Transport, Trade and Regulation News

Importers seeking relief amid the ongoing US-China trade war could consider re-classifying their products or seeking tariff exclusions, but the process can be costly and time-consuming.

While the “phase one” trade agreement reduces tensions between the US and China, the two sides are nowhere near reaching a more comprehensive deal at this time, a US-China business expert says.

The US Surface Transportation Board is urging railroads to work closely with shippers to address concerns about demurrage practices.

Olaf Merk of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said a ruling by the European Commission’s college of commissioners was expected by the end of September.

The US Department of Agriculture has approved nine new locations for its longstanding in-transit cold treatment program in the southern and western parts of the country.

The California state legislature is on track to pass a bill, which the governor intends to sign into law, that could fundamentally alter the relationship between shippers, trucking companies, and port truck drivers. It's expected to be signed before an intermodal conference this month in Long Beach.

The inefficiencies inherent in the Mexican customs process could be reduced through reforms, including a more standardized interpretation of customs laws, stakeholders say.

Proposed hours-of-service reforms -- though well-intentioned -- are a “catastrophe waiting to happen” for the US trucking sector, according to one interested observer.

The containerized shipping industry was able to convince the US Trade Representative to take cranes and containers off a list of tariffs going into effect on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed updates to the hours-of-service regulations covering the trucking industry to increase flexibility and safety on US highways.

A new free trade zone created in the metropolitan area of Montreal will make it easier for manufacturers, producers, and wholesalers to make and store goods without paying taxes or excise duties on products that will eventually leave the country.

Trucking companies are warning shippers that a regulation requiring fleets to switch from automatic on-board recording devices to electronic-logging devices in December could slow productivity more than some realize.

The head of the Mexican agency overseeing the country’s port system said it should be made more efficient and less expensive for shippers, reflecting shipper concerns the system is burdensome and unpredictable.

Grants awarded under the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program will support 20 projects across the United States, including the elevation of a tunnel to allow double-stacked trains get into the Port of Baltimore and the rehabilitation of a Port of Miami container terminal.

A program that awards hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds to port and other infrastructure projects each year should do so with greater consistency and clarity, according to a coalition of ports and transportation groups.

A forfeiture would have pushed up Mediterrean Shipping Co.’s charterer rates, compounding the pain the carrier has already suffered via delayed shipments, added docking fees, and damage to its brand.

A bill introduced in Congress addresses two key complaints among cargo owners and transportation providers regarding the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program: murky benefits for onerous program requirements and concerns over backlash if suspended or expelled.

The recently signed free trade agreement between the EU and Vietnam will initially be tricky to navigate for European importers, but the long-term benefits will be significant.

The US has hit the pause button in its trade war with China and has shifted its attention back to Europe where tariff threats are hurting business confidence, especially in the German vehicle and spare parts market.

Carriers, bunker suppliers, and refiners have had years to prepare for the IMO 2020 low-sulfur mandate, but as the six-month countdown begins, experts warn of a coming supply “scramble” and price uncertainty.

Truckers using older electronic logging technology should switch to ELDs now, and not wait for a December deadline, the head of the US truck safety watchdog agency said.

Whatever people might think of the various proposed solutions, one thing is clear: the issue of decarbonization in international shipping isn’t going anywhere.

Marine industry leaders testified before the Section 301 Committee to lobby against a 25 percent tariff on shipping containers and ship-to-shore cranes, repeating many of the arguments made a year ago about the business fallouts.

Eleven major banks representing 20 percent of the global shipping finance portfolio have signed off on a framework agreement aimed at aligning investors with the IMO’s 2050 mandate to cut CO2 emissions 50 percent from 2008 levels.

US agriculture exporters should brace themselves for a prolonged trade war that will continue to erode their share of the all-important China market because China won’t budge on certain demands, and Trump’s self-image is inflated by being tough on China.

The US Department of Transportation is accepting grant applications for $292.7 million in funding dedicated to port infrastructure development.

Three options are on the table for European regulators as they ponder renewing, abolishing, or amending consortia block exemption rules.

Shippers and providers are watching Mexico’s new customs head to see if he can improve the fluidity of imports even as supply chains handle ever more cargo.

Shippers, ocean carriers, and freight forwarders say cargo owners are already rushing shipments to get ahead of potential tariffs on $300 billion of US imports from China.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney is calling for the expansion of the NAFTA free-trade zone throughout the Americas, as well as improvements in labor productivity at home.

Walmart remained atop the list of the largest US importers by volume last year and is nearing the 1 million-TEU mark, moving more than 7.3 times the volume of online retail giant Amazon, which came in at No. 12.

Economists and shipping industry leaders warn the US-China trade war could be a potential tipping point for a global economy that was already cooling before President Donald Trump raised tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods.

Despite strong expected consumer demand, uncertainty over the outcome of the US-China trade talks could reduce growth in US electronics imports in 2019, after 5.2 percent growth in 2018.

The rise of populist governments is crimping the outlook for free trade, according to Boris Glass, senior economist with S&P Global Ratings.

Texas lawmakers have backed legislation that limit vessels in the channel that leads to the Port of Houston to 1,100 feet, unless port pilots say that such a mega-vessel can safely and efficiently move up the channel in two way traffic.

Complacent markets that were sure cooler heads would prevail in trade discussions between the US and China have been rocked by a rapid-fire escalation in tariffs.

The European Commission is eyeing Cosco’s deepening reach into the European port sector, as well as the broader issue of state subsidies to Asia-based carriers and shipyards.

The European Commission’s competition regulator warned that shipper suggestions that carriers create a uniform bunker adjustment factor (BAF) surcharge would be viewed as a “hardcore violation” of antitrust rules.

Facing yet another hike in tariffs on imports from China, BCOs are reviewing their options, but the reality is if they haven't changed their sourcing strategy by now, it's probably too late.

Trade attorneys say manufacturers should take the lead in lobbying for changes in trade policy, as well as consider potential M&A opportunities resulting from tariff uncertainty.