Logistics Providers

The Prime Minister’s Office recently asked the Chittagong Port Authority to take proper measures to ensure that less-than-containerload cargoes are unstuffed in two days and delivered to the consignees within three days.

Some said it could not be done, but Bradley Jacobs is forging new shipper services by integrating assets and resources from across XPO Logistics’ diverse operating network.

The federal agency declined to elaborate on the identity of the beneficial cargo owners that issued these complaints or which ocean carriers received letters sent out on April 20.

Taking a cue from reform front-runner Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, authorities at other major public ports appear to be vigorously encouraging shippers to use the simplified mode of direct port delivery for their import discharges, bypassing third-party logistics providers.

Manufacturers and shippers of autos and other vehicles have some of the most detailed contingency plans in the transportation industry for adjusting to weather, port congestion, rail disruptions, and truck capacity issues. And the need to have a resilient plan in place will only be magnified by the climate change era’s increased severe weather events.

An explosion of e-commerce business is driving up rents at last-mile/last-touch fulfillment centers in urban core locations, and entrepreneurial truckers are finding ways to participate in this growing market. But the end result is a plus for beneficial cargo owners and consumers, as these developments enhance customer service and prevent final delivered costs from getting out of hand.

Sponsored: APL Chief Executive Nicolas Sartini gives his outlook on the maritime trade industry for 2018 and areas of market growth. At the JOC TPM Conference in March he discussed the launch of a new EXX service for APL, an 11-day service from Shanghai to Los Angeles, designed as a speed-to-market alternative for air freight.

Shippers gave railroads poor marks on its latest quarterly report, according to a Cowen & Co. survey. More than 50 percent of shippers did not have a favorable review of service since January 1, as railroads struggled to handle the additional spillover freight from the US truck sector. Railroads blamed inclement weather and say better times are ahead. Shippers and lawmakers argue the problems are deeper.

Guarantees may be hard to come by, but assurances of volume may help secure capacity and avoid the worst rate hikes.

The new system, which begins in August, pending Federal Maritime Commission approval, assesses a flat fee on all day and night container moves, requires an appointment, and is a response to complaints from beneficial cargo owners and truckers about the high price of the traffic mitigation fee and truck bunching at certain times of the day.

Can deep, wide, sophisticated supply chain visibility help shippers ‘create’ capacity and control rising costs?

Bangladesh, currently in its seventh five-year plan, which covers 2016 to 2020, has set goal of a 15 percent rail transport share by 2020.

The strike, owing to a pay and benefits dispute with Brazil's federal government that dates to November, has increased dwell times at the port to seven days, with some shippers facing up to 14-day delays.

Delays on railroads have eased since mid-March in Chicago, Savannah, and Dallas, after a rough winter filled with delays, detention, per diem, and demurrage fees for shippers. Railroads are rushing to hire employees, lease locomotives, and build sidings to be prepared for the next seasonal wave in the second half of 2018.

Sponsored: "We're trying to run a marathon when we've just learned to walk," C.H. Robinson's Sri Laxmana said in an interview with Senior Content Editor Alessandra Barrett at 2018 TPM.

Higher demand and pricing has shifted the Top 50 US trucking operators to the fast lane, and more growth is ahead.

Professionals gathered at the 2018 Transportation Intermediaries Association Capital Ideas Conference said US market conditions favor surface transportation carriers more today than when the industry convened in Las Vegas one year ago.