Supply Chain

News and analysis of supply chain strategies, sourcing, trends

The latest Supply Chain News & Analysis

Prior NY-NJ empty container woes linked to FMC complaint against Hapag-Lloyd

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jul 7, 2023, 2:43 PM EDT

 The carrier is the target of another shipper complaint regarding demurrage and detention fees, this time the indirect result of empty container congestion at the Port of New York and New Jersey.
Transport, trade and regulationContainer shippingNorth American ports

US House bills keep shipping reform effort alive even after freight rate plunge

Peter Tirschwell | Jul 7, 2023, 11:06 AM EDT

Although there remain multiple obstacles to further legislation being signed into law, bipartisan support that shipping reform attracted in 2021 and 2022 has led to a situation in which certain additional provisions stand at least a 50-50 chance of being enacted this year, writes Peter Tirschwell.
Container shippingContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American portsTransport, trade and regulation

UPS, Teamsters break off contract talks

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Jul 5, 2023, 11:39 AM EDT

UPS and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters are battling on the brink of a potential strike, with both sides claiming the other has walked away from the negotiating table.
SurfaceTruckingTrucking laborSupply Chain

USDOT awards $40M to boost port emissions reduction, surface projects

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor | Jul 3, 2023, 10:00 AM EDT

The US Department of Transportation is funding infrastructure projects that include carbon neutralization plans, updating miles of century-old rail and improving port access roads.
PortsNorth American portsPort infrastructureSupply Chain

Shipping industry braced for extended strike at BC ports

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Jul 2, 2023, 1:57 PM EDT

The pressure is on the Trudeau government to use its political capital to force a deal between employers and longshore workers at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert after the latter began a strike Saturday.
Longshore laborMaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American portsTransport, trade and regulation

Logistics integration partnerships defy freight demand downturn

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jun 30, 2023, 2:43 PM EDT

Growing partnerships between software vendors and integrators with expertise in their solutions and their customers systems highlight the importance of the technological plumbing that underpins logistics networks.
Logistics technologyForwardingSupply Chain

Generative AI likely to be impactful in logistics, just not in a public-facing way

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jun 30, 2023, 8:00 AM EDT

ChatGPT made so-called generative AI more accessible to the general public, including logistics professionals, and some software vendors believe it will change how humans interact with core transportation systems.
Logistics technologyForwardingSupply Chain

South Korean entities to develop Chicago, New Jersey transloading facilities

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor | Jun 29, 2023, 9:00 AM EDT

The locations were chosen based on their proximity to key rail, airport and port facilities, the partners said.
Industrial real estateContainer shippingTrans-PacificAir CargoSupply Chain

End of freight ‘recession’ drawing nearer, but no strong rebound seen: SMC3

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Jun 28, 2023, 2:50 PM EDT

US inventory levels are still high, depressing demand for trucking services and keeping a rebound in check, analysts said at the SMC3 Connections conference.
Supply ChainTruckloadLTLTransport, trade and regulation

US DOT opens $5.6 billion in funding for projects to strengthen supply chains

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor | Jun 28, 2023, 10:57 AM EDT

The funds will come from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with three separate grant opportunities soliciting applications under a single program called the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant program.
Port infrastructurePortsNorth American portsTransport, trade and regulation

Zim forwarding arm Ship4wd targets small shippers with new finance tools

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jun 28, 2023, 10:05 AM EDT

Zim said the financial products are particularly needed amid a slowdown in freight demand as small and mid-sized businesses continue to battle significant financial friction.
Logistics technologyForwardingSupply Chain

Nuvocargo rides Mexico-US freight surge to land fresh investment

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jun 27, 2023, 12:25 PM EDT

Nuvocargo will use the new funding to expand its service footprint to all major over-the-road border crossings between the US and Mexico.
ForwardingTruck brokersLogistics technology

Chain.io invites out-of-network providers to build connectivity to its integration customers

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jun 27, 2023, 10:01 AM EDT

Chain.io CEO Brian Glick’s initial vision for the company centered around the idea of making logistics system connectivity open to all vendors to allow shippers and logistics companies to better utilize their software.
Logistics technologyForwardingSupply Chain

Congressman adds ban of China shipping data platform to Defense budget

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jun 26, 2023, 11:29 AM EDT

Scrutiny of China’s access to US maritime data is rising, with a US congressman targeting China’s state-sponsored shipping platform in a Defense Department budget amendment.
Transport, trade and regulationContainer shippingPortsNorth American ports

Emerging from pandemic fog, global reefer market reverts to type

Richard Bright, Journal of Commerce analyst | Jun 23, 2023, 9:00 AM EDT

If the reefer mode can tough out the rest of 2023, next year should be better for operators largely because there will be more cargo, and therefore demand will be stronger, writes analyst Richard Bright.
Cool CargoesBreakbulk shippingBreakbulk carriersSupply Chain

UPS Teamsters authorize strike as contract talks enter final weeks

JOC Team | Jun 16, 2023, 4:14 PM EDT

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters and UPS say they’ve made progress on non-economic issues, but there’s still heavy lifting ahead for the largest labor pact in the US private sector.
SurfaceTruckingTrucking laborSupply Chain

Hungry domestic market driving US Southeast cold storage development

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor | Jun 15, 2023, 9:00 AM EDT

Refrigerated warehousing construction is “exploding” in the US Southeast, as one port executive put it, thanks to a growing population and increased demand for imported produce and other food products.
Cool CargoesContainer shippingNorth American ports

Ocean carriers guarding their digital gates as visibility requests increase

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jun 13, 2023, 12:03 PM EDT

A proliferation of visibility vendors amid increased demand for container status events is putting pressure on the websites of carriers to support multiple requests for the same data.
Logistics technologyContainer shippingContainer lines

Container volumes getting back to trend after pandemic surge: analyst

Larry Gross, president and founder, Gross Transportation Consulting; and JOC analyst | Jun 13, 2023, 10:06 AM EDT

The container shipping market is well down the path toward normalcy, and if current conditions continue for another few months, the surge-related volume overhang will be worked off, writes analyst Larry Gross.
Supply ChainContainer shippingMarine terminalsNorth American ports

US House bill aims to cap further growth in ship emissions

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jun 9, 2023, 8:00 AM EDT

Legislation now in Congress would put commercial shipping under the oversight of the US Clean Air Act and set increasing targets for cutting carbon dioxide emissions.
Transport, trade and regulationContainer shipping

CSX looks to dismiss Hapag-Lloyd complaint amid FMC oversight question

Teri Errico Griffis | Jun 8, 2023, 10:19 AM EDT

While the FMC has jurisdiction over ocean carriers, it cannot regulate railroads simply because of their association with container lines, CSX said in a motion to disentangle itself from a demurrage complaint.
Transport, trade and regulationContainer shippingContainer linesSurfaceRailNorth-American rail

Hamburg Sud hit with $10 million FMC judgment in shipper retaliation case

Teri Errico Griffis | Jun 7, 2023, 4:45 PM EDT

The carrier was found to have willfully engaged in retaliation against a Florida-based retailer who had sought relief for $40,000 in detention fees.
Transport, trade and regulationMaritimeContainer shippingContainer lines

Stage set for IMO to provide strong direction on decarbonization path

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Jun 7, 2023, 12:06 PM EDT

The International Maritime Organization has an opportunity next month to set more aggressive goals to slash carbon emissions, which could send a powerful signal to stakeholders needing direction, writes Journal of Commerce Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.
Container linesContainer shippingPortsMarine terminalsTransport, trade and regulation

US importers still destocking, and delaying restocking in uncertain economy

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Jun 7, 2023, 10:52 AM EDT

US consumers are still spending, but at a slower rate, and that’s pushing major restocking of goods further toward the back half of 2023, analysts and retailers say.
Supply ChainContainer shippingNorth American portsTruckingIndustrial real estate

C.H. Robinson taps Ford executive Bozeman as new CEO

Teri Errico Griffis | Jun 6, 2023, 10:10 AM EDT

The appointment of a new CEO for the US’s largest logistics provider comes six months after the dismissal of ex-CEO Bob Biesterfeld, who was let go amid slowing freight demand, rate declines and investor unrest.
SurfaceTruckingTruckloadSupply Chain

New FMC complaint challenges ‘unlawful’ stevedoring fees in Baltimore

Teri Errico Griffis | Jun 5, 2023, 3:02 PM EDT

Two stevedoring companies are looking to the Federal Maritime Commission to stop what they say is an unlawful access fee at the Port of Baltimore after one of them was invoiced $1.2 million.
Transport, trade and regulationRo/ro cargoPortsNorth American ports

ATA urges Congress to reject Su as Labor chief

Teri Errico Griffis | Jun 2, 2023, 4:35 PM EDT

The American Trucking Associations said Julie Su’s track record of supporting California’s A.B. 5 law and a lack of support for the trucking industry has failed to reassure them she would be a successful Secretary of Labor.
Transport, trade and regulationSurfaceTrucking

FMC ‘improperly’ applied incentive principle in detention decision: Evergreen

Teri Errico Griffis | Jun 2, 2023, 1:30 PM EDT

Container carrier Evergreen argues the FMC ignored “critical facts” when applying the incentive rule in a December case and, in doing so, inadvertently set a precedent that detention cannot be charged on a holiday weekend.
Transport, trade and regulationContainer shippingContainer linesSurfaceTrucking

Carrier decarbonization business case flawed: Seaspan

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jun 1, 2023, 10:32 AM EDT

The lack of security around the supply of alternative fuels in a highly fragmented market will undermine ocean carrier efforts to decarbonize the industry, according to the world’s largest container ship owner.
MaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesTransport, trade and regulation

Shippers bemoan lack of progress in ocean visibility despite heavy investment

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | May 26, 2023, 11:15 AM EDT

End-to-end supply chain visibility remains an elusive goal for providers in a market where shippers are expecting better data quality than they have seen.
Logistics technologyContainer shippingContainer linesPortsNorth American portsSupply Chain

Ocean trade emerges from pandemic haze to face new realities

Peter Tirschwell | May 25, 2023, 11:23 AM EDT

Although the container shipping order book is the highest it has been in many years and demand remains subdued, the ground is shifting under the ocean market in new and unfamiliar ways, writes Peter Tirschwell.
Container shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificTrans-AtlanticAsia-EuropeTransport, trade and regulation

Shippers, regulators muddle through ‘grey area’ of rail storage fees

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | May 24, 2023, 11:44 AM EDT

Shippers want Congress to address their inability to challenge rail demurrage fees when they contract for merchant haulage, but finding a solution will be tricky, writes Journal of Commerce Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.
Container shippingDrayageSurfaceInternational railTransport, trade and regulation

Top US Shippers: Recyclables export decline continues as environmental restrictions tighten

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | May 22, 2023, 8:00 AM EDT

Price volatility, economic uncertainty and China’s ongoing efforts to keep adulterated scrap products out of the country held back US exports of recyclable materials for the third straight year in 2022.
Supply ChainMaritimeContainer shippingNorth American portsInternational ports

Pandemic-induced trailer dislocation still hampering US truckload carriers

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | May 19, 2023, 2:59 PM EDT

Trailer marketplace technology provider vHub estimates a quarter of truckload trailers are out of network for the nation’s carriers, with an abrupt shift in demand exacerbating that dislocation.
TruckloadTruckingLogistics technology

Top US Shippers: Home construction decline drags down HHG import demand

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | May 19, 2023, 2:43 PM EDT

A decrease in US housing construction from the fever pitch seen during the COVID-19 pandemic is reducing demand for imports of furniture, appliances and other household goods.
Supply ChainContainer shippingTrans-PacificNorth American ports

ONE agrees to pay $1.7 million fine in detention/demurrage case: FMC

Teri Errico Griffis | May 19, 2023, 12:18 PM EDT

The carrier will pay the penalty to avoid the Federal Maritime Commission launching a formal investigation into whether it violated US detention and demurrage shipping laws.
Transport, trade and regulationContainer shippingContainer linesNorth American ports

Uber Freight’s Driegert jumps to Flexport to lead new brokerage unit

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | May 18, 2023, 2:39 PM EDT

Flexport has lured a key figure in the development of Uber Freight and Coyote Logistics in a move likely to shake up the domestic third-party logistics market.
Truck brokersForwardingLogistics technology

House bill wants security checks of port cranes made by US ‘adversaries’

Teri Errico Griffis | May 18, 2023, 1:21 PM EDT

The bipartisan legislation does not identify specific countries that manufacture the cranes that would be subject to inspection, but a statement from the co-sponsors specifically mentions China.
Transport, trade and regulationPortsNorth American portsPort infrastructure

Top US Shippers: Slower US consumer spending to compound export decline in paper, forest products

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | May 18, 2023, 11:31 AM EDT

Some paper products remained in high demand last year, but a decline in China’s real estate economy and a ban on a certain type of pine logs put additional downward pressure on forest products exports.
Supply ChainContainer shippingNorth American ports

NITL lends support for move to give FMC oversight of rail storage fees

Teri Errico Griffis | May 17, 2023, 4:11 PM EDT

Rail storage has been at the forefront of recent regulatory discussion as the FMC solidifies its final rulemaking on detention and demurrage, with shippers wanting ocean carriers to be the billing party for such charges.
Transport, trade and regulationContainer shippingRailNorth-American rail