Latest news

Forwarders have an opportunity to reduce labor costs and improve margins using artificial intelligence (AI), but managing the transition away from a human workforce could prove difficult.

In its latest attempt to avert a potential bankruptcy, unionized trucking company Yellow is trying to raise funds through the sale of Yellow Logistics.

The FMC commissioner wants to implement uniform empty return dates and define “container availability” as when the container is available for pick up, among other proposals.

Concerned over the trade chaos at Mundra, India’s Container Shipping Lines Association said that vessel scheduling on services out of the country had become a major challenge for carriers.

Yellow says its talks with the Teamsters union are “ongoing,” but the less-than-truckload carrier needs to keep customers to stay alive.

After three years of operating at full capacity, warehouses and distribution centers outside the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex are gaining space by shedding excess inventory, and a peak season that some say will be non-existent is not expected to disrupt that newfound fluidity.

Only local unions at the ports of New York and New Jersey and Baltimore have come to tentative terms on local issues, with the ILA’s chief negotiator saying employers in other ports “have not taken the talks seriously.”

Technology provider QuayChain will arm the Port of Oakland with milestone data in areas near its facilities to improve its visibility portal.

Freight volumes were down almost 12% in the second quarter at Old Dominion Freight Line, but the less-than-truckload carrier says it will continue to reinvest in capacity.

After UP’s 2022 performance failed to meet the expectations of shareholders, an activist investor called for current CEO Lance Fritz to be replaced by Vena, who had previously served as the railroad’s chief operating officer.

CN said it will take up to eight weeks to clear the cargo backlog at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert as the industry waits to see if ILWU Canada’s rank and file will accept terms of the tentative deal reached last week.

The decision by DSV and Kuehne + Nagel to protect yields at the expense of volume is allowing the forwarders to move into an uncertain second half in a solidly profitable position.

Maritime employers expect New Jersey State Police oversight of longshore hiring in the state will be easier and less burdensome than it was under the soon-to-be dissolved Waterfront Commission.

The CEOs of DSV and Kuehne + Nagel, shrugging off heavily distorted year-over-year comparisons, described their second-quarter results as “solid” and reflective of the evolving normalization of the air and ocean markets.

Teamster local leaders endorsed a new five-year pact with LTL carrier TForce Freight, while the union eyes talks with Yellow.

A tentative agreement removes the threat of a disruptive strike that would have roiled supply chains, giving UPS Teamsters several weeks to vote on the new contract.

The president of the International Longshoremen’s Association says automation and new technology are an existential threat to union members and other maritime employees worldwide.

The Georgia Ports Authority has acknowledged the added berth capacity was sorely needed during the worst of the pandemic-driven port congestion when Savannah’s queue hit more than 30 ships in September 2021.

Several large LTL carriers, including XPO and Estes, are adding terminals as freight flows change and customers shift business among carriers as questions linger over Yellow’s future.

The new price levels signal the intent of carriers to drive up freight-all-kinds rates in a move to capitalize on any increased buying should a peak season emerge.

The rollercoaster developments of the past three weeks, which began with a 13-day strike by ILWU Canada on July 1, have disrupted cargo handling at Vancouver, Canada’s largest port and a gateway to US and Canadian markets.

GSC intends to combine its expertise in servicing containerized imports in the retail sector with MacMillan-Piper's experience in warehousing and transloading of primarily export commodities.

A rigorous hunt for seeds and pollen is disrupting vehicle and high & heavy imports into Australia, leading carriers to pull back on services.

The company expects a slight increase in truckload demand during the peak season amid uncertainty about the duration of the freight recession and the potential impact of Yellow's financial troubles.

With a significantly shorter peak season expected this year, the ability of carriers to match capacity to demand will be tested over the next six months as they seek to keep spot rates from dipping below contract levels.

New and expanded auto imports landing at the Northwest Seaport Alliance come as carriers take advantage of its proximity to Asian ports during a time of scarce ro/ro tonnage.

With European parliamentary elections set for early June 2024, road and rail lobby groups have emphasized the urgency of getting the latest freight transport measures adopted.

Research by ECU Worldwide found that about half of ocean freight bookings are made via email, highlighting the importance of connecting booking platforms to email systems.

Retailers and NVOs aren’t sure if spot rates will continue to increase steadily through the peak season or whether new capacity expected to enter the trans-Pacific in the coming months will cause rates to fall again.

Vacancies are expected to continue rising into 2024 as construction of new warehouses near completion and outpace demand.

The rejection of last week’s tentative contract deal by a caucus of ILWU Canada narrows the prospects of a resolution without one imposed by Parliament through back-to-work legislation.

Sedna’s approach of allowing companies to retain their email systems while extending their value has won new forwarding and bulk customers and a fresh capital infusion.

Freight forwarder sources in India believe the success of a fourth round of general rate increases scheduled for Aug. 1 will hinge on the ability of carriers to hold firm on recent pricing gains.

A weak global economy and limited demand in Europe has set the continent’s largest port on course for a second year of declining volume.

Part of the new dynamic on the waterfront reflects wider transportation labor activism where rail, aviation, trucking and longshore workers have achieved or are seeking to achieve substantial enhancements in pay and work rules, writes Peter Tirschwell.

The 123,000-square-foot warehouse will also serve as a forward staging area for the carrier’s South Carolina-based flight operations that link the southeast US to Germany, China and South Korea.

The desire to improve rail and intermodal visibility for bulk and breakbulk customers has led transportation management software provider IntelliTrans to partner with hardware vendor Nexxiot.

That mismatch between container supply and demand has forced intermodal providers to stack boxes, with J.B. Hunt saying it parked about 18% of its container fleet in the first half of the year.

Ocean carriers are showing a lack of urgency to blank sailings even as China’s exports weaken and new vessels continue to come online.

The missed payment erases a measure of optimism that existed after creditors, including the US government, last week gave Yellow more time to resolve its restructuring dispute with the Teamsters in return for heightened financial oversight.