Journal of Commerce Logo
Journal of Commerce Logo
Free TrialSubscribe
Home
supply chain

Supply chain

The Journal of Commerce’s supply chain news and analysis impacting the management of end-to-end supply chains reports on supply chain strategies, cargo visibility, inventory trends, sourcing, customs certification and contract logistics. Supply chain news coverage also delves into refrigerated shipping advancements and management of inventory status, regulatory updates and government funding projects. 

Subsections

The latest Supply chain News & Analysis

Ocean trade emerges from pandemic haze to face new realities

Peter Tirschwell |
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 Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificTrans-AtlanticAsia-EuropeTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

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

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor |
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 Shipping NewsDrayageSurfaceInternational railTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

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

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
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 Shipping NewsNorth American portsInternational ports

Pandemic-induced trailer dislocation still hampering US truckload carriers

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
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.
TruckloadTrucking NewsLogistics Technology News

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

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
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 Shipping NewsTrans-PacificNorth American ports

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

Teri Errico Griffis |
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 Regulation NewsContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesNorth American ports

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

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
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 News

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

Teri Errico Griffis |
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 Regulation NewsPort NewsNorth American portsPort infrastructure

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

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |
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 Shipping NewsNorth American ports

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

Teri Errico Griffis |
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 Regulation NewsContainer Shipping NewsRail NewsNorth-American rail

Top US Shippers: Component shortages putting brakes on auto export growth

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
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.
Supply chainRo/ro cargoNorth American ports

Top US Shippers: Plastic resin exports bounce back as supply chain pressures ease

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
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.
Supply chainContainer Shipping NewsNorth American ports

FLOW gains momentum with ‘give-to-get' data-sharing model

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
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.
Logistics Technology NewsContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesForwardingPort NewsTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

Cargo fraud, theft surging in ‘wild west’ US truck market

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
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.
SurfaceTrucking NewsTruck brokersSupply chain

Top US Shippers: Recession fears pulling at the seams of growing clothing imports

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |
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.
Supply chainContainer Shipping NewsNorth American ports

FMC needs to take oversight of rail storage charges: shippers

Teri Errico Griffis |
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.
Transport, Trade, and Regulation NewsContainer Shipping NewsRail NewsNorth-American rail

Top US Shippers: Supply chain bottlenecks put cork in US alcohol imports

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
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.
Supply chainContainer Shipping NewsNorth American ports

ONE becomes latest carrier to drop per diem fees at closed US marine terminals

Teri Errico Griffis |
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.
Container linesContainer Shipping NewsNorth American portsTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

Top US Shippers: US toy imports ‘normalizing’ after slipping from record 2022

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
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.
Supply chainContainer Shipping NewsTrans-PacificNorth American portsInternational ports

FMC adds oversight heft by naming first director of enforcement program

Teri Errico Griffis |
Ex-DOJ advisor John Crews will oversee the FMC departments that investigate and prosecute a growing number of shipping complaints.
Transport, Trade, and Regulation NewsMaritimeContainer Shipping News

Top US Shippers: Price inflation pulls the plug on surging US electronics imports

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
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.
Supply chainContainer Shipping NewsTrans-PacificNorth American portsInternational ports

Top US Shippers: Continued poor service threatens budding ag export recovery

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
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.
Supply chainContainer Shipping NewsTrans-PacificNorth American portsInternational ports

Forwarders’ digital journey not complete yet: Magaya survey

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
More than half of forwarders have migrated completely to cloud-based software, a study of 70 global logistics services providers has found.
Logistics Technology NewsForwardingSupply chain

Evergreen pushed contracted cargo to spot market: FMC shipper complaint

Teri Errico Griffis |
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.
Transport, Trade, and Regulation NewsContainer Shipping NewsContainer lines

China to remain top for logistics investment despite regional sourcing shift

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent |
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.
Transport, Trade, and Regulation NewsInternational portsIndustrial Real Estate News

Renewed focus on purchase order management leads to tech vs. service dilemma

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
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.
Logistics Technology NewsForwardingSupply chain

NY-NJ terminals alter free time tariff as FMC rule on closed gates looms

Michael Angell, Associate Editor and Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
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.
North American portsContainer Shipping NewsTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

FMC post-OSRA complaint process secures $1 million in relief for shipping interests

Teri Errico Griffis |
Shippers, truckers and other transport interests have filed more than 287 complaints with the FMC since last June, mostly involving detention and demurrage billing.
Transport, Trade, and Regulation NewsMaritimeContainer Shipping NewsContainer lines

Ex-Slync CEO indicted over alleged misappropriation of company cash

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
The indictment also alleges Chris Kirchner attempted to cover up his financial activities and fired employees who raised questions about them.
Logistics Technology News

US warehouse vacancy rose in first quarter as demand waned

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
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.
Industrial Real Estate NewsContainer Shipping NewsNorth American ports

project44 inks new partnership with container tracking vendor

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
A container tracking hardware vendor behind Hapag-Lloyd's deployment of dry box sensors is linking with supply chain visibility provider project44.
Logistics Technology NewsContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesSupply chain

Flexport moves into fulfillment realm with Shopify Logistics acquisition

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Flexport expects both enterprise customers and small merchants to tap into the last-mile and fulfillment network it acquired with Shopify Logistics.
Logistics Technology NewsForwardingLast Mile News

FMC crackdown on ocean carrier billing prompts Houston per diem change

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
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.
North American portsContainer Shipping NewsTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

US shipping interests want FMC to regulate rail storage fees

Teri Errico Griffis |
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.
Transport, Trade, and Regulation NewsMaritimeContainer Shipping NewsSurfaceRail NewsNorth-American rail

Bed Bath & Beyond looks to recoup millions from OOCL in FMC complaint

Teri Errico Griffis |
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.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

Court hands freight broker Convoy procedural win in legal battle with DAT

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
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.
Truck brokersTrucking NewsTruckloadLogistics Technology News

DHL Express plans US physical expansion, including delayed new hub

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
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.
Supply chainTrucking NewsAir Cargo Carriers NewsIndustrial Real Estate News

Truckload appointment standards group adds heavyweights to drive adoption

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
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.
TruckloadTrucking NewsTruck brokersLogistics Technology News

USDOT opens $160 million in funding to cut emissions from port truck idling

Teri Errico Griffis |
Funds will go to projects that focus on reducing emissions from port-related truck idling, particularly in communities adjacent to ports.
SurfaceTrucking NewsTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

Broad reshaping of detention, demurrage billing possible in FMC rulemaking

Peter Tirschwell |
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.
Transport, Trade, and Regulation NewsContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports