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NY-NJ terminal alters free time to prod Saturday gate usage

The move by Maher Terminals effectively shortens the time a shipper is given to remove their cargo from the port before fees kick in, while putting pressure on motor carriers and warehouses to operate longer hours.

No trans-Pac spot rate normalization until 2023: Zim

Eastbound trans-Pacific spot rates won’t find a floor until capacity loosens up through the unwinding of US port congestion, the CFO of carrier Zim told JOC.com.

Charleston rolls out first phase of proprietary chassis pool

The South Carolina Ports Authority has started leasing new chassis from its Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal as it launches the first phase of its proprietary chassis pool program.

US shippers claiming leverage in truckload pricing

US truckload carriers are increasingly lowering contract rates to keep business as the spot market seeks a new floor, shippers tell JOC.com.

Intra-Asia contract rates soar to new highs on strong trade growth

The value of China’s imports and exports with Southeast Asian countries rose more than 10 percent in H1 to $435 billion to make the ASEAN region China’s biggest trading partner.

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AI helps Vancouver terminal create capacity, speed truck turns

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Inland congestion cuts LA-LB intermodal rail service to record low

The steep reduction in rail services to Los Angeles-Long Beach is having a knock-on impact at the terminal gates, with the average truck turn time increasing by four minutes in July.

Falling rates no threat to profitability: Maersk

Maersk’s strategy of aggressively expanding long-term contracts is paying off, and with many of the agreements covering multi-years, the carrier is set to reap the financial rewards far beyond 2022.

US truckers flip back into drayage as long-haul spot rates dive

Drivers are returning to port drayage as long-haul trucking rates slide and operating costs for small, independent motor carriers rise.

NITL backs proposal repealing antitrust immunity for carriers

Despite the FMC finding there was no collusion among ocean shipping alliances causing elevated freight rates, NITL believes there are still concerns about the industry that new antitrust legislation could address.

FMC reorganizes enforcement duties in aftermath of OSRA-22

The reorganization within the FMC comes as the agency steps up its enforcement and compliance activities in the wake of US shipping reform.

JOC Shipping & Logistics Pricing Hub

The pricing data found here allows shippers and transport providers to more accurately benchmark and forecast for their supply chains. The various spot prices and indices are collected from third-party sources and updated weekly, monthly and quarterly, depending on the data set.

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Maritime News

No trans-Pac spot rate normalization until 2023: Zim

Even as US inbound demand softens, Zim still enjoys strong pricing power as evidenced by the carrier reporting a 50 percent jump in net profit in the second quarter. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Eastbound trans-Pacific spot rates won’t find a floor until capacity loosens up through the unwinding of US port congestion, the CFO of carrier Zim told JOC.com.

Intra-Asia contract rates soar to new highs on strong trade growth

Average long-term contract rates from China to Southeast Asia have risen to $2,800 per FEU as of Aug. 15, up from about $2,250 per FEU in January, according to Xeneta. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

The value of China’s imports and exports with Southeast Asian countries rose more than 10 percent in H1 to $435 billion to make the ASEAN region China’s biggest trading partner.

Gains in July US imports from Asia debunk ‘cliff’ speculation

US imports from Asia this year through July are up 5.9 percent from the same seven-month period in 2021, which was a record year for imports. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Industry analysts say they expect US imports from Asia to remain strong for the next several months as a significant amount of holiday season goods remain in transit or stuck in vessel queues outside major gateways.

Restricted barge services continuing as Rhine water levels reach record lows

Ships still operating on the Rhine are restricted to carrying 25 to 33 percent of their maximum load so they can pass through spots like Kaub (above), the shallowest section of the middle Rhine. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

German authorities said the Rhine would remain open and barge companies would need to decide on their own whether to operate services as parts of the key waterway fall to record low levels.

Trucking News

Trucking Logistics

US shippers claiming leverage in truckload pricing

Both spot and contract truckload rates are sliding as shippers gain more leverage in rate negotiations. Photo credit: Tverdokhlib/Shutterstock.com.

US truckload carriers are increasingly lowering contract rates to keep business as the spot market seeks a new floor, shippers tell JOC.com.

US warehousing demand shifting inland: JLL

Expanding inventories are creating more heat in the speculative market for new inland distribution facilities, pushing up rents, according to developer JLL. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Inventory buildup and changing inland distribution routes are setting a fire under construction of new logistics and distribution facilities in markets across the US, despite economic concerns.

Truckload rate relief coming to US shippers: Cass

The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index, a measure of pricing, dropped 1.8 percent in July from June, while the Cass Freight Shipments Index climbed 0.4 percent, Cass said Monday. Photo credit: William B. Cassidy.

It is “highly probable” US shippers will recover at least some of last year’s truckload rate hikes, as the Cass Freight Index shows a sequential drop in truckload linehaul costs.

Lack of parts, labor to extend US chassis shortages into 2024

Manufacturers require subcomponents from at least 20 different vendors to make a single chassis. Photo credit: Vitpho/Shutterstock.com.

North American chassis manufacturers expect to fall well short of their production goals this year despite widespread equipment shortages that have exacerbated congestion in key ports and inland hubs.

Port News

NY-NJ terminal alters free time to prod Saturday gate usage

Shippers and truckers say there are many limits on their ability to open on weekends for cargo receiving. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Charleston rolls out first phase of proprietary chassis pool

More than 5,000 chassis have arrived at the South Carolina Ports Authority, which is due to receive a total of 12,900 by this spring when Charleston fully rolls out its proprietary chassis pool. Photo credit: English Purcell, SCPA.

The South Carolina Ports Authority has started leasing new chassis from its Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal as it launches the first phase of its proprietary chassis pool program.

AI helps Vancouver terminal create capacity, speed truck turns

While relocating some older buildings helped free up space at Centerm terminal, it is the major rethinking of truck gates that freed up more container capacity. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

The modernization of Vancouver's Centerm terminal provides a lesson for other land-constrained terminals looking to speed up truck turns and rail cargo flow to, ultimately, create more functional container capacity, writes JOC Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.

Breakbulk carrier, box maker team for trans-Pac domestic container service

Domestic containers are being used as an alternative to marine containers amid high demand. Photo credit: Schulte & Bruns.

Carrier53, a joint venture of a breakbulk vessel operator and container manufacturer, said it will offer trans-Pacific sailings from China to the US West Coast with a special emphasis on domestic intermodal containers.

Technology News

Technology

CargoWise sets up direct feeds with carriers ONE, Zim

The deal with ONE comes after WiseTech announced earlier this month a separate systems integration with Zim Integrated Shipping Services. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

CargoWise said its growing list of direct container line connections means 95 percent of ocean freight managed by its forwarder customers can be booked through direct carrier feeds.

Product integrations, slowing economy behind FourKites layoffs: CEO

FourKites competitor project44 last month let go of approximately 5 percent of its global workforce, one of a number technology providers to downsize since May. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Investors into logistics technology providers are focusing more on long-term profitability than growth at all costs, leading FourKites to join a growing list of companies to lay off employees to cut costs

FMC seeking shipper input on OSRA-mandated ‘emergency’ review

The National Shipper Advisory Committee this week told the FMC to address what it sees as crippling issues related to early return dates for export cargo. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

While the FMC seeks input over whether to declare an emergency need for information sharing by container lines, the agency’s advisory committee has suggested setting up a parallel carrier group to improve dialogue.

Slync.io looks to turn the page on Kirchner era with new leadership

Former Slync.io CEO Chris Kirchner’s termination last week was “an absentee CEO situation” and not indicative of a wider malaise in logistics technology adoption, according to an industry observer. Photo credit: Caught in the Moment Photography.

Slync.io’s widely reported payroll woes and the departure of its CEO last week have had a minor impact on the broader logistics industry due to the technology provider’s relatively small customer base.

Breakbulk News

Breakbulk

Breakbulk carrier, box maker team for trans-Pac domestic container service

MPV/HL charter rates may have peaked, but no crash ahead: analysts

The multipurpose AAL Kobe discharging RTGs at the Port of Felixstowe. Photo credit: AAL.

Easing container congestion and the summer “doldrums” have sent MPV rates drifting downward, but carriers expect energy-related demand and tight capacity to keep the sector healthy in the long term.

Maersk targets project cargo with latest acquisition

The transport of project cargo, such as this transformer that weighs 400 tons and has a 105-meter convoy, requires specialist know-how from heavy-lift logistics operators. Photo credit: Martin Bencher.

Maersk is expanding its footprint in the heavy-lift sector with the acquisition of specialist logistics provider Martin Bencher that will be central to its new Maersk Project Logistics product.

Specialized reefer fills gap for shippers of perishable goods

A Seatrade specialized reefer ship alongside a Trident Seafood production facility in Akutan, Alaska. Photo credit: Trident Seafoods.

Congestion and unreliable service from liner carriers is driving some cold chain shippers back to the conventional reefer fleet

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