Commentary

Ocean carrier executives must be looking at railroads and trucking companies and wondering if they got in the wrong business. That would certainly be a rational response.

It’s probably a good thing that fictional characters usually keep away from the business of Congress, but J.K. Rowling’s favorite wizard briefly swooped into a U.S.

It’s accepted faith that the railroads helped build the American industrial economy with their push toward transcontinental networks.

I think we’re rapidly approaching the shipping industry’s “time of departure” that will separate the strong from the weak, the truly serious from the also-rans.

Q: This is regarding your June 13, 2011, column about whether a carrier can reference the National Motor Freight Classification in a contract if the carrier doesn’t “participate” in

From the cab on an 18-wheeler, a government shutdown means fewer places to park, as truckers driving in and through Minnesota found over the past two weeks.

FTR Associates transportation analyst Larry Gross showed a revealing chart at The Journal of Commerce Inland Ports Conference in Chicago last month.

Even John Mica doesn’t believe in the transportation spending plan he released this month.

Keep those fingers crossed, but the U.S. is on track to accomplish an important job-creating goal from President Obama — doubling the nation’s exports in five years.

Anyone who follows Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood must agree he has no peer in the Cabinet or anywhere in government when it comes to supporting the infrastructure of social media.

Several years ago, I visited with an executive who wanted his company to become a major player in the logistics park business.

The June 13 Journal of Commerce cover story on YRC Worldwide did an excellent job of looking at how the company got to where it is and what factors will be essential for the carrier’s survival a

Where in the world is Peter Rose?

The Teamsters union and some environmental groups have been pushing for a federal solution to clean-trucks standards at the country’s ports for some time, and they finally got their way, althoug

Last week, we launched a new Journal of Commerce event in Chicago, the Inland Port Logistics Conference. The name might suggest it’s a maritime conference, and it is, but only partly.

Q: We are a motor carrier and have a major customer who has some rigid ideas about the importance of seals.

At 55, the Interstate Highway System is not really that old in years. But like Indiana Jones once said, “It’s not the years; it’s the mileage.”

The federal government appears to be at war with itself over maritime policy.

A couple of months ago, I wrote about the planning process we engage in to establish the agenda for conference events (“Vive la Différence,” April 18).

Q: Is it acceptable for a shipper to set off claims against freight charges owed prior to finalization of the claim?

If you’re wondering where the inventory restocking went, you have to look at Wuhan, Chongqing or even Chengdu.

China has known for some time that growth based on mass migration of farm workers to faraway cities on the coast isn’t a sustainable model.

This is about a belt buckle, two airports and the Transportation Security Administration. I’m not a frequent traveler, and I plead ignorance about some of TSA’s rules for air passengers.

During a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I had the pleasure of catching up with an old friend who shared what he thought should be the topic of my next column: 15 dumb laws or regulations Customs enf

Glance around the business world and you’ll see any number of industries making enormous strides in improving products and enriching customer experiences.

If the annual Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ State of Logistics report was entirely about the numbers, U.S.

Q: Our company provides training services for individuals. For this training, we provide course material consisting of textbooks and other items.

We’re nearly halfway through 2011, approaching what is traditionally the strongest time of the year for carriers.

The U.S. Postal Service lost $2.2 billion in the second quarter of its current fiscal year.

Q: I have a contract with a motor carrier that incorporates “by reference” the National Motor Freight Classification.

Will there be a container shortage this year? Until last year’s slot capacity shortage hit the trans-Pacific market, mass shortages of containers were unheard of.

A growing array of economy-watchers is looking toward freight rail transportation as a leading indicator of U.S.

Blame it on soaring fuel prices, broader commodity prices or an unending flow of harsh weather. For whatever reasons, this spring has seen the freight recovery stall.

Transportation is an asset-based, network-operating business driven largely by scope and scale. Economies of scale reduce the average of high fixed costs, and scope expands the addressable market.

Which comes first, the cardboard or the box? The annual Journal of Commerce Top 100 Importers and Exporters rankings bring the chicken-and-egg conundrum to mind.

The recently ended contracting cycle in the eastbound trans-Pacific shipping market certainly will be remembered for how little if at all ocean container carriers were able to gain rate increases in w

Anyone watching for U.S.

Q: I’m aware motor carriers have 18 months from time of shipment to begin a civil action (lawsuit) to recover transportation charges (49 U.S.C. Section 14705).

Here’s a tip for anyone who wants to help tornado survivors: Send money.

In researching a column last week on why long-term ocean carrier contracts remain so rare in the U.S.