Commentary

Most people in the work force will not look back fondly on last year, unless they were supply chain professionals responsible for procuring transportation services.

Last month’s column (“Debatable Ideas,” Aug. 2) generated significant feedback.

Shippers develop all kinds of strategies to cope with seasonal shipping trends, but one we had not heard about was the impact of college football on coal shipping; another is the conflict between ener

Q: I have written to you a few times in the past and value your professional advice. I seek it once more.

Big questions surround the future of the East Coast as a port range as we finalize the agenda for the The Journal of Commerce’s 5th Annual East Coast Maritime Conference, to be held Sept.

It may be time to close the door to the one-stop shop.

Container lines have surprised even themselves by moving so quickly, after years of dithering, to quit providi

The Association of American Railroads delivered half-year results for rail volumes recently, so it probably isn’t too soon to forecast intermodal volume for the year, and to take a deeper look a

Q: Can you clarify why the Supreme Court ruled the way it did in the so-called “K” Line case?

With the election and football seasons upon us, it must be time for political football — and the container is being used as the ball.

Old myths die hard. Case in point, the myth that U.S.

The celebratory comments from the Port of Los Angeles seemed surprisingly muted late last month considering the victory port executives and their supporters in labor and environmental circles won in c

It's somewhat heartening to hear from Christina Romer, the departing chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, that she believes freight rail volume numbers are a great indicator of re

When out-of-town journalists parachute into New Orleans for a quick story on Hurricane Katrina’s impact, they tend to make a beeline for the city’s Lower Ninth Ward.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was touring the Federal Railroad Administration's Transportation Technology Center complex this summer in Pueblo, Colo., when his group approached a three-foot ratt

If you have problems with slow freight transportation, remember that someone else always has it worse.

Q: Last December, my company handled the forwarding of 55 FEUs from the U.S. West Coast to Australia.

Can trucking companies recovering from a devastating recession achieve profits that are sustainable, creating the conditions for a trucking renaissance?

A World Without Stimulus

Everyone in transportation is talking about retail inventories these days, but what’s clear from the latest earnings reports from the nation’s largest retailers is that the companies are a

Back in the 1960s when containerization was in its infancy, shipping executives had grave doubts about containers.

As we move into the last week of August, the U.S. importing, exporting and international shipping sectors should be buzzing, almost frantic with activity.

The Department of Transportation’s announcement last week to advance their marine highways initiative was arguably the biggest single boost the fledgling industry has had since everyone started

We all know trucks bring us good things, but are trucks good things? Not if they make deliveries in the early morning or at night, some New Yorkers think.

Q: We arranged with a broker to have a shipment picked up at our vendor and delivered to us about two months ago. This was shipped collect as instructed.

In May, I described the latest “twists and turns” in corporate identity theft in a piece called "Reality

The first half was a crackling good start to the year, so why all the worry?

Was the peak season good for you?

When the global economy crashed two years ago, the cold chain didn’t go with it.

Q: I’m a 3PL and I’ve attached a copy of an Over, Short and Damaged Report that was sent back to me from a consolidator.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said something very sharp and direct the other day about the prospects for transportation funding, even if it was only direct by Washington standards of political p

Many of us look at data, especially key indicators, on a regular basis to help form our views on business issues.

In observing that Mexico is “sliding dangerously downward,” The Economist in July summed up the killings, lawlessness and fear that pervades the country amid the government’s war on

It’s easy to forget that one of America’s best-loved movies, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” was built around the idea of an apparent failure.

Virginia Is for Drivers With interest, I recently read “Terminals Scramble to Beat the Peak” (July 5, page 14).

On June 23, President Obama relieved Gen. Stanley A. McCrystal of his command in Afghanistan.

Q: I filed a damage claim for $1,000 about three months ago and just received a check from the carrier. What is the average time in the transportation industry to receive a check?

Everyone talks about container and shipping capacity shortages, but is anyone actually doing anything about them?

Q: I have your “Freight Loss and Damage Claims” book, but if this question is covered in it, I can’t seem to locate the answer.

Continued appreciation of the dollar relative to the euro and other currencies, together with a prolonged, global industrial slump and certain other factors, could trigger a massive influx of low-pric