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Vancouver rail service struggling ahead of new import surge

The Port of Vancouver is trying to restore cargo fluidity that has been disrupted from punishing rain and snowstorms that have hit British Columbia’s rail and road infrastructure over the past two months.

Truckload carriers see no break in freight demand

With consumers still spending, Knight-Swift and Landstar see more growth, and higher rates, ahead.

Container lines beefing up US East Coast capacity: eeSea

US East Coast ports will see an uptick in capacity to start 2022 thanks to additional all-water Asia services being added by ocean carriers.

Robust rail rates dilute case for China-Europe subsidies: forwarders

The timeline for the withdrawal of China-Europe rail network subsidies remains unclear, but with rates at such high levels, forwarders are wondering whether it even matters.

Carrier rate push continues to pound India-US cargo amid sustained demand

Container lines have begun to lay out a new wave of hefty peak season surcharges on India-US trades as export demand remains elevated.

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Truck capacity to stay tight, pushing up LTL rates: SMC3

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Space crunch speeds up trans-Pac contracting cycle

Price is taking a back seat to reliability and predictability in this year’s service contract negotiations as shippers push carriers for larger space commitments while carriers are favoring customers with a proven ability to deliver committed volumes on a consistent basis.

Industry confronts limited reach to solve US port woes

Having US ports return to a pre-COVID “status quo” depends on a slowing of cargo volumes and a return of labor to the logistics workforce in significant enough numbers to improve cargo flow.

Modest growth expected for US imports from Asia after record-setting 2021

Despite an expected return to single-digit monthly increases in imports from Asia this year, already-stressed US ports are still likely to struggle to handle cargo volumes.

CSX ramps up hiring in bid to take freight share from trucks

CSX Transportation CEO James Foote told federal regulators he will look to increase headcount at the Class I railroad as it seeks to take more business from trucking

Ocean carriers warn of ‘corrupting’ changes to EU emissions rules

Container shipping’s global group has objected to proposed amendments in Europe’s emissions trading system that it believes undermine the polluter-pays principle.

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

Container lines beefing up US East Coast capacity: eeSea

East Coast imports are rising as more shippers attempt to avoid the bottlenecks at West Coast ports. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

US East Coast ports will see an uptick in capacity to start 2022 thanks to additional all-water Asia services being added by ocean carriers.

Carrier rate push continues to pound India-US cargo amid sustained demand

Mediterranean Shipping Co. from Feb. 14 will levy a $4,000-per-container peak-season surcharge for all cargo from India to the US and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Container lines have begun to lay out a new wave of hefty peak season surcharges on India-US trades as export demand remains elevated.

Global vessel arrival times slump to record low: Sea-Intelligence

Congested ports on the major east-west trades dragged global schedule reliability to its lowest recorded level in December. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Port congestion across the world’s key trade lanes is tying up capacity and destroying the schedule reliability of vessels, with global on-time performance hitting a record low last month.

China–Europe shippers bucking pre-CNY rush: forwarders

Ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks in China that have impacted trucking and labor activities led manufacturers to ship early though ports such as Yantian (pictured). Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Chinese exporters to Europe that aren’t shipping time-sensitive goods are ignoring the pre–Lunar New Year rush, as they expect container spot rates to continue easing, forwarders tell JOC.com.

Trucking News

Trucking Logistics

Truckload carriers see no break in freight demand

Truckload carriers are moving higher volumes, but freight often travels shorter distances as shipper distribution needs become increasingly regional and even local. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com

With consumers still spending, Knight-Swift and Landstar see more growth, and higher rates, ahead.

Vaccine mandates not slowing US-Canada freight

The use of vaccinated truckers has kept freight moving across the US-Canada border with few, if any, delays reported. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Proactive steps taken by US and Canadian motor carriers and shippers ahead of vaccine mandates for truck drivers are keeping cross-border freight flowing despite earlier fears of disruption and delays.

Truck capacity to stay tight, pushing up LTL rates: SMC3

Old Dominion Freight Line President and CEO Greg Gantt said equipment shortages could send LTL freight rates even higher this spring and in the fall peak season. Photo credit: Old Dominion Freight Line.

High freight demand, driven by US imports and e-commerce, will keep pressure on less-than-truckload capacity and pricing in 2022, speakers said at the annual SMC3 JumpStart conference.

Receding imports to ease US port congestion, but not until late 2022

IHS Markit expects US GDP to grow 4.1 percent in 2022 following a 5.7 percent increase in 2021. Photo credit: Ritu Manoj Jethani / Shutterstock.com.

Inflation, higher interest rates, and a gradual shift back to a more “normal” balance in consumer spending between goods and services will reduce import volumes in the second half of 2022, in turn relieving pressure on ports and inland supply chains.

Port News

Vancouver rail service struggling ahead of new import surge

Vancouver stakeholders say some operational functions, such as drayage, have not been significantly impacted by the interruptions in rail service. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Mobile readies to add inland rail reach with land deal

The Port of Mobile is looking to boost its intermodal reach through Alabama and beyond. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

The Alabama Port Authority is looking to add an inland rail terminal with the purchase of land near the state capitol of Montgomery.

LA-LB ports look to extend incentives for nighttime truck trips

Terminal operators in Los Angeles-Long Beach say charging the traffic mitigation fee only on daytime truck trips has not resulted in more container moves at night. Photo credit: Flystock/Shutterstock.com.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach want to give the temporary extension of a fee on daytime container moves more time to determine if truck moves during the off hours increase substantially.

GPA extends pop-up yard leases to aid Savannah

The Georgia Ports Authority said the combination of pop-up storage yards and the Peak Capacity Project to add container slots inside the Garden City Terminal have helped get a handle on the onslaught of vessels. Photo credit: Stephen Morton/Georgia Ports Authority.

The Georgia Ports Authority will extend the use of pop-up storage sites another three months through April, citing the success of the off-site locations in whittling down the vessel backlog in Savannah.

Technology News

Technology

Forwarders’ digital needs feed latest Logixboard investment

A need for mid-market forwarders to compete with digital upstarts and well-capitalized incumbents has fueled a new round of investment into Logixboard’s customer interface-focused model.

Cross-border platform channels pandemic-led growth into venture investment

Passport acquired parcel aggregator Access Worldwide in August to enhance its ability to serve the first-mile leg for brands needing to fulfill cross-border e-commerce orders. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

San Francisco-based Passport said it will use $39 million in new funding to expand its outbound parcel platform for US e-commerce sellers looking to manage logistics and trade compliance on international orders.

Trucking tech startup shifting from factoring to ‘full-fledged bank’: CEO

Nebraska-based BasicBlock initially set out to enable drivers to more easily convert load documents into a digital format to speed incoming payments. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

BasicBlock has turned traction from small truckload carriers for its factoring and payment solutions into a large round of debt and equity funding to broaden the scope of its financial services.

Shipping lines slow to adopt their own data standards: JOC webcast

The head of the Digital Container Shipping Association is urging shippers to press their container line partners to adopt the standards the association has developed over the last two years. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Container line members of the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) are not adopting the very standards they have set out to develop, speakers said during a JOC webcast last week.

Breakbulk News

Breakbulk

US offshore wind buildout will require additional assets, labor

Industry experts say that eventually all bodies of water will have wind turbines. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

As the offshore wind buildout gains momentum, logistics providers are adapting European models to meet the specific needs and constraints of the US market.

Expect high MPV rates, tight capacity through 2022, say analysts

High rates and tight capacity mean some breakbulk cargoes are vying for vessel space. Credit: Port NOLA

Soaring freight rates are incentivizing MPV carriers to turn down lower-value backhauls and return empty to load ports.

Outlook 2022: MPV/HL demand to remain elevated despite receding container ‘spillover’

With nearly 400 gigawatts of onshore wind power and 70 gigawatts of offshore wind power development slated for the next few years, wind power cargo demand will soak up huge amounts of MPV/HL capacity for the foreseeable future. Photo credit: AAL.

Although spillover cargo from the congested container market will recede as the market stabilizes, breakbulk and recovering project demand coupled with shrinking capacity are expected to keep MPV/HL rates from sinking to pre-COVID-19 levels

Container imports jump at Everett as carriers seek alternative ports

G2Ocean delivering containers for Seattle-based Amazon at the Port of Everett, Washington. Photo credit: Port of Everett.

Extra-loaders carrying spillover cargo are dramatically increasing container imports at the Port of Everett in Washington state.

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