Surface

Shippers benefit from logistics systems integrations, some of which they don’t even see, as 3PLs and software vendors develop embedded pricing and visibility functionality.

Cross-border truck traffic between Mexico and the United States is rising, and shipping costs are likely to increase as delays tighten border capacity.

Heavy truck orders are in steep decline, but production backlogs are falling and new trucks are hitting US highways, adding to excess capacity and preserving shipper pricing leverage.

Shippers “don’t need to panic” over two recent bankruptcies, an LTL expert says, but they do need to vet transportation providers more carefully, and look for signs of trouble before a bankruptcy.

Analysts expect more of a negative outlook from railroads in second-quarter earnings calls, as shippers have not sent as much on intermodal as they have anticipated in 2019.

Finding rail freight routes around the closed section of the North Sea-Med Corridor is not easy, as the line is a key link between France and Italy.

YRC Worldwide is not merging any of its carriers, but is consolidating back-office functions by closing its New Penn headquarters, and plans to eliminate 'duplicate' terminals.

Although intermodal service was better in the second quarter, according to shippers, a survey from Cowen & Co. finds fewer customers are converting freight to rail because trucks are cheap and available.

While the current perception is that there is an ongoing shift of cargo occurring from the West Coast to the East and Gulf coasts, data shows that is not necessarily the case.

Truckers continue to battle turns of more than an hour at times in BNSF’s Lot 16 outside Chicago, where the railroad has instructed all empty containers to be returned. This means drivers complete fewer jobs per day and shippers have to wait longer for service.

DHL Supply Chain Research finds businesses of all types struggling to keep up with the pace of e-commerce as they work to realign supply chain and transportation networks.

With trucking employment rising, there are few signs excess US truck capacity will be reduced soon, keeping pricing power in the grasp of shippers.

All rail traffic along a busy route connecting the French city of Lyon and Turin in Italy has been suspended, forcing rail operators to re-route.

Union Pacific Railroad will begin charging truckers and logistics providers for missed appointments for intermodal terminals and tighten free storage time for demurrage to 24 hours in all terminals beginning this autumn.

A large share of US-bound Mexican freight is shoved through an increasingly tight funnel of truck lanes vulnerable to freight surges, migration crises, and trade disputes.

The intermodal peak season is expected to be a manageable one with domestic volumes continuing to be weak and abundant container capacity, while international loads will increase at a slower pace than a year ago. Industry stakeholders believe intermodal service will be good in the peak season.

There has been progress in finding a solution to the chassis woes plaguing the containerized shipping industry, but those advancements have been very slow coming. Larger solutions will take years and face many hurdles along the way.

The typical retail-based truck freight rebound came later this year and is likely to be shorter as trade tensions with China and Mexico ease.

Monterrey-based aluminum manufacturer Riisa wants to increase exports to the US but must deal with local capacity shortages and logistics challenges in Laredo, the largest US truck border crossing.

Despite huge growth in container volume transported by rail between China and Europe, the journey time is decreasing as services become more efficient.

TRAC and DCLI have reached an interoperability agreement for the BNSF terminal outside of Dallas, which could lower the likelihood of chassis shortages. Open choice advocates worry this "duopoly" will spread to other Gulf Coast markets and limit trucker choice.

In a disaster-prone era, LTL carrier ODFL finds preparing for any event is better than reacting to one.

The eighth-largest US trucking operator adds an intermodal option in Indianapolis, making service between the US Midwest and Northeast more competitive with trucks.

CMA CGM’s latest rail investment in India continues to tap into the country’s emerging inland market.

Lower manufacturing activity, high inventories, and trade wars are flattening the US freight economy, speakers at the SMC3 Connections 2019 conference said.

With the final piece of a $1 billion plan to create rail terminals on the five largest terminals in the Port of New York and New Jersey recently completed, the port is now focusing on how to improve fluidity once the trains leave the terminal.

The front-loading of Chinese imports to avoid tariffs is disrupting US less-than-truckload distribution networks, forcing reallocation of resources.

Truckload carriers surveyed by Cowen & Co. are banking on a stronger second half and expect contract rates to rise 2.7 percent on average over the next six months.

A sharp decline in shipper spending and freight volumes causes some to sound the recession alarm, but others still see slower growth, not steep decline, amid tariff threats.

The alliance between India’s containerized rail leader and digital startup could signal the future of supply chain logistics in the country.

Many of the communications systems knocked out by a ransomware attack against A. Duie Pyle have been restored. But the attack signals a growing cyber threat.

Ike, a developer of automated trucks led by veterans of Uber, Google and Apple, says ATs are entering a new phase, but still many years from widespread use.

Despite a downturn in volume, freight shippers say intermodal remains a critical component of their supply chains even as technology is poised to lower truck costs.

Logistics growth is moderating, but shipper of choice programs are surviving because lower rates won't guarantee on-time delivery, speakers at the CSCMP State of Logistics Report launch said.

Concor looks to potentially expand its short-sea network, even beyond India. It has its eyes on the Bangladesh transshipment market.

The Illinois Trucking Association has begun to track truck turn times in Chicago rail yards to provide shippers a better understanding of how congestion disrupts the supply chain.

A ransomware attack temporarily knocked communications offline at one of the largest Northeast less-than-truckload carriers.

There is consensus building in the intermodal industry that each port or rail hub should develop a regional pool of grey chassis managed by a single entity responsible for ensuring chassis quality and availability.

Truckload rates out of Atlanta and the West Coast have increased significantly amid the arrival of the spring produce and retail season, and the movement of excess inventory from bonded warehouses.

If the UK leaves the European Union without a deal, industry fears massive delays at ferry ports of Dover in the UK and Calais in France.