<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">An appeals court says bars that served a visibly intoxicated man cannot be held legally responsible </div>

An appeals court says bars that served a visibly intoxicated man cannot be held legally responsible

<div>An appeals court says bars that served a visibly intoxicated man cannot be held legally responsible for a fire that killed him when he passed out or fell asleep while cooking.Barbara Holub of Bloomfield appealed the dismissal of a lawsuit she filed on behalf of her husband, Robert, against five taverns.But a three-judge panel of the Appellate Division of Superior Court on Tuesday affirmed the lower-court ruling that threw out Mrs. Holub's legal action.According to the appeals opinion, Mr. Holub finished his overnight shift as a truck driver for Tuscan Dairy in Union about 10 a.m. July 8, 1981. He...

An appeals court says bars that served a visibly intoxicated man cannot be held legally responsible for a fire that killed him when he passed out or fell asleep while cooking. Barbara Holub of Bloomfield appealed the dismissal of a lawsuit she filed on behalf of her husband, Robert, against five taverns.But a three-judge panel of the Appellate Division of Superior Court on Tuesday affirmed the lower-court ruling that threw out Mrs. Holub's legal action. According to the appeals opinion, Mr. Holub finished his overnight shift as a truck driver for Tuscan Dairy in Union about 10 a.m. July 8, 1981. He left the plant and returned about four hours later to pick up a co-worker, who said Mr. Holub appeared to have been drinking before 2 p.m. The men each drank two beers at a Union bar, drank three each at an Irvington lounge and consumed two more beers each at another Irvington tavern. By about 5:15 p.m., they arrived at a Newark bar where they each consumed two beers and a shot of bourbon. They were asked to leave because Mr. Holub was "loud and nasty." Mr. Holub's friend described the victim as ''staggering" by this time. They then drank several beers at Mr. Holub's Bloomfield apartment and three more each at a Belleville bar. Mr. Holub drove his friend back to the plant and returned home. The Bloomfield fire department was called to Mr. Holub's apartment shortly before midnight. Mr. Holub had attempted to fry potatoes in a deep fryer on the stove, but passed out or fell asleep, according to the opinion. His body was found in an adjacent room, and he died of smoke inhalation. The lawsuit filed by his wife claimed that the fire was a reasonable foreseeable consequence of serving Mr. Holub while he was visibly intoxicated. The appeals court ruled that the lower court properly threw out the lawsuit, and said: "Notions of justice, fairness and common sense compel the conclusion that in the circumstances here the defendant-taverns should not be held liable for the death of Holub."

TAVERNS FOUND NOT LIABLE FOR FATAL FIRE

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The ocean carrier said switching up Asia and US East Coast rotations on three trans-Pacific services will provide more reliability and consistency. </div>

The ocean carrier said switching up Asia and US East Coast rotations on three trans-Pacific services will provide more reliability and consistency.

Feature image

<div class="phx-topic">Mediterranean Shipping Co. is reworking its trans-Pacific network starting next month to offer more reliable, direct China services into US Northeast and Southeast ports, while providing coastwide direct service from Southeast Asia. MSC said in a Thursday customer advisory that it is changing some port calls on its three main East Coast services to “enhance service reliability and schedule stability.” The new networks consolidate some China calls and will change some calls to Florida ports. MSC’s Empire Service will drop a Qingdao call, with the service now only calling Shanghai, Ningbo and Busan on the front haul. Empire’s US rotation will drop the ports of Jacksonville and Miami in favor of calls to Norfolk and Port Everglades on the backhaul. The service’s new rotation will commence with the scheduled May 27 departure of the 6,178-TEU MSC Leo VI from Shanghai. The carrier said Empire would be “less exposed to port congestion risks” due to the rotation change. Qingdao will be added to MSC’s Amberjack service into the US Southeast. However, MSC will no longer provide direct service from Yantian and Xiamen but instead focus the service on northeast Asia ports. The service will also replace a call to Norfolk with a call to Jacksonville. MSC said the Amberjack changes would improve transit times and network stability. The new rotation goes into effect with the service’s estimated May 20 departure from Qingdao. MSC also said it would rework its Emerald service from Southeast Asia to drop a call to Taiwan’s Kaohsiung in favor of Xiamen, providing a direct service from that port into the largest US East Coast ports. The new rotation is expected to take effect with the May 18 departure from Singapore of the 7,000-TEU Zim Topaz. Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Mediterranean Shipping Co. is reworking its trans-Pacific network starting next month to offer more reliable, direct China services into US Northeast and Southeast ports, while providing coastwide direct service from Southeast Asia. MSC said in a Thursday customer advisory that it is changing some port calls on its three main East Coast services to “enhance service reliability and schedule stability.” The new networks consolidate some China calls and will change some calls to Florida ports. MSC’s Empire Service will drop a Qingdao call, with the service now only calling Shanghai, Ningbo and Busan on the front haul. Empire’s US rotation will drop the ports of Jacksonville and Miami in favor of calls to Norfolk and Port Everglades on the backhaul. The service’s new rotation will commence with the scheduled May 27 departure of the 6,178-TEU MSC Leo VI from Shanghai. The carrier said Empire would be “less exposed to port congestion risks” due to the rotation change. Qingdao will be added to MSC’s Amberjack service into the US Southeast. However, MSC will no longer provide direct service from Yantian and Xiamen but instead focus the service on northeast Asia ports. The service will also replace a call to Norfolk with a call to Jacksonville. MSC said the Amberjack changes would improve transit times and network stability. The new rotation goes into effect with the service’s estimated May 20 departure from Qingdao. MSC also said it would rework its Emerald service from Southeast Asia to drop a call to Taiwan’s Kaohsiung in favor of Xiamen, providing a direct service from that port into the largest US East Coast ports. The new rotation is expected to take effect with the May 18 departure from Singapore of the 7,000-TEU Zim Topaz. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

Container lines

Trans-Pacific

Container Shipping News

Maritime

MSC revamps Asia-USEC network

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The Port of Khor Fakkan “offers a relatively stable operating environment and will serve as the primary discharge hub operations,” Premier Alliance member Yang Ming said in an advisory.</div>

The Port of Khor Fakkan “offers a relatively stable operating environment and will serve as the primary discharge hub operations,” Premier Alliance member Yang Ming said in an advisory.

<div class="phx-topic">The Premier Alliance has tapped Khor Fakkan on the eastern side of the United Arab Emirates as its interim transshipment port for Middle East and Indian cargo on its Middle East–Asia–US West Coast GS2 service. The group, whose members comprise Yang Ming Marine Transport, Ocean Network Express and HMM, suspended calls at Arabian Gulf ports on the GS2 service in March following missile and drone attacks and Iran’s subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Khor Fakkan “offers a relatively stable operating environment and will serve as the primary discharge hub operations” for vessels originally scheduled to call Middle East ports, Yang Ming said in a Thursday customer advisory. “For cargo with final destinations within the Arabian Gulf region, onward transportation will be arranged via feeder vessels or alternative transshipment solutions to the respective final ports of discharge,” it added. The shift to Khor Fakken comes as Iran’s foreign ministry Friday announced the Strait of Hormuz is now “completely open” to commercial shipping for the duration of the Iran-US ceasefire, though the situation remains murky. “We are currently verifying the recent announcement related to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, in terms of its compliance with freedom of navigation for all merchant vessels and secure passage using the IMO established traffic separation scheme,” International Maritime Organization secretary general Arsenio Dominguez said Friday on social media platform X. The Premier Alliance will begin calling at Khor Fakkan next week, with the first ship, the 16,000-TEU HMM Mir, due to berth Sunday and two other ships due to arrive by the end of the month, according to carrier vessel sailing schedules. The alliance has been holding cargo on board ships for the past month while it decided what to do with Arabian Gulf cargo after attacks made ports such as Saudi Arabia’s Damman and Dubai’s Jebel Ali too risky to use. These ships are thought to include the 13,253-TEU HMM Peridot, which has been in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea since the end of March and is now due to call at Khor Fakkan early next week, according to vessel sailing data Friday. The 13,000-TEU HMM Garnet will be the third ship to call Khor Fakken, with a scheduled arrival around April 26. The Premier Alliance had also curtailed some sailings to Gulf ports, opting instead to route some eastbound services to the US West Coast from Singapore. Contact Keith Wallis at <a href="mailto:keithwallis@hotmail.com">keithwallis@hotmail.com</a>. </div>

The Premier Alliance has tapped Khor Fakkan on the eastern side of the United Arab Emirates as its interim transshipment port for Middle East and Indian cargo on its Middle East–Asia–US West Coast GS2 service. The group, whose members comprise Yang Ming Marine Transport, Ocean Network Express and HMM, suspended calls at Arabian Gulf ports on the GS2 service in March following missile and drone attacks and Iran’s subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Khor Fakkan “offers a relatively stable operating environment and will serve as the primary discharge hub operations” for vessels originally scheduled to call Middle East ports, Yang Ming said in a Thursday customer advisory. “For cargo with final destinations within the Arabian Gulf region, onward transportation will be arranged via feeder vessels or alternative transshipment solutions to the respective final ports of discharge,” it added. The shift to Khor Fakken comes as Iran’s foreign ministry Friday announced the Strait of Hormuz is now “completely open” to commercial shipping for the duration of the Iran-US ceasefire, though the situation remains murky. “We are currently verifying the recent announcement related to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, in terms of its compliance with freedom of navigation for all merchant vessels and secure passage using the IMO established traffic separation scheme,” International Maritime Organization secretary general Arsenio Dominguez said Friday on social media platform X. The Premier Alliance will begin calling at Khor Fakkan next week, with the first ship, the 16,000-TEU HMM Mir, due to berth Sunday and two other ships due to arrive by the end of the month, according to carrier vessel sailing schedules. The alliance has been holding cargo on board ships for the past month while it decided what to do with Arabian Gulf cargo after attacks made ports such as Saudi Arabia’s Damman and Dubai’s Jebel Ali too risky to use. These ships are thought to include the 13,253-TEU HMM Peridot, which has been in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea since the end of March and is now due to call at Khor Fakkan early next week, according to vessel sailing data Friday. The 13,000-TEU HMM Garnet will be the third ship to call Khor Fakken, with a scheduled arrival around April 26. The Premier Alliance had also curtailed some sailings to Gulf ports, opting instead to route some eastbound services to the US West Coast from Singapore. Contact Keith Wallis at keithwallis@hotmail.com .

International ports

Port News

Premier Alliance taps UAE’s Khor Fakkan for war-diverted cargoes

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Domestic intermodal boosters have been waiting for three years for the competitive environment to improve, and perhaps that time has arrived, writes intermodal analyst Larry Gross. </div>

Domestic intermodal boosters have been waiting for three years for the competitive environment to improve, and perhaps that time has arrived, writes intermodal analyst Larry Gross.

<div class="phx-topic">The numbers are in for intermodal performance for the first quarter, and the reading is surprisingly strong, even though the headline numbers don’t look all that wonderful. According to the Association of American Railroads, total North American activity in Q1 rose 1.8% versus prior year. Growth for the US “Big Four” (BNSF, CSX, NS and UP) was even lower at just 1.2%. But keep in mind what we are comparing to. In 2025, Q1 activity was juiced by volume pulled forward in time to beat the tariffs. Remember, Trumps “Liberation Day” was April 2 of last year, just a couple of days after the conclusion of Q1. Intermodal’s ability to not only keep pace with, but even modestly improve on last year’s performance is somewhat impressive. <div class="wrapper-narrow float-right-element"><img src="/images/phoenix/6205607_0.1.jpg"></img></div>Nonetheless, we can’t count on growth in international intermodal to once again save the day in 2026. Import TEUs trailed prior year throughout the first quarter, with my preliminary estimated decline from 2025 coming in at a bit less than 4%. We can expect major gyrations in the year-over-year comps over the next few months, not because of current variations, but rather because of the start-stop effects of the tariffs on last year’s volumes from month to month. Setting aside the year-over-year comparison, the sequential trend in import TEUs is looking quite favorable. After a weak performance in October of last year, seasonally adjusted import TEUs have moved significantly, with March showing the best numbers yet. For the time being, the SA numbers will be the most revealing in terms of current performance, rather than the comparison with last year's erratic situation. Further, one of the anticipated headwinds for international intermodal in 2026 has, at least for the moment, evaporated. Earlier, it appeared likely that the Red Sea/Suez routing from Asia to the US East Coast would be fully re-opening in 2026. Now, the Iran War has made that unlikely in the near term. We should see the effects in the form of a boost in USWC import share in the coming months. This will help intermodal, as intermodal share off the West Coast is higher than out east. <h3>Headline-grabbing growth </h3>In my view, however, it will be domestic intermodal that will generate headlines in the coming months. Intermodal boosters have been waiting for three years for the competitive environment to improve, and perhaps that time has arrived. Truck rates are on the way up, thanks to actions by the Trump administration on several fronts. First and foremost are fuel prices. The price of diesel has skyrocketed with the Iran War and the closure of the Hormuz Strait, and there seems to be little prospect for relief in the near term. This has transformed fuel prices from a net drag on intermodal conversion to a powerful booster. The second tailwind is the administration’s crackdown on immigrant truck drivers. Action is occurring on four fronts: English proficiency, non-domicile commercial drivers license, working visa restrictions and immigrant documentation. The result is a diminution in truck capacity. While I don’t expect the decline to be sharp enough to cause a shortage, the effects on trucking rates are plainly visible. There are potential offsets. The most significant would be a dramatic slowdown in the US economy. But that doesn’t seem to be in the cards just yet. The economy has shown remarkable resilience in the face of multiple headwinds, including the tariff gyrations. However, there are danger signs. Inflation is picking up, and there are signs that growth is slowing. The impact of the higher oil prices is only now starting to work their way through the system. A slowdown in the economy would of course result in reduced demand for truckload/intermodal services, counteracting the forces for growth. Intermodal share would likely still improve, but the overall pie could shrink. Another potential issue would be volume-related service stumbles by the railroads. History certainly tells us to be on guard against such problems, but recent STB service data shows no current cause for alarm. Service remains strong. In sum, current conditions provide a good opportunity for intermodal to end an extended period of market share stagnation. Much depends on how the intermodal industry opts to take advantage. If intermodal rates ride up in close concert with truck rates, then profitability will improve but volume gains will be modest. But if price increases are constrained, then higher volumes and share should be the result. Larry Gross is president and founder of Gross Transportation Consulting. Contact him at <a href="mailto:lawrencejgross@gmail.com">lawrencejgross@gmail.com</a>. </div>

The numbers are in for intermodal performance for the first quarter, and the reading is surprisingly strong, even though the headline numbers don’t look all that wonderful. According to the Association of American Railroads, total North American activity in Q1 rose 1.8% versus prior year. Growth for the US “Big Four” (BNSF, CSX, NS and UP) was even lower at just 1.2%. But keep in mind what we are comparing to. In 2025, Q1 activity was juiced by volume pulled forward in time to beat the tariffs. Remember, Trumps “Liberation Day” was April 2 of last year, just a couple of days after the conclusion of Q1. Intermodal’s ability to not only keep pace with, but even modestly improve on last year’s performance is somewhat impressive. Nonetheless, we can’t count on growth in international intermodal to once again save the day in 2026. Import TEUs trailed prior year throughout the first quarter, with my preliminary estimated decline from 2025 coming in at a bit less than 4%. We can expect major gyrations in the year-over-year comps over the next few months, not because of current variations, but rather because of the start-stop effects of the tariffs on last year’s volumes from month to month. Setting aside the year-over-year comparison, the sequential trend in import TEUs is looking quite favorable. After a weak performance in October of last year, seasonally adjusted import TEUs have moved significantly, with March showing the best numbers yet. For the time being, the SA numbers will be the most revealing in terms of current performance, rather than the comparison with last year's erratic situation. Further, one of the anticipated headwinds for international intermodal in 2026 has, at least for the moment, evaporated. Earlier, it appeared likely that the Red Sea/Suez routing from Asia to the US East Coast would be fully re-opening in 2026. Now, the Iran War has made that unlikely in the near term. We should see the effects in the form of a boost in USWC import share in the coming months. This will help intermodal, as intermodal share off the West Coast is higher than out east. Headline-grabbing growth In my view, however, it will be domestic intermodal that will generate headlines in the coming months. Intermodal boosters have been waiting for three years for the competitive environment to improve, and perhaps that time has arrived. Truck rates are on the way up, thanks to actions by the Trump administration on several fronts. First and foremost are fuel prices. The price of diesel has skyrocketed with the Iran War and the closure of the Hormuz Strait, and there seems to be little prospect for relief in the near term. This has transformed fuel prices from a net drag on intermodal conversion to a powerful booster. The second tailwind is the administration’s crackdown on immigrant truck drivers. Action is occurring on four fronts: English proficiency, non-domicile commercial drivers license, working visa restrictions and immigrant documentation. The result is a diminution in truck capacity. While I don’t expect the decline to be sharp enough to cause a shortage, the effects on trucking rates are plainly visible. There are potential offsets. The most significant would be a dramatic slowdown in the US economy. But that doesn’t seem to be in the cards just yet. The economy has shown remarkable resilience in the face of multiple headwinds, including the tariff gyrations. However, there are danger signs. Inflation is picking up, and there are signs that growth is slowing. The impact of the higher oil prices is only now starting to work their way through the system. A slowdown in the economy would of course result in reduced demand for truckload/intermodal services, counteracting the forces for growth. Intermodal share would likely still improve, but the overall pie could shrink. Another potential issue would be volume-related service stumbles by the railroads. History certainly tells us to be on guard against such problems, but recent STB service data shows no current cause for alarm. Service remains strong. In sum, current conditions provide a good opportunity for intermodal to end an extended period of market share stagnation. Much depends on how the intermodal industry opts to take advantage. If intermodal rates ride up in close concert with truck rates, then profitability will improve but volume gains will be modest. But if price increases are constrained, then higher volumes and share should be the result. Larry Gross is president and founder of Gross Transportation Consulting. Contact him at lawrencejgross@gmail.com .

Truckload

North-American rail

Intermodal providers

Surface

Tailwinds for US intermodal volume growth strengthening: analyst

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The alcoholic beverage industry is going through changes that are roiling demand forecasts, with a growing number of people drinking less than they were during the pandemic and different tastes apparent among young drinkers.</div>

The alcoholic beverage industry is going through changes that are roiling demand forecasts, with a growing number of people drinking less than they were during the pandemic and different tastes apparent among young drinkers.

<div class="phx-topic">(The following story appears in the Top 100 Importers and Exporters issue of the Journal of Commerce magazine to be published May 4, 2026.) US alcoholic beverage importers are still trying to find their right supply-and-demand balance after another volatile year for wines and spirits shipments. Import numbers are also being roiled by changing tastes among US drinkers that are favoring new shipping methods and trade lanes. Containerized imports of wine, beer and distilled spirits fell 4.9% in 2025 and another 16.1% in the first quarter of 2026, according to data from PIERS, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. Last year’s drop continues the uneven trajectory that alcoholic beverage imports have had since US inbound shipments hit a peak of 468,465 TEUs in 2022. After that, imports dropped 18% in 2023, followed by a 13.5% rebound in 2024. Allison Leavitt, managing director of the Wine and Spirits Shippers Association, said last year’s import numbers were affected by frontloading ahead of the Trump administration’s various tariff moves and the subsequent gap in later shipments. “There was a push at the beginning of 2025 to get products in prior to the tariffs, and this did create lower volumes in subsequent months, with some importers putting a stop to imports when tariffs were first announced,” Leavitt said. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="84b1392e-a3ba-4353-8535-68285ce036da"></dynamic-object></div>But alcoholic beverage shippers are also still figuring out the right level of inventory to hold. The popularity of drinking at home during the pandemic led the industry to estimate stronger growth than what materialized afterward, she said. The alcoholic beverage industry itself is going through changes that are also roiling demand forecasts. A growing number of people are drinking less than they were during the pandemic. Changing tastes among young drinkers who prefer pre-packaged, ready-to-drink cocktails or malt beverages are another headwind for imports of individually bottled wines and spirits. “It’s definitely a confluence of post-COVID hangover from when people were indulging more in alcohol,” Leavitt said. “There’s a huge amount of inventory we are still working through. “There’s a little bit of a kickback in consumption from wellness trends,” she added. “There’s the rise of the ready-to-drink category. Those have impacted both wine and spirits imports.” <h3>Shift in shipping methods </h3>Imports from France, the second-largest source of US wine and spirits imports behind Italy, have fallen 23.7% since 2022. Along with lower demand, Leavitt said some of the volume decline also stems from different shipping methods. Instead of shipping individual bottles, US wine shippers are increasingly using tanks and totes to import thousands of liters of bulk wine that can be bottled domestically. Leavitt expects this trend to continue as major retailers such as Costco and Aldi offer more private-label wines at lower price points than estate-bottled wines. At the same time, shippers of estate-bottled wine are taking smaller consignments to reduce their risk of holding too much inventory at a time of changing tastes, resulting in more demand for less-than-containerload and consolidated shipments. “We see a lot of movement in bulk shipping, and more and more wine and spirits are moving in bulk,” Leavitt said. “It’s wine clubs bringing it in and the largest chains are definitely looking into more private labels.” <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="5c36d5d7-b71b-42c7-b321-01ecf1899819"></dynamic-object></div>The distilled spirits market faces a similar dynamic. Along with offering low-cost, private label brands, US spirits shippers are contending with the rising popularity of the prepackaged, ready-to-drink cocktail. Those products, along with malt-based seltzers, are steering drinkers away from individual bottles and further driving bulk alcohol shipments. Even though wine and spirits shippers do not lack for space on ships, Leavitt said network and schedule changes by ocean carriers can still impact the industry. Faced with weaker trade volumes, the Ocean Alliance and Ocean Network Express combined two jointly-operated, trans-Atlantic services into one at the start of 2026, which also reduced the number of ships in the services from 11 to seven. Mediterranean Shipping Co. also restructured its US East Coast network by dropping the trans-Atlantic leg of an around-the-world service. That effectively reduced some capacity and service frequency between Northern Europe and US East Coast ports at a time when the wine and spirits industry is moving to more just-in-time shipments, Leavitt said. Schedule reliability and consistency is also a factor on services shipping between Oceania and the US, which are serving Australian and New Zealand wine shipments. While a few direct Oceania services are available, many importers still rely on transshipping, and are dealing with resulting delays in reaching the US. Despite last year’s import decline, Leavitt said the industry might be finding a floor in demand. Import bookings for the early part of 2026 appear healthy. The US and Europe have a trade truce that should avoid further tariff-driven volatility. And newer types of products, whether private label or ready-to-drink, continue to gain traction with drinkers. “We see a lot of news about declining consumption and the phrase ‘neo-prohibitionist’ has come up as the trend toward no- and low-alcohol has picked up speed,” Leavitt said. “However, alcoholic beverages continue be consumed, and the volumes are not that different year on year for imports.”   Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

(The following story appears in the Top 100 Importers and Exporters issue of the Journal of Commerce magazine to be published May 4, 2026.) US alcoholic beverage importers are still trying to find their right supply-and-demand balance after another volatile year for wines and spirits shipments. Import numbers are also being roiled by changing tastes among US drinkers that are favoring new shipping methods and trade lanes. Containerized imports of wine, beer and distilled spirits fell 4.9% in 2025 and another 16.1% in the first quarter of 2026, according to data from PIERS, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. Last year’s drop continues the uneven trajectory that alcoholic beverage imports have had since US inbound shipments hit a peak of 468,465 TEUs in 2022. After that, imports dropped 18% in 2023, followed by a 13.5% rebound in 2024. Allison Leavitt, managing director of the Wine and Spirits Shippers Association, said last year’s import numbers were affected by frontloading ahead of the Trump administration’s various tariff moves and the subsequent gap in later shipments. “There was a push at the beginning of 2025 to get products in prior to the tariffs, and this did create lower volumes in subsequent months, with some importers putting a stop to imports when tariffs were first announced,” Leavitt said. But alcoholic beverage shippers are also still figuring out the right level of inventory to hold. The popularity of drinking at home during the pandemic led the industry to estimate stronger growth than what materialized afterward, she said. The alcoholic beverage industry itself is going through changes that are also roiling demand forecasts. A growing number of people are drinking less than they were during the pandemic. Changing tastes among young drinkers who prefer pre-packaged, ready-to-drink cocktails or malt beverages are another headwind for imports of individually bottled wines and spirits. “It’s definitely a confluence of post-COVID hangover from when people were indulging more in alcohol,” Leavitt said. “There’s a huge amount of inventory we are still working through. “There’s a little bit of a kickback in consumption from wellness trends,” she added. “There’s the rise of the ready-to-drink category. Those have impacted both wine and spirits imports.” Shift in shipping methods Imports from France, the second-largest source of US wine and spirits imports behind Italy, have fallen 23.7% since 2022. Along with lower demand, Leavitt said some of the volume decline also stems from different shipping methods. Instead of shipping individual bottles, US wine shippers are increasingly using tanks and totes to import thousands of liters of bulk wine that can be bottled domestically. Leavitt expects this trend to continue as major retailers such as Costco and Aldi offer more private-label wines at lower price points than estate-bottled wines. At the same time, shippers of estate-bottled wine are taking smaller consignments to reduce their risk of holding too much inventory at a time of changing tastes, resulting in more demand for less-than-containerload and consolidated shipments. “We see a lot of movement in bulk shipping, and more and more wine and spirits are moving in bulk,” Leavitt said. “It’s wine clubs bringing it in and the largest chains are definitely looking into more private labels.” The distilled spirits market faces a similar dynamic. Along with offering low-cost, private label brands, US spirits shippers are contending with the rising popularity of the prepackaged, ready-to-drink cocktail. Those products, along with malt-based seltzers, are steering drinkers away from individual bottles and further driving bulk alcohol shipments. Even though wine and spirits shippers do not lack for space on ships, Leavitt said network and schedule changes by ocean carriers can still impact the industry. Faced with weaker trade volumes, the Ocean Alliance and Ocean Network Express combined two jointly-operated, trans-Atlantic services into one at the start of 2026, which also reduced the number of ships in the services from 11 to seven. Mediterranean Shipping Co. also restructured its US East Coast network by dropping the trans-Atlantic leg of an around-the-world service. That effectively reduced some capacity and service frequency between Northern Europe and US East Coast ports at a time when the wine and spirits industry is moving to more just-in-time shipments, Leavitt said. Schedule reliability and consistency is also a factor on services shipping between Oceania and the US, which are serving Australian and New Zealand wine shipments. While a few direct Oceania services are available, many importers still rely on transshipping, and are dealing with resulting delays in reaching the US. Despite last year’s import decline, Leavitt said the industry might be finding a floor in demand. Import bookings for the early part of 2026 appear healthy. The US and Europe have a trade truce that should avoid further tariff-driven volatility. And newer types of products, whether private label or ready-to-drink, continue to gain traction with drinkers. “We see a lot of news about declining consumption and the phrase ‘neo-prohibitionist’ has come up as the trend toward no- and low-alcohol has picked up speed,” Leavitt said. “However, alcoholic beverages continue be consumed, and the volumes are not that different year on year for imports.”   Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

Supply chain

US alcohol importers managing shifting consumption habits

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Demand returned sharply last month as shippers, facing surging truckload rates, looked to intermodal for lower-cost capacity alternatives.</div>

Demand returned sharply last month as shippers, facing surging truckload rates, looked to intermodal for lower-cost capacity alternatives.

<div class="phx-topic">J.B. Hunt Transport Services delivered more than 46,000 intermodal loads in one week last month, a company record and an early sign that domestic intermodal is entering its first meaningful stress test of the rail and drayage network since the COVID-19 pandemic. The surge followed a weak start to the year, when winter weather and frigid temperatures depressed volumes in January and February. But demand returned sharply in March as shippers, facing surging truckload rates, looked toward intermodal for lower-cost capacity alternatives. J.B. Hunt, the largest US asset-based intermodal carrier, said March volumes rose 8% year over year after flat conditions in the first two months of 2026. First-quarter volumes on the West Coast were flat, while local East Coast volumes increased 7% year over year. If the volumes continue to grow into the second quarter, it’ll put pressure on J.B. Hunt and rail partners BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway to remain reliable and dependable. “As we enter this prove-it time for rail networks, we and the railroads are confident service levels can be maintained even in a period of sustained volume growth,” Darren Field, president of J.B. Hunt’s intermodal division, said during the company’s first-quarter earnings call Wednesday. Rail service has been stable so far this year. Average US intermodal train speed was 2.8% faster in the first quarter than a year earlier, according to the Surface Transportation Board, while the number of railcars idled at least 48 hours fell 1.9%. But some intermodal shippers told the Journal of Commerce that tender rejections have increased, and that on-time performance has weakened since March 1. One Midwest-based shipper, who asked not to be identified, said its on-time performance with J.B. Hunt fell below 90% in March and also deteriorated with Hub Group and Swift Intermodal. All three providers told the shipper the service issues were tied to driver availability. Craig Ingram, owner of Asset-Based Intermodal, a dray provider in Dallas, said driver availability is a major issue. “Right now, we’re at 150% capacity; we’re back to where we were during COVID,” Ingram told the Journal of Commerce. “The ‘busy feeling’ is there with everyone I talk to in this business, from Chicago, Phoenix, California, Atlanta and New Jersey. The dray providers I regularly speak with across the US are all in the same boat I am in. They’re turning downloads left and right.” Other intermodal marketing companies (IMCs) are reporting the same pattern. Knichel Logistics, a non-asset-based IMC, said its first-quarter intermodal loads increased 36% year over year, with March volume alone up 53%. Similar to J.B. Hunt, Knichel said the growth is coming on shorter-haul lanes, where intermodal has traditionally offered less of a cost savings to truckload compared with longer moves. “Our average length of haul declined just under 6% year over year for the quarter and 7% in March, signaling a shift beyond traditional cross-country moves,” said Jon Krystek, Knichel’s chief operating officer. “We’re seeing more adoption across core East Coast corridors and lanes like Chicago to the Mountain West, where intermodal is becoming more competitive with truck.” <h3>Pricing has begun to reset </h3>Ingram said drayage rates are starting to move higher as customers place more value on guaranteed capacity and dependable service than on the lowest possible price. When rates fall out of line with demand, the best drivers choose the highest-paying loads, leaving cheaper freight to less-reliable operators. “Higher rates in this market will give us the ability to book the best drivers that take care of their trucks, keep in constant communication and are more dependable and reliable than their peers,” he said. “The best drivers, who take pride in their work, know the market has turned, so they will sit and wait to get their rate. They won’t take the [low paying] crummy loads anymore.” It may take longer for domestic intermodal providers to push through higher contract rates with shippers. J.B. Hunt said freight moving east to west — i.e. backhaul freight into the West Coast — remains locked into rates below year-ago levels. The company also said pricing on outbound West Coast business has not improved as quickly as it would like. “Every head-haul segment we operate in is [the] positive,” Field said. “We are getting price increases, but we’re not getting to the level of price increases that would cover our inflation at this point in the cycle.” If prior cycles are an indication, intermodal contract pricing typically lags truckload by three to six months. If true, intermodal pricing could begin to reset later this summer or in the fall for larger providers such as Hunt, with smaller non-asset-based operators getting higher rates shortly after. For now, the key question is whether intermodal can absorb the volume returning to the network without repeating the service breakdowns that pushed shippers away during the last major cycle. Contact Ari Ashe at <a href="mailto:ari.ashe@spglobal.com">ari.ashe@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

J.B. Hunt Transport Services delivered more than 46,000 intermodal loads in one week last month, a company record and an early sign that domestic intermodal is entering its first meaningful stress test of the rail and drayage network since the COVID-19 pandemic. The surge followed a weak start to the year, when winter weather and frigid temperatures depressed volumes in January and February. But demand returned sharply in March as shippers, facing surging truckload rates, looked toward intermodal for lower-cost capacity alternatives. J.B. Hunt, the largest US asset-based intermodal carrier, said March volumes rose 8% year over year after flat conditions in the first two months of 2026. First-quarter volumes on the West Coast were flat, while local East Coast volumes increased 7% year over year. If the volumes continue to grow into the second quarter, it’ll put pressure on J.B. Hunt and rail partners BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway to remain reliable and dependable. “As we enter this prove-it time for rail networks, we and the railroads are confident service levels can be maintained even in a period of sustained volume growth,” Darren Field, president of J.B. Hunt’s intermodal division, said during the company’s first-quarter earnings call Wednesday. Rail service has been stable so far this year. Average US intermodal train speed was 2.8% faster in the first quarter than a year earlier, according to the Surface Transportation Board, while the number of railcars idled at least 48 hours fell 1.9%. But some intermodal shippers told the Journal of Commerce that tender rejections have increased, and that on-time performance has weakened since March 1. One Midwest-based shipper, who asked not to be identified, said its on-time performance with J.B. Hunt fell below 90% in March and also deteriorated with Hub Group and Swift Intermodal. All three providers told the shipper the service issues were tied to driver availability. Craig Ingram, owner of Asset-Based Intermodal, a dray provider in Dallas, said driver availability is a major issue. “Right now, we’re at 150% capacity; we’re back to where we were during COVID,” Ingram told the Journal of Commerce. “The ‘busy feeling’ is there with everyone I talk to in this business, from Chicago, Phoenix, California, Atlanta and New Jersey. The dray providers I regularly speak with across the US are all in the same boat I am in. They’re turning downloads left and right.” Other intermodal marketing companies (IMCs) are reporting the same pattern. Knichel Logistics, a non-asset-based IMC, said its first-quarter intermodal loads increased 36% year over year, with March volume alone up 53%. Similar to J.B. Hunt, Knichel said the growth is coming on shorter-haul lanes, where intermodal has traditionally offered less of a cost savings to truckload compared with longer moves. “Our average length of haul declined just under 6% year over year for the quarter and 7% in March, signaling a shift beyond traditional cross-country moves,” said Jon Krystek, Knichel’s chief operating officer. “We’re seeing more adoption across core East Coast corridors and lanes like Chicago to the Mountain West, where intermodal is becoming more competitive with truck.” Pricing has begun to reset Ingram said drayage rates are starting to move higher as customers place more value on guaranteed capacity and dependable service than on the lowest possible price. When rates fall out of line with demand, the best drivers choose the highest-paying loads, leaving cheaper freight to less-reliable operators. “Higher rates in this market will give us the ability to book the best drivers that take care of their trucks, keep in constant communication and are more dependable and reliable than their peers,” he said. “The best drivers, who take pride in their work, know the market has turned, so they will sit and wait to get their rate. They won’t take the [low paying] crummy loads anymore.” It may take longer for domestic intermodal providers to push through higher contract rates with shippers. J.B. Hunt said freight moving east to west — i.e. backhaul freight into the West Coast — remains locked into rates below year-ago levels. The company also said pricing on outbound West Coast business has not improved as quickly as it would like. “Every head-haul segment we operate in is [the] positive,” Field said. “We are getting price increases, but we’re not getting to the level of price increases that would cover our inflation at this point in the cycle.” If prior cycles are an indication, intermodal contract pricing typically lags truckload by three to six months. If true, intermodal pricing could begin to reset later this summer or in the fall for larger providers such as Hunt, with smaller non-asset-based operators getting higher rates shortly after. For now, the key question is whether intermodal can absorb the volume returning to the network without repeating the service breakdowns that pushed shippers away during the last major cycle. Contact Ari Ashe at ari.ashe@spglobal.com .

Trucking News

Rail News

Truck brokers

Strong March volumes give intermodal its first real stress test in years

Use code GTT26W at checkout and save $900 on first year of an annual Gold subscription!

Upgrade Subscription - Gold Trials

Become a Gold Subscriber and Save!

Arm your team with the most trusted information portal for the international container shipping industry.

Group Subscriptions - Wide Box

Get into a group subscription today

Use code SSFTW30 at checkout to save 30% on a Silver or Silver Plus annual subscription! 

Subscribe Now - FT to S/SP - Wide Box

SPRING SALE!

Use code GW595 and upgrade to Gold for just $595! Valid for first year of subscription.

Upgrade Subscription - S/SP to Gold - Wide Box

SAVE $900 ON A GOLD SUBSCRIPTION

Use code SSLW30 at checkout and save 30% on an annual Silver or Silver Plus subscription!

Subscribe Now - Anonymous to S/SP - Wide Box

Access Journal of Commerce content for 30 days

Free Trial - Wide Box

START A FREE TRIAL TODAY

Use code SSGFTW895 at checkout to save $600 on first year of a Gold subscription!

Subscribe Now - FT to Gold - Wide Box

Use code SSLW895 at checkout and save $600 on first year of a Gold subscription!

Subscribe Now - Anonymous to Gold - Wide Box

SPRING SALE: Use code SSFTW30 to save 30% on first year of a Silver or Silver Plus annual subscription!


Subscribe Now - FT to S/SP - Offer Box

Subscribe and Save

GET INTO A GROUP SUBSCRIPTION: Arm your team with unlimited Journal of Commerce content

Group Subscriptions - Offer Box

Group Subscriptions

SPRING SALE: Use code SSLW30 at checkout and save 30% on an annual Silver or Silver Plus subscription!

Subscribe Now - Anonymous to S/SP - Offer Box

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

UPGRADE TO GOLD AND SAVE: Use code GTT26W at checkout and save $900 on first year of a Gold subscription!

Upgrade Subscription

SPRING SALE: Use code SSLW895 at checkout and save $600 on an annual Gold subscription!

Subscribe Now - Anonymous to Gold - Offer Box

SAVE $900 ON A GOLD SUBSCRIPTION: Use code GW595 and upgrade to Gold for just $595! Valid on first year of subscription.

Upgrade Subscription - S/SP to Gold - Offer Box

SPRING SALE: Use code SSGFTW895 and save $600 on the first year of a Gold subscription!

Subscribe Now - FT to Gold - Offer Box

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE

Monthly publication providing an editorial deep dive into global supply chain news

Journal of Commerce Magazine - Rectangle Box

Journal of Commerce Magazine

A premium access index of savings using domestic intermodal vs. OTR 

ISI Report - Rectangle Box

Intermodal Savings Index

An in-depth analysis of transport trends in the multipurpose and heavy-lift fleet segment

Breakbulk Report - Rectangle Box

Breakbulk Quarterly

An extensive dashboard of charts organized by trade lane, mode, and topic

Gateway - Rectangle Box

Gateway

Customers scoring their intermodal partners to identify the best service providers

Intermodal Service Scorecard - Rectangle Box

Intermodal Service Scorecard

A premium access outlook critical to shippers and transportation providers

QI Report - Rectangle Box

Quarterly Intelligence

The only editorially independent conference for the breakbulk & project cargo industry

Latest News

More News & Analysis

MSC revamps Asia-USEC network

Premier Alliance taps UAE’s Khor Fakkan for war-diverted cargoes

Tailwinds for US intermodal volume growth strengthening: analyst