaport Alliance 10.2% 176,162 172,791 -1.9% 4 Oakland, Calif. 9.7% 163,631 164,450 0.5% 5 Savannah, Ga. 9.1% 166,011 153,736 -7.4% 6 New York and New Jersey 7.5% 130,587 127,497 -2.4% 7 Houston, Texas 7.4% 120,909 124,945 3.3% 8 Virginia 7.1% 152,688 119,715 -21.6% 9 Charleston, SC 4.3% 95,764 72,817 -24.0% 10 Baltimore, Md. 1.5% 23,635 24,882 5.3% 11 Mobile, Ala. 1.3% 28,181 21,498 -23.7% 12 New Orleans, La. 1.3% 17,444 21,275 22.0% 13 Portland, Ore. 0.8% 13,401 13,690 2.2% 14 Boston, Mass. 0.6% 12,995 10,477 -19.4% 15 Wilmington, NC 0.5% 11,067 8,291 -25.1% TOTAL US EXPORTS TO ASIA 1,770,766 1,689,094 -4.6% Source: S&P Global © 2025 S&P Global.

Maritime

Port News

Trans-Pacific

North American ports

Container Shipping News

Cosco/OOCL saw big gains in US imports from Asia in early 2025

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Researcher Armstrong &amp; Associates says in an annual report it expects global 3PL revenue to hit $1.25 trillion this year as shippers try to build more flexible supply chains and mitigate risks. </div>

Researcher Armstrong & Associates says in an annual report it expects global 3PL revenue to hit $1.25 trillion this year as shippers try to build more flexible supply chains and mitigate risks.

<div class="phx-topic">Volatility in global trade that is forcing shippers to rethink their supply chains will accelerate demand for domestic and international third-party logistics (3PL) services, according to logistics research firm Armstrong &amp; Associates. Global logistics firms are still recovering from 2023, when their combined revenue plummeted 21.4% after rising rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, Armstrong &amp; Associates said in its annual report on the top 50 domestic and global 3PLs as ranked by revenue, released last week. Amazon topped the list of both domestic and global 3PLs, with $156.2 billion in 3PL-related revenue, according to Armstrong. DHL Supply Chain &amp; Global Forwarding was second in the global 3PL rankings, followed by Kuehne + Nagel. C.H. Robinson Worldwide was second among the domestic 3PLs, followed by GXO Logistics and J.B. Hunt Transport Services. In 2024, the global 3PL market stabilized and grew 3.4% to $1.22 trillion. The risk created by trade uncertainty and expanding conflicts will help push global gross 3PL revenue up another 2.7% in 2025 to $1.25 trillion, according to Armstrong. That revenue should grow again by 4.9% in 2026 to $1.3 trillion, it said. In the US 3PL market, Armstrong expects 4.5% growth in 3PL revenue to $321.8 billion this year after a 2.8% gain last year that brought domestic 3PL revenue to $307.9 billion. <h3>Rising risks on multiple fronts </h3>The list of risks US importers and domestic shippers are trying to mitigate isn’t getting shorter. The Iranian government’s threat <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/closure-of-strait-of-hormuz-would-further-stretch-global-container-capacity-6025484">to close the Strait of Hormuz</a> amid Israel’s attack on the country could tie up already stretched global container capacity. Armstrong &amp; Associates’ data suggests some shippers are shifting focus to the risk of capacity shortages in North America should the impact of higher US tariffs result in tighter truck capacity as trucking companies trim capital spending on equipment. In 2024, international transportation management was the fastest-growing sector of the US 3PL market, with revenue jumping 7.9% to $79.8 billion. This year, Armstrong expects dedicated contract carriage (DCC) to lead the market with 5.7% growth. That indicates shippers are increasingly concerned about the potential for a sharper turn in the truckload market when freight demand eventually shifts. With no immediate end to a three-year trucking downturn in sight, large carriers <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/large-truckload-carriers-make-capacity-cuts-but-trucks-reenter-the-market-6004177">continue to cut capacity</a>. The Journal of Commerce Truckload Capacity Index has dropped 18.3 percentage points as of the first quarter from its mid-2022 peak, and at 74.9, it is as low as it has been since 2014. Gross revenue in the US DCC market climbed 5.9% in 2024 to $31.5 billion. Armstrong estimates DCC gross revenue will reach $33.2 billion this year. That suggests shippers are once again looking to lock in capacity, as they did during COVID-19-related supply disruptions in 2021, to hedge against tariff-related reductions in over-the-road capacity. Contact William B. Cassidy at <a href="mailto:bill.cassidy@spglobal.com">bill.cassidy@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Volatility in global trade that is forcing shippers to rethink their supply chains will accelerate demand for domestic and international third-party logistics (3PL) services, according to logistics research firm Armstrong & Associates. Global logistics firms are still recovering from 2023, when their combined revenue plummeted 21.4% after rising rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, Armstrong & Associates said in its annual report on the top 50 domestic and global 3PLs as ranked by revenue, released last week. Amazon topped the list of both domestic and global 3PLs, with $156.2 billion in 3PL-related revenue, according to Armstrong. DHL Supply Chain & Global Forwarding was second in the global 3PL rankings, followed by Kuehne + Nagel. C.H. Robinson Worldwide was second among the domestic 3PLs, followed by GXO Logistics and J.B. Hunt Transport Services. In 2024, the global 3PL market stabilized and grew 3.4% to $1.22 trillion. The risk created by trade uncertainty and expanding conflicts will help push global gross 3PL revenue up another 2.7% in 2025 to $1.25 trillion, according to Armstrong. That revenue should grow again by 4.9% in 2026 to $1.3 trillion, it said. In the US 3PL market, Armstrong expects 4.5% growth in 3PL revenue to $321.8 billion this year after a 2.8% gain last year that brought domestic 3PL revenue to $307.9 billion. Rising risks on multiple fronts The list of risks US importers and domestic shippers are trying to mitigate isn’t getting shorter. The Iranian government’s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz amid Israel’s attack on the country could tie up already stretched global container capacity. Armstrong & Associates’ data suggests some shippers are shifting focus to the risk of capacity shortages in North America should the impact of higher US tariffs result in tighter truck capacity as trucking companies trim capital spending on equipment. In 2024, international transportation management was the fastest-growing sector of the US 3PL market, with revenue jumping 7.9% to $79.8 billion. This year, Armstrong expects dedicated contract carriage (DCC) to lead the market with 5.7% growth. That indicates shippers are increasingly concerned about the potential for a sharper turn in the truckload market when freight demand eventually shifts. With no immediate end to a three-year trucking downturn in sight, large carriers continue to cut capacity . The Journal of Commerce Truckload Capacity Index has dropped 18.3 percentage points as of the first quarter from its mid-2022 peak, and at 74.9, it is as low as it has been since 2014. Gross revenue in the US DCC market climbed 5.9% in 2024 to $31.5 billion. Armstrong estimates DCC gross revenue will reach $33.2 billion this year. That suggests shippers are once again looking to lock in capacity, as they did during COVID-19-related supply disruptions in 2021, to hedge against tariff-related reductions in over-the-road capacity. Contact William B. Cassidy at bill.cassidy@spglobal.com .

Transport, Trade and Regulation News

Supply chain

Multiplying supply chain risks drive growth for global, US-based logistics firms

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">A wide-ranging report commissioned by Canada’s Labor Ministry says British Columbia’s ports are vulnerable to strikes in part because of disparate longshore unions involved in contract talks. </div>

A wide-ranging report commissioned by Canada’s Labor Ministry says British Columbia’s ports are vulnerable to strikes in part because of disparate longshore unions involved in contract talks.

<div class="phx-topic">Fragmented union bargaining and government backstops during contract talks are factors behind the longshore strikes and other labor unrest that have gripped Canada’s West Coast ports during the last two years, a report commissioned by the Labor Ministry report has found. The report, released Thursday, suggests British Columbia’s longshore unions need to bargain with employers on a province-wide basis, rather than a port- or employer-specific basis, to avoid further unrest that jeopardizes Canada’s supply chains. It also urged early government intervention to head off strikes. The 156-page report, which was commissioned by the Labor Ministry and developed by Canadian labor relations experts Vincent Ready and Amanda Rogers, looks into the labor disputes that have hit British Columbia’s ports. It was commissioned in July 2023 by Labor Minister Steve MacKinnon after <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/ilwu-canadas-contract-rejection-thrusts-bc-ports-in-limbo-5216091">longshore workers rejected</a> a contract proposal that led to a <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/ilwu-canada-contract-ratification-ensures-bc-port-peace-5220992">13-day strike at Vancouver and other Canadian West Coast ports</a>. The inquiry found that while “there exists a mature bargaining relationship among the parties, it is far from healthy, and is marred by ongoing conflicts, misaligned priorities and a fiercely protectionist stance by the union.” Mike Leonard, president of the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), said in a statement that if the report’s findings are put in place, it “will advance long-term stability at Canada’s West Coast ports to the benefit of all parties.” ILWU Canada could not immediately be reached to comment on the report. <h3>ILWU locals control talks </h3>The BCMEA negotiates contracts with the Canadian affiliate of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). ILWU Canada represents five separate, regional ILWU locals, which are the recognized bargaining agents with employers at different ports. While ILWU Canada is ostensibly the main negotiator, it is the locals who direct contract talks, vote on tentative agreements and determine whether to strike. ILWU Canada is not recognized by employers as a union and its president does not have a vote on contract matters. The report said that longshore labor negotiations would be more efficient if maritime employers could negotiate on a province-wide basis as “the current model of collective bargaining with different bargaining units is contributing to the frequency of labor disruptions.” It noted that other longshore unions in Canada negotiate province-wide contracts. The ILWU locals have maintained that different work conditions at each employer and port necessitate the need for regional representation. However, the report noted that ILWU local members can work at different ports throughout the province, indicating that work conditions at each location are similar enough for a province-wide contract. “While it is true each ILWU local maintains its own independent leadership and union members, the issuance of a geographic certification will not interfere with those arrangements,” the report said. It added that recognizing ILWU Canada or another entity as the main union representative “will bring stability and certainty to future rounds of bargaining.” <h3>Foremen role not distinct </h3>The Labor Ministry’s inquiry coincided with another work stoppage in November 2024, when the BCMEA shut out ILWU Local 514, which represents port foremen, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/bc-container-ports-set-for-shutdown-after-foremen-begin-strike-5785499">after it took an illegal strike vote</a> during protracted negotiations with maritime employers. Local 514 has separate bargaining agreements with each of the province’s maritime employers and can negotiate with each one separately. However, Local 514 has “voluntarily” negotiated with the BCMEA for decades, the report said. Even though it started the last negotiations with the BCMEA, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/dp-worlds-centerm-project-at-heart-of-employer-union-dispute-in-vancouver-5225162">Local 514 targeted one employer — DP World</a> — for a separate deal that led to the illegal strike vote. “The union’s conduct was an attempt to single out one employer, just as the parties acquired their right to strike or lock out, and subverted the collective bargaining process that was underway,” the report said. “The union cannot ride two horses at the same time and then pick the one that best suits its interests late in the race.” Local 514 maintains the foremen role is different enough than other longshore crafts for a separate union and contract. However, the report said foremen could also be rolled up into a province-wide contract because their jobs are not that different than other longshore workers. “We do not accept that the interests of ILWU Local 514 members are so distinct that they cannot effectively be advanced as part of a geographic certification that also includes longshore workers,” the report said. <h3>Government overshadows talks </h3>The report also took to task the default move of maritime employers and longshore unions to look to government intervention when contract negotiations break down. The report noted that the federal government has intervened in nine of 13 British Columbia port disputes since 1972. “This reliance on government intervention has created an environment where the safety net of binding arbitration overshadows the collective bargaining process,” the report said. The inquiry suggested that a “special mediator” be appointed early in the bargaining process. The special mediator would monitor the progress of talks and help usher them through before the government needs to force a deal on both sides. Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

Fragmented union bargaining and government backstops during contract talks are factors behind the longshore strikes and other labor unrest that have gripped Canada’s West Coast ports during the last two years, a report commissioned by the Labor Ministry report has found. The report, released Thursday, suggests British Columbia’s longshore unions need to bargain with employers on a province-wide basis, rather than a port- or employer-specific basis, to avoid further unrest that jeopardizes Canada’s supply chains. It also urged early government intervention to head off strikes. The 156-page report, which was commissioned by the Labor Ministry and developed by Canadian labor relations experts Vincent Ready and Amanda Rogers, looks into the labor disputes that have hit British Columbia’s ports. It was commissioned in July 2023 by Labor Minister Steve MacKinnon after longshore workers rejected a contract proposal that led to a 13-day strike at Vancouver and other Canadian West Coast ports . The inquiry found that while “there exists a mature bargaining relationship among the parties, it is far from healthy, and is marred by ongoing conflicts, misaligned priorities and a fiercely protectionist stance by the union.” Mike Leonard, president of the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), said in a statement that if the report’s findings are put in place, it “will advance long-term stability at Canada’s West Coast ports to the benefit of all parties.” ILWU Canada could not immediately be reached to comment on the report. ILWU locals control talks The BCMEA negotiates contracts with the Canadian affiliate of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). ILWU Canada represents five separate, regional ILWU locals, which are the recognized bargaining agents with employers at different ports. While ILWU Canada is ostensibly the main negotiator, it is the locals who direct contract talks, vote on tentative agreements and determine whether to strike. ILWU Canada is not recognized by employers as a union and its president does not have a vote on contract matters. The report said that longshore labor negotiations would be more efficient if maritime employers could negotiate on a province-wide basis as “the current model of collective bargaining with different bargaining units is contributing to the frequency of labor disruptions.” It noted that other longshore unions in Canada negotiate province-wide contracts. The ILWU locals have maintained that different work conditions at each employer and port necessitate the need for regional representation. However, the report noted that ILWU local members can work at different ports throughout the province, indicating that work conditions at each location are similar enough for a province-wide contract. “While it is true each ILWU local maintains its own independent leadership and union members, the issuance of a geographic certification will not interfere with those arrangements,” the report said. It added that recognizing ILWU Canada or another entity as the main union representative “will bring stability and certainty to future rounds of bargaining.” Foremen role not distinct The Labor Ministry’s inquiry coincided with another work stoppage in November 2024, when the BCMEA shut out ILWU Local 514, which represents port foremen, after it took an illegal strike vote during protracted negotiations with maritime employers. Local 514 has separate bargaining agreements with each of the province’s maritime employers and can negotiate with each one separately. However, Local 514 has “voluntarily” negotiated with the BCMEA for decades, the report said. Even though it started the last negotiations with the BCMEA, Local 514 targeted one employer — DP World — for a separate deal that led to the illegal strike vote. “The union’s conduct was an attempt to single out one employer, just as the parties acquired their right to strike or lock out, and subverted the collective bargaining process that was underway,” the report said. “The union cannot ride two horses at the same time and then pick the one that best suits its interests late in the race.” Local 514 maintains the foremen role is different enough than other longshore crafts for a separate union and contract. However, the report said foremen could also be rolled up into a province-wide contract because their jobs are not that different than other longshore workers. “We do not accept that the interests of ILWU Local 514 members are so distinct that they cannot effectively be advanced as part of a geographic certification that also includes longshore workers,” the report said. Government overshadows talks The report also took to task the default move of maritime employers and longshore unions to look to government intervention when contract negotiations break down. The report noted that the federal government has intervened in nine of 13 British Columbia port disputes since 1972. “This reliance on government intervention has created an environment where the safety net of binding arbitration overshadows the collective bargaining process,” the report said. The inquiry suggested that a “special mediator” be appointed early in the bargaining process. The special mediator would monitor the progress of talks and help usher them through before the government needs to force a deal on both sides. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

Longshore labor

BC ports, longshore unions need new bargaining process: report

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Finally, he had to compile all the results, create an algorithm that would compare the carriers on each lane, and award the business.“It was a huge undertaking. It took about four months to do,” Knuth said of the old process. “It was almost a full-time job for that part of the year, every year.”In his new job at IEWC, he sat down with Bid$ense on day one and was amazed at the capabilities. Knuth had never before used a bid tool. SMC³’s latest versions of Bid$ense automate the process even further, taking truckload and LTL RFPs entirely online. The tool draws on RFP best-practices protocols to streamline the bidding communication process, enabling bidding carriers to respond accurately and promptly to shipper requests. The solution also does all the distribution work automatically, electronically submitting shipper bid data to carriers based on their actual service capabilities and performance records. 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Founded in 1980, Central Garden &amp; Pet has spent the last three decades growing from a small garden supply company to a provider of a range of products from dog chews and bird seed to soil supplements and natural insecticides. For much of its life, the company shipped these disparate goods via LTL and truckload carriers to retailers throughout the country, relying on each business unit to negotiate directly with their freight transportation providers. This arrangement worked fairly well for a small company, but as Central Garden &amp; Pet expanded, leadership decided to consolidate decision making.Burnett helped centralize the transportation decision making in 2015 with SMC³’s Bid$ense. Before Bid$ense, every business unit operated independently as far as negotiating with carriers.“There were a lot of different things just floating around,” he said. “We didn’t have master agreements in place; no national pricing at all. The pricing from carriers was just all over the place, depending on where you were.”The transformations he saw with Bid$ense were immediate. Burnett has been using the tool about every other year since its implementation at the company. Central Garden and Pet’s $19.6 million 2019 LTL bid saved the company just more than 9 percent when compared to its historical average. For Burnett, though, bid automation extends far beyond savings.“We knew that we weren’t getting the best pricing offer from our carriers just because nothing was centralized,” he continued. “We knew that if we combined everything from all these business units and paired it with one corporate offering, then it would drive some cost benefit with it.”When the company initially decided to centralize bid procurement, executives researched a number of different methodologies and technologies. 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Carriers that receive more data from shippers get a complete picture of that shipper’s freight, allowing them to accurately plan instead of simply preparing for the worst-case scenario. Clean data presented through an automated system can lead to both bigger shipment savings and a lasting partnership between carrier and customer.Whether customers are looking to streamline over-the-road transportation bidding by automating the RFP process or create an entirely new, centralized sourcing process, Bid$ense has the analytical horsepower to get the job done.SMC³ 2020 Customer Case Study

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Shippers save money, time with automated transportation bidding tools

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