Supply Chain

Global vehicle manufacturers are still recovering from widespread semiconductor shortages, while domestic automakers and body shops face ongoing delays in components ranging from rear suspensions to front bumpers.

US exports of plastic resins rebounded in 2022 after an uncharacteristic decline in 2021, but increased production in China and an uncertain global economy could dampen demand this year.

The growth in participation in FLOW is a signal that the private sector views the voluntary nature of the project as more amenable than governmental data-sharing mandates or legislation.

Many businesses are being forced to tighten controls over how goods are shipped and who they ship them with, but the technology that helps them may also be used against them, according to industry sources.

Unlike last year, when apparel importers front-loaded volumes in the first half, apparel shippers are waiting for more clarity on consumer spending before they bring back-to-school and holiday inventory into the US.

Rail storage fees continue to be a point of contention for shippers and the National Shipping Advisory Committee wants the FMC to step up and take ownership.

US imports of beer, wine and spirits could have been even stronger over the last two years if not for widespread supply chain disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The change comes in advance of the FMC’s final rule on detention and demurrage billing that is due to be published in mid-June and has already generated pushback from marine terminal operators.

Toy and game manufacturers front-loaded traditional holiday merchandise in 2022, resulting in an exceptional first half of the year followed by a weak fourth quarter that coincided with a broader decline in consumer spending.

Ex-DOJ advisor John Crews will oversee the FMC departments that investigate and prosecute a growing number of shipping complaints.

Last year’s dip in electronics imports is a sign that US consumers were holding back on some discretionary purchases after two years of heightened spending during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Better vessel reliability helped fuel a return to growth in US agriculture exports in the second half of 2022, but those green shoots could be ripped up at the root if service doesn’t continue to improve.

More than half of forwarders have migrated completely to cloud-based software, a study of 70 global logistics services providers has found.

An automotive parts importer alleges that after Evergreen failed to provide approximately 65% of contracted vessel space, it had to pay $750,000 on the spot market to secure capacity.

Logistics and industrial investment in the Asia-Pacific region was estimated at about $50 billion last year, down from a record $72 billion in 2021.

Tethering purchase order technology to operations can help expedite drastic decisions, but pure software vendors offer a level of neutrality that logistics providers can’t.

The rule changes will not have much of an initial cost impact on shippers as almost all New York-New Jersey terminals are closed on weekends and holidays, thereby not counting toward free time, and containers are now moving off the port faster.

Shippers, truckers and other transport interests have filed more than 287 complaints with the FMC since last June, mostly involving detention and demurrage billing.

The indictment also alleges Chris Kirchner attempted to cover up his financial activities and fired employees who raised questions about them.

CBRE’s latest figures on industrial real estate demand show the supply of new and existing warehouses grew faster than tenant demand, with vacancy spikes expected through 2023.

A container tracking hardware vendor behind Hapag-Lloyd's deployment of dry box sensors is linking with supply chain visibility provider project44.

Flexport expects both enterprise customers and small merchants to tap into the last-mile and fulfillment network it acquired with Shopify Logistics.

The Port of Houston is changing its tariff to align with ocean carriers who are no longer charging detention and demurrage fees when terminal gates are closed, but it’s also increasing its own fees to incentivize cargo movement.

Currently, there is no US regulatory agency with direct authority to oversee application of rail storage fees under ocean carriers’ through bills of lading and to determine whether those charges are assessed properly.

The now-bankrupt retailer alleges the ocean carrier failed to provide the full vessel space it contracted for, then charged much-higher premiums to ensure its cargo wasn’t rolled.

Transportation observers believe the dueling complaints could have implications for the US spot truckload market because DAT is a primary source of available loads that brokers and carriers use to fill their pools of owned or third-party capacity.

International air express carrier DHL is building out its US footprint to gain greater density and reach in its largest market, its CEO for the Americas says.

Echo Global Logistics, Coyote Logistics and prominent transportation management system vendors Oracle and e2open are among new members adding momentum to a truckload appointment scheduling initiative.

Funds will go to projects that focus on reducing emissions from port-related truck idling, particularly in communities adjacent to ports.

The FMC is poised to implement potentially far-reaching changes in how detention and demurrage fees are assessed, a move that could cloud how to incentivize the movement of cargo through US marine terminals.

Human intervention is necessary to ensure that AI is adapted into shipping in a measured way, as quality decisions are dependent on quality data, attendees at the Journal of Commerce’s Breakbulk and Project Cargo Conference were told.

The scale of PSA International’s ambitions to expand its reach beyond its 60 container port terminals by leveraging the acquisition of a non-asset-based global logistics provider parallels Maersk’s own integrator ambitions.

The legislation would give the Federal Maritime Commission the direct ability to block carrier and terminal agreements it views as anticompetitive, without the need for a court order.

BIMCO’s head of Americas called for changes to the Carbon Intensity Indicator that would make the new regulation from the International Maritime Organization “fit for purpose.”

An advanced sense of “pragmatism” is needed for shippers and nations to cope with changes wrought by war and climate change, attendees at the Journal of Commerce’s Breakbulk & Project Cargo Conference were told.

Integration specialist Prompt Global has connected CargoWise with key visibility provider FourKites to save forwarders money and time aligning cargo milestones with transportation management.

The Intermodal Association of North America is adding its voice to the chorus of opposition against a federal push to reclassify independent workers.

The inclusion of shipping in Europe’s ETS carbon pricing mechanism is almost a done deal, with legislators having one more bureaucratic hurdle left to clear.

Growing tension among shippers, ocean carriers, and logistics service providers over free time fees has ratcheted up with Hapag-Lloyd accusing subcontractor CSX of profiting from rail demurrage.

Although the two carriers are partners in the 2M Alliance, it was the addition of extra capacity in their standalone services that led them to handle a combined 40 percent of the cargo coming into the Gulf Coast last year.