JOC.com | Container shipping and trade news and analysis

July import surge overwhelms Southern California supply chain

An unexpected 40 percent increase in import volumes since May overwhelmed the Southern California supply chain and infrastructure, creating logistical headaches for truckers and equipment providers.

For-hire trucking on a long-term growth track: SJ Consulting

The largest US and Canadian truckload and LTL carriers have grown substantially over the last decade, despite short-term economic woes, according to data from SJ Consulting Group.

Federal intervention seen as most viable way to end Montreal port strike

Container line, rail and forwarder executives tell JOC.com they aren’t holding their breath for an immediate response from the Trudeau government for calls to end the ongoing strike at the Port of Montreal.

Yang Ming cuts losses despite sharp drop in Q2 volume

Taiwanese carrier Yang Ming was unable to turn around its string of financial losses in the first half, but the shipping company continues to inch its way closer to a positive result.

Logistics technology reshapes trade finance for shippers, suppliers

Technology has the potential to solve long-running financing tensions between suppliers and importers, and logistics networks and service providers are likely to be the focal point for these solutions.

Previous Pause Next

Stay connected with news affecting the industry with a group subscription!

More News & Analysis

Hapag-Lloyd shrugs off COVID-19 impact with surging Q2 profit

Maritime News

LTL carrier A. Duie Pyle restarts expansion

A. Duie Pyle

UP issues second major spot rate hike in California

Union Pacific Railroad

Wind turbine shippers eye growth after COVID-19 pain

Energy and Renewables Project Logistics

Texas trucking rates soaring on cross-border demand

Trucking Logistics

Hong Kong competition watchdog seeks deal on terminal costs

International Ports

Warehouse worker scarcity crimping US transloading capacity

US Ports

Parked planes keep squeeze on air cargo capacity

Air Cargo

JOC Uncharted: Surging volumes send retailers scrambling for truck capacity

Trucking Logistics

Partner Content

Shippers save money, time with automated transportation bidding tools

LTL Trucking Logistics

Essential Reads

ILWU’s anti-automation plea to California hints at contract flashpoint

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union's (ILWU) letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom compounds worries that have been mounting for over a year surrounding the issue of allowing West Coast terminals to install labor-saving cargo handling equipment.

COVID-19 tempers intermodal peak season optimism

After wild swings in intermodal volume in the second quarter, CSX Transportation and Union Pacific Railroad are cautiously optimistic about peak season volumes, while realizing pandemic disruptions are lurking.

Time to review carrier block exemption: shipper groups

The carrier block exemption from Europe’s competition law expires in 2024, but there is a growing view among shipping line customers that an evaluation of the regulation should be held as soon as possible.

Congressional commission challenges $700 million YRC loan

A bipartisan congressional commission questioned a $700 million US loan to YRC Worldwide, but its ability to scuttle the loan is questionable.

New Walmart distribution center to drive Charleston port volumes

The Port of Charleston wants to diversify its cargo business into e-commerce, netting big-box retailer Walmart as the first major omnichannel retailer to occupy a port authority-owned warehousing complex less than an hour from Charleston.

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.

Container | US Surface Transport

Subscribe Now

Maritime News

Yang Ming cuts losses despite sharp drop in Q2 volume

It was a difficult first half for Yang Ming as revenue fell 12.03 percent to $2.2 billion, and volume declined 9.86 percent to 2.38 million TEU. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Taiwanese carrier Yang Ming was unable to turn around its string of financial losses in the first half, but the shipping company continues to inch its way closer to a positive result.

Logistics technology reshapes trade finance for shippers, suppliers

Small and medium-sized enterprises in Asia receive only 18.7 percent of total bank credit despite representing 42 percent of the region's gross domestic product, according to the Asian Development Bank. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Hapag-Lloyd shrugs off COVID-19 impact with surging Q2 profit

So far, 2020 has been a profitable year for Hamburg-based Hapag-Lloyd, despite the impact of COVID-19. Photo credit: Hapag-Lloyd.

A steep drop in Hapag-Lloyd’s volume during the second quarter was matched by capacity cuts and lower operating costs that delivered a solid first half result for the carrier.

HMM warns of uncertain second half after H1 rebound

One of HMM's new 24,000-TEU ships ties up at the Port of Antwerp. Photo credit: Port of Antwerp.

Carriers that have released interim results have reported a stronger first half, underscoring the effectiveness of aggressive capacity management on the main trades.

Trucking News

Trucking Logistics

For-hire trucking on a long-term growth track: SJ Consulting

Combined revenue at the top 50 US and Canadian truckload and LTL operators increased 13 percent from 2014 through 2019. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

The largest US and Canadian truckload and LTL carriers have grown substantially over the last decade, despite short-term economic woes, according to data from SJ Consulting Group.

LTL carrier A. Duie Pyle restarts expansion

Shippers are calling for more overnight service as the US economy recovers, A. Duie Pyle says. Photo credit: Ari Ashe, JOC.com.

With a new integrated distribution center in Massachusetts and another under construction in Pennsylvania, northeastern regional LTL carrier A. Duie Pyle is resuming expansion plans interrupted by COVID-19.

Texas trucking rates soaring on cross-border demand

Average outbound Texas spot truck rates jumped 16 percent year over year in July on surging US consumer demand for goods manufactured in Mexico. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Truck rates out of Texas are soaring because of rising demand in the US for goods made in Mexico, especially home appliances and electronics, but demand is sagging in the other direction because of the devaluation of the peso.

JOC Uncharted: Surging volumes send retailers scrambling for truck capacity

Sales of grass seed and fertilizer have spiked due to home landscaping and farming demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Unusual spikes in demand for products like fertilizer and birdseed have farm and garden supply retailer Southern States Cooperative looking for additional capacity and rethinking traditional inventory models.

Port News

July import surge overwhelms Southern California supply chain

Containerized imports from Asia in July totaled 810,260 TEU, up from 579,721 TEU in May, according to PIERS. Photo credit: Shutterstock .com.

An unexpected 40 percent increase in import volumes since May overwhelmed the Southern California supply chain and infrastructure, creating logistical headaches for truckers and equipment providers.

Federal intervention seen as most viable way to end Montreal port strike

The Trudeau government’s reluctance to step in underscores how differently liberal and conservative administration respond to labor-employer conflicts that significantly impact Canada’s larger economy. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Hong Kong competition watchdog seeks deal on terminal costs

Shippers and forwarders have been complaining about Hong Kong’s high terminal and container handling charges for years, the head of one Hong Kong-based freight forwarder said. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Shippers and forwarders fear cargo-related charges in Hong Kong could surge given that terminal members of the Seaport Alliance handle about 90 percent of box cargo at Kwai Chung container port.

Warehouse worker scarcity crimping US transloading capacity

Warehouse space was tight even before the pandemic, with a national 6 percent vacancy rate at US warehouses and distribution hubs according to industrial real estate firm JLL. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

The worker scarcity, created by elevated unemployment benefits reducing the incentive to work, coupled with workers’ fears of contracting COVID-19, is most sharply felt by facilities that deconsolidate the ocean containers.

Technology News

Technology

Logistics technology reshapes trade finance for shippers, suppliers

Maersk TMS a sign of widening market segmentation

Shippers have a dizzying array of directions to turn for shipment management software, including a maturing segment of automation-focused providers that orient themselves around connectivity to other systems. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Maersk’s recent entry into the TMS space highlights the range of players targeting different segments of a fragmented shipper market that’s gravitating toward web-based tools.

Amazon vet Feitzinger bolsters ClearMetal's visibility plan

Import logistics managers generally need more data and prescriptive recommendations in origin ports than in US destination ports as they try to meet end customer demand. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Amazon and UTi vet Ed Feitzinger has joined ClearMetal’s board, attracted by the company’s ability to translate visibility data in better supply chain coordination between large global shippers and their customers.

US shippers driven to seek greater LTL visibility

Supply chain disruption is pushing shippers to demand more detailed visibilty in LTL networks. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

The disruption and dislocation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic puts a premium on shipper visibility into LTL networks via digitization, as well as “touchless” pickups and deliveries.

Breakbulk News

Breakbulk

Wind turbine shippers eye growth after COVID-19 pain

Billions of dollars in order and service backlogs and an unfolding global energy transition toward renewables could mean blue skies ahead for wind energy, despite the painful fallout from COVID-19.

August MPV index eyes narrow gain after COVID-19 low

Steel pipe, an important cargo for both breakbulk and bulk carriers, ready for loading. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

While the oil and gas sector has pulled back dramatically from early 2020 capital spending plans, the low bunker fuel prices that have also come with global oil demand destruction have helped to control costs.

Project cargo shipper KBR pivots from hydrocarbon-related construction