<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The long-running fight between maritime and agricultural interests over cargo preference has entered</div>

The long-running fight between maritime and agricultural interests over cargo preference has entered

<div>The long-running fight between maritime and agricultural interests over cargo preference has entered a new round, and this time two federal agencies are squaring off.As Congress gears up for a confrontation later this year over the 1985 legislative compromise that increased the U.S.-flag vessel entitlement to PL- 480 Food for Peace cargoes, the Agriculture Department and the Maritime Administration are butting heads over how to administer the provision.The flash-point for the agencies came last week when the USDA approved tender offers to ship 60,000 tons of soybean oil to Pakistan on two vessels, only one of which was U.S.-flag.The action...

The long-running fight between maritime and agricultural interests over cargo preference has entered a new round, and this time two federal agencies are squaring off. As Congress gears up for a confrontation later this year over the 1985 legislative compromise that increased the U.S.-flag vessel entitlement to PL- 480 Food for Peace cargoes, the Agriculture Department and the Maritime Administration are butting heads over how to administer the provision.The flash-point for the agencies came last week when the USDA approved tender offers to ship 60,000 tons of soybean oil to Pakistan on two vessels, only one of which was U.S.-flag. The action resulted in U.S.-flag carriage of 50 percent of the cargo, instead of 75 percent as stipulated under the 1985 compromise. S. Thomas Romeo, chief and inter-agency liaison of the Maritime Administration's Division of National Cargo, said the USDA decision was made ''without any consultation" with Marad. "This is a serious violation of the governing statute for this program and our regulations," he continued in a letter to the USDA's PL-480 operations division. "He's stirred up a lot of trouble," said Glenn Whiteman, USDA's deputy assistant administrator for export credit. Mr. Whiteman said the department is not required to apply the 75 percent preference on an individual, or "purchase authorization by purchase authorization," basis because that would be "too costly." He said the 1985 Farm Security Act required the 75 percent of PL-480 cargoes to be applied on a "global annual basis." As long as the total yearly shipments - calculated between April 1 and March 31 - add up to the 75 percent requirement, individual fixtures can include a lesser percentage for U.S.-flag operators, he explained. Another USDA official, who asked to remain anonymous, said applying the 75 percent rule to every purchase authorization is "difficult and expensive . . . We must meet cargo preference on a global basis." The official said the USDA has been using that method since 1987, and there has been an "ongoing discussion" with Marad on the issue. "We believe we clearly had agreement that 75 percent would be global . . . Marad's position is not a way to generate economy in freight rates," said the source. Mr. Romeo said the USDA's failure to get Marad's concurrence on the decision to use a foreign vessel for the Pakistan shipment "is a clear violation of our regulation." He added it is "absolutely incorrect" that the 1985 law changed the method of cargo preference compliance "from specific destination country geographic compliance . . . to a total global percentage compliance." Mr. Romeo said the USDA's "failure to comply" with regulations is "an assault" on Marad's and the law's "authority and jurisdiction" over the PL- 480 program. Rep. Helen Delich Bentley, R-Md., a vocal defender of U.S. cargo preference laws, shot off a terse letter about the situation to the USDA on Wednesday. "I view the actions of your agency to be willful violations that should not, and will not, be permitted to go unchallenged," she said. It was Crest Tankers Inc., St. Louis, that called attention to the situation with a protest to the USDA after the department rejected a combination bid of $52.76 a ton and $62.26 a ton for two shipments of soybean oil, one on May 17 and the other on June 1, using the Montrachet and Chablis. Both are U.S.-flag tankers. Instead, the USDA chose a Norwegian vessel, the Team Frosta, owned by Team Tankers AS, at $27.45 a ton, and the Falcon Princess, a U.S.-flag tanker owned by Boston Carriers Inc., at $53.50 a ton. Crest's protest said the USDA selection showed "favoritism." The company noted that the total program for soybean oil shipments to Pakistan this year calls for 150,000 tons.

Maritime

MARAD, AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT DEBATE PREFERENCE REGULATIONS

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Remarks from the group’s CFO came as the carrier’s third-quarter financials showed year-on-year declines.</div>

Remarks from the group’s CFO came as the carrier’s third-quarter financials showed year-on-year declines.

Feature image

<div class="phx-topic">Container shipping is facing a weaker 2026 amid likely lackluster demand, overcapacity and a possible shift of mainline carriers back to the Red Sea and Suez Canal, a top CMA CGM executive said Friday. “We see uncertainty for the coming quarters,” Ramon Fernandez, CMA CGM Group’s chief financial officer, said during an online briefing. “We anticipate a slowdown in global trade and freight rates may continue to normalize.” His remarks coincided with the carrier’s third-quarter financial results, which saw year-on-year declines. While CMA CGM’s shipping division saw a year-on-year decline in the quarter, Fernandez said it was an improvement compared with Q2, which was affected by the US-China trade and tariff spat. Fernandez said the carrier’s fourth quarter will not be as strong as Q3, even though freight rates have rebounded since China’s Golden Week holidays in early October. Despite concerns about overcapacity, Fernandez said CMA CGM needs new ships to maintain trade growth while investing in dual-fuel vessels to cut emissions. “There is no alternative,” he said. “We need to replace older vessels.” He did not immediately comment on reports that the world’s third-largest carrier signed a deal this week for up to 10 22,000-TEU liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel ships with China’s Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co., even though the shipyard confirmed the order. But he said CMA CGM would operate more than 200 dual-fuel ships by 2029, including 160 owned vessels. <h3>French Navy escorting CMA CGM ships in Red Sea </h3>On Red Sea transits, Fernandez confirmed the French Navy is escorting Marseille-based CMA CGM’s ships as part of the security conditions necessary for transiting the Red Sea and Suez Canal while avoiding attacks from Houthi militants operating from Yemen. CMA CGM <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/cma-cgm-alliance-megaships-test-red-sea-waters-on-return-to-asia-6105787">cautiously dipped its propeller back into Red Sea transits</a> earlier this month when the 17,859-TEU CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin became the first ultra‑large container ship to pass through the Red Sea in nearly two years. Sister ship CMA CGM Zheng He is currently transiting the Suez and Red Sea region. Both ships are operating eastbound legs of the carrier’s French Asia Line 1 service, also known as the Ocean Alliance’s NEU4 service. “If the (security) situation gets better, then we will adapt to this environment,” Fernandez said. He would not comment on how the carrier’s partners in the Ocean Alliance, who comprise Cosco Shipping, OOCL and Evergreen Marine, view the possibility of Red Sea transits, only saying: “They make their own choices.” A significant shift of vessels back to transiting the Suez Canal and Red Sea would result in a surge of capacity, depressing freight rates on East-West trades as carriers switched back from longer voyages around southern Africa. Container ship diversions away from the Red Sea began in late 2023 following the first Houthi attacks soon after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, soaking up between 8% and 12% of global tonnage — depending on varying estimates from analysts and carriers — due to the longer transits. Peter Sand, chief analyst at online benchmarking platform Xeneta, said global freight rates are already forecast to fall by up to 25% next year even without a return to Red Sea transits. Speculation that carriers will return to the shorter Suez Canal route has increased since Houthi rebels in Yemen announced a ceasefire on shipping last week, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/houthi-pause-on-shipping-attacks-lowers-tensions-but-risk-remains-6114790">but risks remain</a>. <h3>Terminal deals </h3>Fernandez, meanwhile, told the briefing that CMA CGM would continue to develop its terminal and logistics businesses. On Thursday, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/cma-cgm-revives-talks-for-ownership-stake-in-hamburg-terminal-alphaliner-6105199">the carrier confirmed the signing of a term sheet to take a 20% stake in Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg (CTH)</a>, a deal it expected to complete in the first half of next year. CTH has a current capacity of 4 million TEUs, but a planned expansion project will add 3,500 feet of quay wall and 94 acres of yard space to increase capacity to 6 million TEUs. CMA CGM will also acquire Freightliner UK Intermodal Logistics, one of Britain’s rail operators, in transaction expected to be finalized in early 2026 subject to regulatory approvals. CEVA Logistics has also completed the acquisition of Borusan Lojistik, a major logistics player in Turkey. Fernandez’s comments came after the shipping, logistics, air cargo and media group reported Friday a 73% drop in third-quarter net income to $749 million, down from $2.7 billion in the prior year. Revenue fell 11% to $14 billion. Shipping saw a 17% drop in Q3 revenue to $9 billion against $10.8 billion a year earlier. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) fell 49% to $2.2 billion from the third quarter of 2024. Liftings rose 2.3% to 6.2 million TEUs year-on-year as CMA CGM focused on the “development of its inter-regional and south-south trades” Fernandez said, without giving further details. Q3 revenue from the logistics division slipped 5% to $4.8 billion, while EBITDA fell 7% to $459 million. Contact Keith Wallis at <a href="mailto:keithwallis@hotmail.com">keithwallis@hotmail.com</a>. </div>

Container shipping is facing a weaker 2026 amid likely lackluster demand, overcapacity and a possible shift of mainline carriers back to the Red Sea and Suez Canal, a top CMA CGM executive said Friday. “We see uncertainty for the coming quarters,” Ramon Fernandez, CMA CGM Group’s chief financial officer, said during an online briefing. “We anticipate a slowdown in global trade and freight rates may continue to normalize.” His remarks coincided with the carrier’s third-quarter financial results, which saw year-on-year declines. While CMA CGM’s shipping division saw a year-on-year decline in the quarter, Fernandez said it was an improvement compared with Q2, which was affected by the US-China trade and tariff spat. Fernandez said the carrier’s fourth quarter will not be as strong as Q3, even though freight rates have rebounded since China’s Golden Week holidays in early October. Despite concerns about overcapacity, Fernandez said CMA CGM needs new ships to maintain trade growth while investing in dual-fuel vessels to cut emissions. “There is no alternative,” he said. “We need to replace older vessels.” He did not immediately comment on reports that the world’s third-largest carrier signed a deal this week for up to 10 22,000-TEU liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel ships with China’s Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co., even though the shipyard confirmed the order. But he said CMA CGM would operate more than 200 dual-fuel ships by 2029, including 160 owned vessels. French Navy escorting CMA CGM ships in Red Sea On Red Sea transits, Fernandez confirmed the French Navy is escorting Marseille-based CMA CGM’s ships as part of the security conditions necessary for transiting the Red Sea and Suez Canal while avoiding attacks from Houthi militants operating from Yemen. CMA CGM cautiously dipped its propeller back into Red Sea transits earlier this month when the 17,859-TEU CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin became the first ultra‑large container ship to pass through the Red Sea in nearly two years. Sister ship CMA CGM Zheng He is currently transiting the Suez and Red Sea region. Both ships are operating eastbound legs of the carrier’s French Asia Line 1 service, also known as the Ocean Alliance’s NEU4 service. “If the (security) situation gets better, then we will adapt to this environment,” Fernandez said. He would not comment on how the carrier’s partners in the Ocean Alliance, who comprise Cosco Shipping, OOCL and Evergreen Marine, view the possibility of Red Sea transits, only saying: “They make their own choices.” A significant shift of vessels back to transiting the Suez Canal and Red Sea would result in a surge of capacity, depressing freight rates on East-West trades as carriers switched back from longer voyages around southern Africa. Container ship diversions away from the Red Sea began in late 2023 following the first Houthi attacks soon after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, soaking up between 8% and 12% of global tonnage — depending on varying estimates from analysts and carriers — due to the longer transits. Peter Sand, chief analyst at online benchmarking platform Xeneta, said global freight rates are already forecast to fall by up to 25% next year even without a return to Red Sea transits. Speculation that carriers will return to the shorter Suez Canal route has increased since Houthi rebels in Yemen announced a ceasefire on shipping last week, but risks remain . Terminal deals Fernandez, meanwhile, told the briefing that CMA CGM would continue to develop its terminal and logistics businesses. On Thursday, the carrier confirmed the signing of a term sheet to take a 20% stake in Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg (CTH) , a deal it expected to complete in the first half of next year. CTH has a current capacity of 4 million TEUs, but a planned expansion project will add 3,500 feet of quay wall and 94 acres of yard space to increase capacity to 6 million TEUs. CMA CGM will also acquire Freightliner UK Intermodal Logistics, one of Britain’s rail operators, in transaction expected to be finalized in early 2026 subject to regulatory approvals. CEVA Logistics has also completed the acquisition of Borusan Lojistik, a major logistics player in Turkey. Fernandez’s comments came after the shipping, logistics, air cargo and media group reported Friday a 73% drop in third-quarter net income to $749 million, down from $2.7 billion in the prior year. Revenue fell 11% to $14 billion. Shipping saw a 17% drop in Q3 revenue to $9 billion against $10.8 billion a year earlier. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) fell 49% to $2.2 billion from the third quarter of 2024. Liftings rose 2.3% to 6.2 million TEUs year-on-year as CMA CGM focused on the “development of its inter-regional and south-south trades” Fernandez said, without giving further details. Q3 revenue from the logistics division slipped 5% to $4.8 billion, while EBITDA fell 7% to $459 million. Contact Keith Wallis at keithwallis@hotmail.com .

Port News

Container lines

Asia-Europe

Marine terminals

Container Shipping News

CMA CGM expects softer 2026 due to trade, rate and Red Sea uncertainties

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Intermodal needs to put itself in a position where it can perform against trucking through all the stages of the economic cycle, writes analyst Larry Gross. </div>

Intermodal needs to put itself in a position where it can perform against trucking through all the stages of the economic cycle, writes analyst Larry Gross.

<div class="phx-topic">Intermodal performance in recent years has largely been a function of international, or inland point intermodal (IPI), volume. Robust imports coupled with East Coast labor issues and then tariff frontloading have combined to provide a powerful boost to the volume of ISO containers moving via intermodal. However, domestic intermodal (53-foot domestic containers) has not seen the same strength. Further, the signs all point towards a slowdown for international intermodal. Where do things go from here? <div class="wrapper-narrow float-right-element"><img src="/images/phoenix/6116458_0.1.jpg"></img></div>The railroads (and many analysts who follow the industry) point to the prolonged “trucking recession,” now at three years and counting. Capacity that was added to the truckload sector has been slow to exit, resulting in a prolonged period of downward rate pressure. The theory is that intermodal currently suffers from adverse market conditions, and once things return to “normal,” intermodal will once again thrive. The data, however, indicates that there is a more fundamental problem, one that has been in place for at least 10 years. The accompanying chart compares US intermodal performance with three benchmarks — US GDP, US long-haul truckload and US import TEUs. In each case, the year 2015 is set at an index level of 100, and then the four-quarter moving average is tracked right up through the 2025 third quarter (where available). The results are revealing. From 2015 through Q2 2025 (numbers for Q3 are not yet available due to the US government shutdown), US real GDP increased 25%. Long-haul truckload did not keep pace, rising only 21% through the third quarter. There are likely several reasons for the undershoot. First and foremost has been growth in the service sector, which has accounted for an increasing proportion of GDP. Growth in services does not correspond to growth in freight demand. Growth in the goods-producing sectors of the GDP has been lower than the headline number. Secondly, average truck length of haul has been dropping, pulling down long-haul growth. In this case, we define long-haul as intermodal-competitive dry van and reefer truckloads moving 500 miles or more. Thirdly, shippers are getting better at loading trailers. Improved packaging has helped increase the average amount of product per truckload. On the other hand, growth in import TEUs has been outstanding, up 42% in Q3 2025 versus 2015. The chart vividly illustrates the roller-coaster performance that has been recently underway. It also shows just how extraordinary the recent performance has been, indicating why a correction to bring things back down closer to the trend seems likely. <h3>‘Huge’ IPI shortfall vs. benchmarks </h3>Now, let’s compare these benchmarks to intermodal’s performance. Overall intermodal activity has increased only 7% over the past 10 years. International/IPI most recently stood at a 5% gain, while domestic was up 9%. Both pale in comparison with the relevant benchmarks. The IPI shortfall is huge, but probably most of it was beyond intermodal’s control. Since 2015, some 77% of the growth in import TEUs occurred on the East and Gulf coasts, where volume has more than doubled. Meanwhile, West Coast import TEUs grew only 25%. This is a substantial IPI headwind, as intermodal share off the West Coast is somewhere in the 60% to 70% range, while in the East, I estimate intermodal share to perhaps be no more than 15%. Also holding back IPI volume was the growth in transloading in the west. I estimate that transloads into domestic containers now account for about 60% of the import TEUs into the southwest ports that emerge from the region on rail. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="d3796a3f-c66c-457d-a6a1-422f5f07b833"></dynamic-object></div>Maybe intermodal can’t control its IPI destiny, but the same isn’t true with domestic. Even with the aforementioned transloading boost, domestic intermodal growth has not matched truckload since 2018 at the height of the electronic logging device (ELD) capacity crunch. Subsequently, volume tanked as the truckload market normalized and precision scheduled railroading (PSR) retrenchment encouraged additional volume to head back to the highway. Thereafter, domestic intermodal once again got fairly close in 2021 during the early days of the post-pandemic surge, before congestion and service disruptions took their toll. The underperformance is clear, and the result has been loss of share versus truck. Domestic intermodal has been stuck at around a 6% share for the past three years, down from about 6.9% 10 years ago. Now, the market situation may be changing a bit in favor of intermodal. I don’t expect to see a big improvement in demand for truckload transportation. However, the Trump administration’s <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/battle-over-non-domiciled-cdls-deepens-in-california-6115918">multi-pronged pressure on immigrant truck drivers</a> holds the potential to sideline a significant percentage of the long-haul driver population, putting pressure on the supply side of the equation. This will undoubtedly cause trucking rates to rise, simply because they are already at rock bottom and the carriers cannot absorb the extra cost of higher driver wages while holding rates steady. There is even the potential for a capacity shortfall. This will depend primarily on how fast the reduction takes place. A capacity crunch will result if the pace of departures exceeds the industry’s ability to backfill with new drivers. The ELD crunch was an example of this phenomenon. It took some time for the industry’s recruiting efforts to catch up. But eventually, they did. The same thing could happen this time around. When and if the trucking rates go up, the intermodal sector will have a choice — follow the trucking rates upward and improve margins, or hold rates steady, letting the differential between truck and intermodal rates widen, and take the benefit in the form of higher volume and improved market share. However, even if the competitive environment does improve, it would be a mistake to assume that the intermodal competitiveness problem is solved. The industry has a long-term growth problem, and the solution is not to wait for the “goldilocks” market. Intermodal needs to put itself in a position where it can perform against truck through all the stages of the economic cycle. What needs to happen will be a topic for another column. Larry Gross is president and founder of Gross Transportation Consulting. Contact him at <a href="mailto:lawrencejgross@gmail.com">lawrencejgross@gmail.com</a>. </div>

Intermodal performance in recent years has largely been a function of international, or inland point intermodal (IPI), volume. Robust imports coupled with East Coast labor issues and then tariff frontloading have combined to provide a powerful boost to the volume of ISO containers moving via intermodal. However, domestic intermodal (53-foot domestic containers) has not seen the same strength. Further, the signs all point towards a slowdown for international intermodal. Where do things go from here? The railroads (and many analysts who follow the industry) point to the prolonged “trucking recession,” now at three years and counting. Capacity that was added to the truckload sector has been slow to exit, resulting in a prolonged period of downward rate pressure. The theory is that intermodal currently suffers from adverse market conditions, and once things return to “normal,” intermodal will once again thrive. The data, however, indicates that there is a more fundamental problem, one that has been in place for at least 10 years. The accompanying chart compares US intermodal performance with three benchmarks — US GDP, US long-haul truckload and US import TEUs. In each case, the year 2015 is set at an index level of 100, and then the four-quarter moving average is tracked right up through the 2025 third quarter (where available). The results are revealing. From 2015 through Q2 2025 (numbers for Q3 are not yet available due to the US government shutdown), US real GDP increased 25%. Long-haul truckload did not keep pace, rising only 21% through the third quarter. There are likely several reasons for the undershoot. First and foremost has been growth in the service sector, which has accounted for an increasing proportion of GDP. Growth in services does not correspond to growth in freight demand. Growth in the goods-producing sectors of the GDP has been lower than the headline number. Secondly, average truck length of haul has been dropping, pulling down long-haul growth. In this case, we define long-haul as intermodal-competitive dry van and reefer truckloads moving 500 miles or more. Thirdly, shippers are getting better at loading trailers. Improved packaging has helped increase the average amount of product per truckload. On the other hand, growth in import TEUs has been outstanding, up 42% in Q3 2025 versus 2015. The chart vividly illustrates the roller-coaster performance that has been recently underway. It also shows just how extraordinary the recent performance has been, indicating why a correction to bring things back down closer to the trend seems likely. ‘Huge’ IPI shortfall vs. benchmarks Now, let’s compare these benchmarks to intermodal’s performance. Overall intermodal activity has increased only 7% over the past 10 years. International/IPI most recently stood at a 5% gain, while domestic was up 9%. Both pale in comparison with the relevant benchmarks. The IPI shortfall is huge, but probably most of it was beyond intermodal’s control. Since 2015, some 77% of the growth in import TEUs occurred on the East and Gulf coasts, where volume has more than doubled. Meanwhile, West Coast import TEUs grew only 25%. This is a substantial IPI headwind, as intermodal share off the West Coast is somewhere in the 60% to 70% range, while in the East, I estimate intermodal share to perhaps be no more than 15%. Also holding back IPI volume was the growth in transloading in the west. I estimate that transloads into domestic containers now account for about 60% of the import TEUs into the southwest ports that emerge from the region on rail. Maybe intermodal can’t control its IPI destiny, but the same isn’t true with domestic. Even with the aforementioned transloading boost, domestic intermodal growth has not matched truckload since 2018 at the height of the electronic logging device (ELD) capacity crunch. Subsequently, volume tanked as the truckload market normalized and precision scheduled railroading (PSR) retrenchment encouraged additional volume to head back to the highway. Thereafter, domestic intermodal once again got fairly close in 2021 during the early days of the post-pandemic surge, before congestion and service disruptions took their toll. The underperformance is clear, and the result has been loss of share versus truck. Domestic intermodal has been stuck at around a 6% share for the past three years, down from about 6.9% 10 years ago. Now, the market situation may be changing a bit in favor of intermodal. I don’t expect to see a big improvement in demand for truckload transportation. However, the Trump administration’s multi-pronged pressure on immigrant truck drivers holds the potential to sideline a significant percentage of the long-haul driver population, putting pressure on the supply side of the equation. This will undoubtedly cause trucking rates to rise, simply because they are already at rock bottom and the carriers cannot absorb the extra cost of higher driver wages while holding rates steady. There is even the potential for a capacity shortfall. This will depend primarily on how fast the reduction takes place. A capacity crunch will result if the pace of departures exceeds the industry’s ability to backfill with new drivers. The ELD crunch was an example of this phenomenon. It took some time for the industry’s recruiting efforts to catch up. But eventually, they did. The same thing could happen this time around. When and if the trucking rates go up, the intermodal sector will have a choice — follow the trucking rates upward and improve margins, or hold rates steady, letting the differential between truck and intermodal rates widen, and take the benefit in the form of higher volume and improved market share. However, even if the competitive environment does improve, it would be a mistake to assume that the intermodal competitiveness problem is solved. The industry has a long-term growth problem, and the solution is not to wait for the “goldilocks” market. Intermodal needs to put itself in a position where it can perform against truck through all the stages of the economic cycle. What needs to happen will be a topic for another column. Larry Gross is president and founder of Gross Transportation Consulting. Contact him at lawrencejgross@gmail.com .

Truckload

North-American rail

Surface

Data shows US intermodal has a long-term growth problem

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The new details clarify the role the two railroads will play in Schneider’s just-launched Fast Track product, which comes with a 95% on-time guarantee. </div>

The new details clarify the role the two railroads will play in Schneider’s just-launched Fast Track product, which comes with a 95% on-time guarantee.

<div class="phx-topic">Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and CSX Transportation will provide priority loading on trains as part of Schneider National’s new Fast Track product, a <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/schneider-launches-premium-intermodal-service-with-95-on-time-guarantee-6112323">premium intermodal service</a> introduced earlier this week that comes with a 95% on-time guarantee for shippers. Both railroads will also provide lift services for so-called “hot loads” if a train is running behind schedule, requiring a transfer to a Schneider truck. The priority agreement does not extend to unloading at destination terminals. In most cases, shippers using Fast Track would pay more compared with standard intermodal service, but less than a truckload move. The new details clarify the role the two railroads will play in Schneider’s 95% on-time guarantee. UP spoke about its responsibilities during a media event on Wednesday in Chicago, while an industry source confirmed to the Journal of Commerce that CSX’s arrangement with Schneider is identical. “Schneider will get an expedited code from us, which allows them to get in our terminals earlier, or a little later, but it guarantees them a spot on the train,” Kenny Rocker, UP’s executive vice president of sales, said during the company-sponsored media event. “There’s no service guarantee from UP specifically, it’s coming from the private-asset provider, in this case Schneider.” Schneider Fast Track is targeting companies that have shied away from intermodal rail because of the lack of reliable, consistent service. Many of them are in the automotive and retail sectors, which requires high-precision delivery times, or the companies risk losing sales. “It’s a great product,” UP CEO Jim Vena said Wednesday when asked about Fast Track. “I think more companies will be looking at [Schneider’s Fast Track] to see what markets they service and what they can do for their customers.” One exception to Schneider’s priority status is parcel traffic. UPS and FedEx have clauses in their contracts requiring UP to put their loads on the assigned train or face penalties. Vena said the parcel carriers pay higher rates in exchange for that guarantee. “The parcels can come 15 minutes before train departure, deliver the load, and we have to put it on the train, but they pay for it,” Vena said, explaining that Schneider Fast Track will get a priority level just below the parcel carriers. Unlike on Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s Midwest Mexico Express, where Schneider is the primary customer, the intermodal carrier shares slots on trains in the US with chief competitors J.B. Hunt Transport Services and Hub Group. It also must compete for space with retailer Amazon, which owns more than 22,000 containers, and the parcel carriers. “We’ll have notifications ahead of time [of how many Fast Track loads are booked] so we can plan the train,” said Eric Gehringer, UP’s chief operating officer. “If we’re halfway through loading the train and we know there are 13 of these loads coming in, we can leave room.” <h3>Fast Track shows UP, CSX will maintain relationship </h3>Schneider’s Fast Track also undercuts claims that UP would stop working with CSX if regulators approve its proposed $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern Railway. UP has repeatedly said nothing will change with CSX, including its commitment to Schneider and to the rail-owned containers labeled “UMAX” used by intermodal marketing companies (IMCs). BNSF Railway, which opposes the UP-NS transaction, has said the merger would result in the elimination of 300 intermodal lanes, a figure that includes every interchange between UP and CSX and between BNSF and Norfolk Southern. BNSF CEO Katie Farmer appeared to soften her earlier concerns in a statement issued Wednesday, while also reminding shippers and regulators of UP’s own warnings about past rail mergers. “I’m sure the nation’s rail customers are relieved that UP is committing to keep all current intermodal lanes open if their merger with NS is approved,” Farmer said. But she also pointed to UP’s filings during the US Surface Transportation Board’s review of the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger in 2023, in which UP argued that consolidation could harm service on interline moves — i.e. containers handled by two railroads. “CPKC would have the ability to implement such anticompetitive strategies by raising rates shippers must pay for interline service or degrading the quality of service shippers receive when using interline service,” UP wrote at the time. Contact Ari Ashe at <a href="mailto:ari.ashe@spglobal.com">ari.ashe@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and CSX Transportation will provide priority loading on trains as part of Schneider National’s new Fast Track product, a premium intermodal service introduced earlier this week that comes with a 95% on-time guarantee for shippers. Both railroads will also provide lift services for so-called “hot loads” if a train is running behind schedule, requiring a transfer to a Schneider truck. The priority agreement does not extend to unloading at destination terminals. In most cases, shippers using Fast Track would pay more compared with standard intermodal service, but less than a truckload move. The new details clarify the role the two railroads will play in Schneider’s 95% on-time guarantee. UP spoke about its responsibilities during a media event on Wednesday in Chicago, while an industry source confirmed to the Journal of Commerce that CSX’s arrangement with Schneider is identical. “Schneider will get an expedited code from us, which allows them to get in our terminals earlier, or a little later, but it guarantees them a spot on the train,” Kenny Rocker, UP’s executive vice president of sales, said during the company-sponsored media event. “There’s no service guarantee from UP specifically, it’s coming from the private-asset provider, in this case Schneider.” Schneider Fast Track is targeting companies that have shied away from intermodal rail because of the lack of reliable, consistent service. Many of them are in the automotive and retail sectors, which requires high-precision delivery times, or the companies risk losing sales. “It’s a great product,” UP CEO Jim Vena said Wednesday when asked about Fast Track. “I think more companies will be looking at [Schneider’s Fast Track] to see what markets they service and what they can do for their customers.” One exception to Schneider’s priority status is parcel traffic. UPS and FedEx have clauses in their contracts requiring UP to put their loads on the assigned train or face penalties. Vena said the parcel carriers pay higher rates in exchange for that guarantee. “The parcels can come 15 minutes before train departure, deliver the load, and we have to put it on the train, but they pay for it,” Vena said, explaining that Schneider Fast Track will get a priority level just below the parcel carriers. Unlike on Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s Midwest Mexico Express, where Schneider is the primary customer, the intermodal carrier shares slots on trains in the US with chief competitors J.B. Hunt Transport Services and Hub Group. It also must compete for space with retailer Amazon, which owns more than 22,000 containers, and the parcel carriers. “We’ll have notifications ahead of time [of how many Fast Track loads are booked] so we can plan the train,” said Eric Gehringer, UP’s chief operating officer. “If we’re halfway through loading the train and we know there are 13 of these loads coming in, we can leave room.” Fast Track shows UP, CSX will maintain relationship Schneider’s Fast Track also undercuts claims that UP would stop working with CSX if regulators approve its proposed $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern Railway. UP has repeatedly said nothing will change with CSX, including its commitment to Schneider and to the rail-owned containers labeled “UMAX” used by intermodal marketing companies (IMCs). BNSF Railway, which opposes the UP-NS transaction, has said the merger would result in the elimination of 300 intermodal lanes, a figure that includes every interchange between UP and CSX and between BNSF and Norfolk Southern. BNSF CEO Katie Farmer appeared to soften her earlier concerns in a statement issued Wednesday, while also reminding shippers and regulators of UP’s own warnings about past rail mergers. “I’m sure the nation’s rail customers are relieved that UP is committing to keep all current intermodal lanes open if their merger with NS is approved,” Farmer said. But she also pointed to UP’s filings during the US Surface Transportation Board’s review of the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger in 2023, in which UP argued that consolidation could harm service on interline moves — i.e. containers handled by two railroads. “CPKC would have the ability to implement such anticompetitive strategies by raising rates shippers must pay for interline service or degrading the quality of service shippers receive when using interline service,” UP wrote at the time. Contact Ari Ashe at ari.ashe@spglobal.com .

Rail News

Intermodal providers

UP, CSX give priority loading to Schneider’s new intermodal service

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">California is revoking 17,000 non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses, while a US court has ordered a temporary stay on the US Department of Transportation’s new non-domiciled CDL rule. </div>

California is revoking 17,000 non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses, while a US court has ordered a temporary stay on the US Department of Transportation’s new non-domiciled CDL rule.

<div class="phx-topic">The battle over the legality of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) is becoming even more intense, with California revoking 17,000 CDLs and a US court putting a stay on the new Department of Transportation (DOT) rule on non-domiciled licensing. The revocation of 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs issued by California to immigrant drivers was announced not by the Golden State but by US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who on Wednesday said those non-domiciled CDLs had been issued “illegally.” On social media platform X, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office said the 17,000 CDLs were "withdrawn due to inconsistency with California law.” The press office also said the immigrant drivers affected were not illegals and had US work authorization. Stricter federal requirements introduced Sept. 29 were not in effect when these licenses were issued, the press office said on X. It has not issued an official announcement on the revocation of the 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs, the type of CDL issued to immigrants. Both Duffy and Newsom have accused each other of lying in what has become a major front in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The DOT wants the state to enforce its new CDL rules and English-language proficiency (ELP) requirements for truckers. Duffy has said that as many as 194,000 US holders of non-domiciled CDLs may not be able to renew their licenses under the new rule, which requires applicants to have specific work-related visas. That blocks refugees and other legal immigrants from getting CDLs. Shippers have yet to see much impact from the battle, which is likely to be prolonged. Reports of tighter capacity in certain long-haul lanes, particularly from Southern California ports, may be the first sign of results from greater enforcement of the new rules. <h3>Follow the money </h3>The DOT has a stick it can use in its regulatory battles with states: federal funding. The DOT has already said it is withholding more than $40 million in Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) money slated for California, funds used to support the California Highway Patrol in enforcing highway safety and trucking regulations. “California is the only state in the nation that refuses to ensure big rig drivers can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement,” Duffy said last month. The DOT introduced stricter out-of-service guidelines for ELP violations in June. The DOT could withhold additional funds as it seeks state compliance. “My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semitrucks and school buses,” Duffy said in a statement Wednesday. The DOT’s Sept. 29 rule on non-domiciled CDLs faces a challenge of its own, however. The US Court of Appeals in Washington, DC, on Tuesday ordered a temporary administrative stay of the rule until it could consider legal appeals for a more permanent order. The appellate court is considering Rivera Lujan vs. FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration), a lawsuit filed by Public Citizen. Lujan is a Deferred Actional Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipient who has been a truck driver for 11 years, according to the filing. It’s not clear what impact the ruling might have on the DOT, or the rollout of state laws and rules set up to codify or match the federal requirements. Such laws are necessary for states to receive MCSAP funding from the US government. Contact William B. Cassidy at <a href="mailto:bill.cassidy@spglobal.com ">bill.cassidy@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

The battle over the legality of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) is becoming even more intense, with California revoking 17,000 CDLs and a US court putting a stay on the new Department of Transportation (DOT) rule on non-domiciled licensing. The revocation of 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs issued by California to immigrant drivers was announced not by the Golden State but by US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who on Wednesday said those non-domiciled CDLs had been issued “illegally.” On social media platform X, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office said the 17,000 CDLs were "withdrawn due to inconsistency with California law.” The press office also said the immigrant drivers affected were not illegals and had US work authorization. Stricter federal requirements introduced Sept. 29 were not in effect when these licenses were issued, the press office said on X. It has not issued an official announcement on the revocation of the 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs, the type of CDL issued to immigrants. Both Duffy and Newsom have accused each other of lying in what has become a major front in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The DOT wants the state to enforce its new CDL rules and English-language proficiency (ELP) requirements for truckers. Duffy has said that as many as 194,000 US holders of non-domiciled CDLs may not be able to renew their licenses under the new rule, which requires applicants to have specific work-related visas. That blocks refugees and other legal immigrants from getting CDLs. Shippers have yet to see much impact from the battle, which is likely to be prolonged. Reports of tighter capacity in certain long-haul lanes, particularly from Southern California ports, may be the first sign of results from greater enforcement of the new rules. Follow the money The DOT has a stick it can use in its regulatory battles with states: federal funding. The DOT has already said it is withholding more than $40 million in Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) money slated for California, funds used to support the California Highway Patrol in enforcing highway safety and trucking regulations. “California is the only state in the nation that refuses to ensure big rig drivers can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement,” Duffy said last month. The DOT introduced stricter out-of-service guidelines for ELP violations in June. The DOT could withhold additional funds as it seeks state compliance. “My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semitrucks and school buses,” Duffy said in a statement Wednesday. The DOT’s Sept. 29 rule on non-domiciled CDLs faces a challenge of its own, however. The US Court of Appeals in Washington, DC, on Tuesday ordered a temporary administrative stay of the rule until it could consider legal appeals for a more permanent order. The appellate court is considering Rivera Lujan vs. FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration), a lawsuit filed by Public Citizen. Lujan is a Deferred Actional Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipient who has been a truck driver for 11 years, according to the filing. It’s not clear what impact the ruling might have on the DOT, or the rollout of state laws and rules set up to codify or match the federal requirements. Such laws are necessary for states to receive MCSAP funding from the US government. Contact William B. Cassidy at bill.cassidy@spglobal.com .

Transport, Trade and Regulation News

Truck brokers

Trucking labor

Battle over non-domiciled CDLs deepens in California

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Whether for or against the UP-NS deal, a merged railroad would reshape the Chicago drayage market. </div>

Whether for or against the UP-NS deal, a merged railroad would reshape the Chicago drayage market.

<div class="phx-topic">CHICAGO — Cargo owners in Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan would be among the biggest winners if regulators approve Union Pacific’s (UP’s) proposed acquisition of Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), giving them more direct access to West Coast ports without an unnecessary and costly truck move, UP says. Beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) in cities such as Cincinnati, Detroit and Louisville may prefer East Coast ports because the routings can be simpler and, in many cases, cheaper. From the West Coast, containers are railed to Chicago where shippers either hire a trucking company to haul the box hundreds of miles for final delivery or pay for a “crosstown dray” — trucking the container between two Chicago rail terminals — a time-consuming transfer that can add a full day to the transit. “If you’re a BCO, you always want to rail as far as you can without the issues of trucking through multiple cities,” UP CEO Jim Vena said during a company-sponsored media event Wednesday. “Maybe you’ll still have a dray, but instead of trucking the container 400 miles, you’ll be trucking it 50 miles or less.” The opportunity for deeper transits into the US is significant and would greatly reduce congestion in Chicago and re-shape drayage in the Windy City. Between Los Angeles-Long Beach and five inland cities — Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit and Louisville — railroads move more than 140,000 containers annually, according to a Journal of Commerce analysis of data from the US Surface Transportation Board (STB). Another 40,000 ocean containers move annually from Seattle-Tacoma to the same destinations. The estimates include only containers that require crosstown drays in Chicago, not loads trucked hundreds of miles to avoid interchanges altogether. Exporters in the cities would see gains, UP said, loading boxes closer to their warehouses and shipping on a single railroad straight to the West Coast for vessel departure. Kenny Rocker, UP’s executive vice president of sales, wants to reduce crosstown drays in Chicago. “It costs $150 or $200 to dray inside of Chicago, and to me, those are conversions we need to go after to keep on the rail,” Rocker said at the media event. “We can tell the BCOs, ‘You don’t have to spend another $150 or $200. You’re going to get some cost savings and it’s going to move one railroad all the way to these markets.” <h3>UP’s merger application will have many components </h3>UP has confirmed it plans to file a formal merger application with the STB in the first week of December. The filing, the railroad said, will include estimates of how many trucks could be removed from the highways, a tally that would include eliminating crosstown drays and longer regional drays. Other railroads have been reshaping their international intermodal offerings as well. In August, when BNSF Railway and CSX Transportation introduced service to Charlotte and Jacksonville, it launched new international intermodal routes from the Port of New York and New Jersey and the Port of Virginia to Kansas City. Under the arrangement, CSX routes containers to Chicago, where BNSF takes the cargo onward to Kansas City. In September, Canadian National Railway and CSX announced boxes hauled between Western Canada and Memphis, Tennessee, can remain on the train to Nashville, rather than trucked across the state. No ocean carrier partners have publicly endorsed or opposed UP’s proposed $85 billion transaction, and the carriers have not provided letters of support in the regulatory filing, UP acknowledged Wednesday. Some of the railroad’s largest ocean carrier partners include Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Evergreen Shipping Line. Vena said he is comfortable with their decision. “At the end of the day, some companies don’t want to come out one way or another, while other companies will,” he said. “I’m good with it either way.” Contact Ari Ashe at <a href="mailto:ari.ashe@spglobal.com ">ari.ashe@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

CHICAGO — Cargo owners in Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan would be among the biggest winners if regulators approve Union Pacific’s (UP’s) proposed acquisition of Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), giving them more direct access to West Coast ports without an unnecessary and costly truck move, UP says. Beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) in cities such as Cincinnati, Detroit and Louisville may prefer East Coast ports because the routings can be simpler and, in many cases, cheaper. From the West Coast, containers are railed to Chicago where shippers either hire a trucking company to haul the box hundreds of miles for final delivery or pay for a “crosstown dray” — trucking the container between two Chicago rail terminals — a time-consuming transfer that can add a full day to the transit. “If you’re a BCO, you always want to rail as far as you can without the issues of trucking through multiple cities,” UP CEO Jim Vena said during a company-sponsored media event Wednesday. “Maybe you’ll still have a dray, but instead of trucking the container 400 miles, you’ll be trucking it 50 miles or less.” The opportunity for deeper transits into the US is significant and would greatly reduce congestion in Chicago and re-shape drayage in the Windy City. Between Los Angeles-Long Beach and five inland cities — Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit and Louisville — railroads move more than 140,000 containers annually, according to a Journal of Commerce analysis of data from the US Surface Transportation Board (STB). Another 40,000 ocean containers move annually from Seattle-Tacoma to the same destinations. The estimates include only containers that require crosstown drays in Chicago, not loads trucked hundreds of miles to avoid interchanges altogether. Exporters in the cities would see gains, UP said, loading boxes closer to their warehouses and shipping on a single railroad straight to the West Coast for vessel departure. Kenny Rocker, UP’s executive vice president of sales, wants to reduce crosstown drays in Chicago. “It costs $150 or $200 to dray inside of Chicago, and to me, those are conversions we need to go after to keep on the rail,” Rocker said at the media event. “We can tell the BCOs, ‘You don’t have to spend another $150 or $200. You’re going to get some cost savings and it’s going to move one railroad all the way to these markets.” UP’s merger application will have many components UP has confirmed it plans to file a formal merger application with the STB in the first week of December. The filing, the railroad said, will include estimates of how many trucks could be removed from the highways, a tally that would include eliminating crosstown drays and longer regional drays. Other railroads have been reshaping their international intermodal offerings as well. In August, when BNSF Railway and CSX Transportation introduced service to Charlotte and Jacksonville, it launched new international intermodal routes from the Port of New York and New Jersey and the Port of Virginia to Kansas City. Under the arrangement, CSX routes containers to Chicago, where BNSF takes the cargo onward to Kansas City. In September, Canadian National Railway and CSX announced boxes hauled between Western Canada and Memphis, Tennessee, can remain on the train to Nashville, rather than trucked across the state. No ocean carrier partners have publicly endorsed or opposed UP’s proposed $85 billion transaction, and the carriers have not provided letters of support in the regulatory filing, UP acknowledged Wednesday. Some of the railroad’s largest ocean carrier partners include Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Evergreen Shipping Line. Vena said he is comfortable with their decision. “At the end of the day, some companies don’t want to come out one way or another, while other companies will,” he said. “I’m good with it either way.” Contact Ari Ashe at ari.ashe@spglobal.com .

UP says cargo owners in Midwest would benefit from NS merger

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The world of LTL is slow to embrace change. Business anachronisms permeate current supply chain processes. These vestiges of the way things used to work define the LTL freight transportation procurement process of many modern shippers.David Knuth, logistics specialist at IEWC, a global supplier of cable and wire based in Wisconsin, is happy to have modernized the RFP process, automating the entire LTL bidding procedure with Bid$ense, SMC³’s automated truckload and LTL freight transportation sourcing solution. But when prompted, he can still recall what once was.In his previous job, a large part of his duties were consumed by creating an intermodal bid package for carriers. In a spreadsheet, Knuth detailed the company’s volumes lane by lane, taking care to delete any errant keystrokes or misleading data. He would then email out the information to each carrier, taking time to respond to detailed technical questions about the spreadsheet data. Finally, he had to compile all the results, create an algorithm that would compare the carriers on each lane, and award the business.“It was a huge undertaking. It took about four months to do,” Knuth said of the old process. “It was almost a full-time job for that part of the year, every year.”In his new job at IEWC, he sat down with Bid$ense on day one and was amazed at the capabilities. Knuth had never before used a bid tool. SMC³’s latest versions of Bid$ense automate the process even further, taking truckload and LTL RFPs entirely online. The tool draws on RFP best-practices protocols to streamline the bidding communication process, enabling bidding carriers to respond accurately and promptly to shipper requests. The solution also does all the distribution work automatically, electronically submitting shipper bid data to carriers based on their actual service capabilities and performance records. Carriers are alerted with timely prompts for RFP deliverables, so shippers aren’t waiting by the phone for responses.Another benefit of automating the process is the data-cleansing assistance. When Knuth sent spreadsheets to carriers, data errors might cloud the bidding process; he might have to resend data or simply accept a price that did not truly reflect the costs of doing business. Data cleansing is incredibly beneficial, he said.The spreadsheet technique also made bidding analysis an onerous task. Since Bid$ense automates and streamlines the entire RFP process, intensive examination is now simple. SMC³ knows that each bid has more than one best outcome. With uniform responses from each carrier, shippers can quickly rank results and create an unlimited quantity of what-if scenarios to make the optimal procurement decision.Jesse Burnett of Central Garden &amp; Pet experiences many of the same benefits. 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 $19.6 million 2019 LTL bid saved the company just more than 9 percent when compared to its historical average. For Burnett, though, bid automation extends far beyond savings.“We knew that we weren’t getting the best pricing offer from our carriers just because nothing was centralized,” he continued. “We knew that if we combined everything from all these business units and paired it with one corporate offering, then it would drive some cost benefit with it.”When the company initially decided to centralize bid procurement, executives researched a number of different methodologies and technologies. In the end, though, Burnett found that Bid$ense was both widespread and well known, and that his carrier partners already knew how to use the application. Burnett also highlighted the data-cleansing process as a major benefit, saying the rigorous process ensures that carriers always return the best price.“It definitely has helped drive savings,” he said. “Any time you go out there and you drive that competitiveness with the carriers and they know they’re in a bid environment, it seems to sharpen their pencils.”Transportation procurement is an integral part of the modern supply chain. With Bid$ense, shippers can develop a strategic implementation plan that saves them time and money, but also helps them create strong relationships with their carrier partners. These carriers appreciate the solution’s data-cleansing process; when carriers receive a complete shipment history and future volume forecast, they don’t have to guess on pricing. Carriers that receive more data from shippers get a complete picture of that shipper’s freight, allowing them to accurately plan instead of simply preparing for the worst-case scenario. Clean data presented through an automated system can lead to both bigger shipment savings and a lasting partnership between carrier and customer.Whether customers are looking to streamline over-the-road transportation bidding by automating the RFP process or create an entirely new, centralized sourcing process, Bid$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

If there’s one immutable truth in the world of logistics, it’s this: LTL is an inherently complex form of transportation. Tariffs, rates, DIM weights, transit times — it’s enough to confuse even seasoned logistics professionals. The solution to this knowledge gap has historically been on-the-job training or university supply chain education, but for a variety of reasons there is now a pressing need for third-party, remote LTL training that prepares logistics workers for transportation success. Global Scope Can Overlook Local Intricacies In the past, professionals looking to move into a supply chain career learned about the basics of supply chain from universities. However, many of these college supply chain programs are now global in scope, focusing on worldwide supply chain management instead of the intricacies of specialized domestic transportation. And even these programs, which used to be widespread, are becoming less common. LTL is not an industry of broad-brush strokes; supply chain professionals really need a pointillistic understanding of the logistics of LTL in order to excel in the industry. Accelerating Need for Dedicated LTL Education This lack of specified training put the onus on employers to prepare new hires with the LTL knowledge needed to do their jobs. Dedicated LTL study is a necessity, not a luxury. At the same time, changes in LTL and the broader supply chain world are accelerating. The reliance on e-commerce has ballooned since the start of the pandemic, and last-mile LTL shipments and related e-commerce strains on the supply chain won’t diminish once social distancing abates. That genie isn’t going back into the bottle. So supply chain employers need logistics workers that are fully versed in all aspects of the industry, ready to solve unique shipping and delivery problems based on their extensive supply chain knowledge But why care about LTL? It’s been reported that some shippers in today’s world are no longer concerned with what mode is used to ship their goods. A Multimodal Approach Ensures On-Time Delivery This mode agnosticism means supply chain stakeholders have to be well versed in all modes of transportation. As unforeseen weather events and other disruptions, such as protests, become more common, savvy logistics employees will need to be armed with familiarity of all modes, not just the most popular, to ensure that freight is delivered on time, without damage, and in the most financially expedient way possible. Offerings like SMC³’s LTL online education courses cover a wide range of topics from LTL basics and operations to more advanced concepts like pricing analytics and transportation law. The company also has plans to continually refresh content, adding new expert presenters and taking the feedback of students to make the courses even better as time goes on. Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://logisticstrainingcenter.com/smc3-courses/" rel="noreferrer" class="joc_admin__link">SMC³’s LTL Online Education program</a>&nbsp;and view the 2021 hybrid schedule, featuring live industry experts,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.smc3.com/onlinelearning2021/" rel="noreferrer" class="joc_admin__link">here.</a>

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Filling the Supply Chain Education Gap with LTL Education Courses

In 1995, we began operations with a clear vision: to grow alongside Mexico and connect the world through our terminals. Our priority has always been to deliver excellence in service, foster economic development, and strengthen our communities. We firmly believe that progress is not only measured in tons of cargo moved, but in the opportunities we create. _______________________________________________________________ This year marks a significant milestone: SSA Marine Mexico celebrates 30 years of presence in the country, having established itself from day one as the leading port operator nationwide. Over the past three decades, we have built a legacy of reliability, innovation, and commitment to Mexico’s growth. Our journey has been defined by continuous evolution and a steadfast dedication to our mission. SSA Marine México currently operates in six of the country’s most important ports: Cozumel, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Progreso, Tuxpan, and Veracruz. Additionally, we have signed a concession to operate a new multipurpose terminal in Guaymas, Sonora, expanding our footprint to the north of the country. We serve a wide range of segments including containers, general cargo, automobiles, cruise ships, hydrocarbons, and asphalt. As part of this ongoing commitment, SSA Marine Mexico continues to strengthen its infrastructure and capabilities. International trade remains a key driver of global economic growth, and we are proud to support this momentum. Through our continuous improvement strategy, we invest in cutting-edge technology and equipment to deliver more efficient and competitive services, contributing to the success of Mexican businesses. •	Manzanillo, Colima- Specialized Container Terminal I: On October 13, we celebrated the arrival of two new STS (Ship To Shore) Super Post Panamax dockside cranes. This $21.2 million USD investment significantly boosts our operational capacity, streamlining cargo reception and delivery processes. In line with our modernization efforts, we will also retire four of our oldest cranes, paving the way for a more sustainable and technologically advanced fleet that meets the evolving demands of international trade. With these upgrades, SSA Marine México now operates a total of 16 cranes along our 1,350-meter dock, reaffirming our position as a national benchmark in port <span class="joc_admin__inline-image joc_admin__inline-image-aspect-ratio-4_3 joc_admin__inline-image-position-left joc_admin__inline-image-size-large" data-figure-size="large" data-figure-position="left" data-figure-aspect-ratio="4:3"><img src="/content-assets/1760982635607_Manzanillo.jpg" alt="Image provided by SSA Marine" class="joc_admin__inline-image-inherit"> •	As for the Multipurpose Terminal and Specialized Facility, also in Manzanillo, Colima, improvement and conditioning works are planned, along with the acquisition of four E-RTG (Electric Rubber-Tyred Gantry) cranes to enhance operational efficiency and sustainability. •	At our Automobile and General Cargo Terminal in the port of Veracruz, we continue to lead with specialized value-added services that support our clients’ growth. Recent investments include a new washing cabin and a general cargo warehouse, increasing indoor storage capacity by 67%. •	Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan – Specialized Automobile Terminal: we are working on the development of an additional 4-hectare storage space within our bonded area and a 10-hectare Vehicle Distribution Center (VDC). These enhancements, along with ongoing personnel and system improvements, will reinforce our leadership in automotive handling across the Mexican Pacific coast.<span class="joc_admin__inline-image joc_admin__inline-image-aspect-ratio-4_3 joc_admin__inline-image-position-left joc_admin__inline-image-size-large" data-figure-size="large" data-figure-position="left" data-figure-aspect-ratio="4:3"><img src="/content-assets/1760982742240_Lazaro.jpg" alt="Image provided by SSA Marine" class="joc_admin__inline-image-inherit"> Through these strategic investments, SSA Marine Mexico reaffirms its commitment to the sustained growth of Mexico’s foreign trade. By expanding capacity, modernizing infrastructure, and diversifying services, we continue to strengthen the country’s competitiveness in global logistics. Today, we celebrate three decades of dedication, innovation, and leadership, with deep gratitude to our employees, clients, and partners for being part of this incredible journey. LINK: https://www.ssamarine.mx/<span class="joc_admin__inline-image joc_admin__inline-image-aspect-ratio-16_9 joc_admin__inline-image-position-left joc_admin__inline-image-size-small" data-figure-size="small" data-figure-position="left" data-figure-aspect-ratio="16:9"><img src="/content-assets/1760982787360_SSA%20Marine%20Mexico%20logo%20150pxW.png" alt="" class="joc_admin__inline-image-inherit">

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SSA Marine Mexico: 30 years growing together.

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