Regulation & Policy

JOC

Regulation & Policy

The global regulatory environment surrounding international trade has never been more difficult — and risky — to manage. From international trade law to customs regulations, trade compliance has risen to the top of the priority list among global importers and exporters. In the age of free trade agreements that link different customs and cultures, the challenges will only mount in the years ahead.

News & Analysis

Top US Shippers: Congestion, equipment shortages stifle resin export rebound

24 May 2022
US chemical shippers saw a rare decline in export volumes during 2021 as the lack of railcars and the imports inundating ports.
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A truck travels in the United States.
US regulators weigh truck HOS changes
21 Jan 2019
The 2019 regulatory schedule isn’t clear, but what is clear is that there will be many more hours of debate over truck driver hours of service.
Port of Vancouver, Canada.
New Vancouver fee promises faster cargo clearance
18 Jan 2019
For the new fee, the port promises timelier inspections and fewer detention and demurrage charges.
Knight-Swift Transportation.
US contract truckload rate forecasts slip
17 Jan 2019
Knight-Swift projects higher fourth-quarter, first-quarter earnings, but analysts are not doing the same for 2019 truckload pricing forecasts.
US Customs and Border Protection headquarters, Washington, DC.
Longer US shutdown equates to more cargo pain points
16 Jan 2019
Nuisances are popping up that irk port authorities and customs brokers.
Brexit negotiations
Forwarders prep for hard Brexit after deal rejection
16 Jan 2019
However, even planning for no deal is not a straightforward matter.
Container cargo at a port in India.
India's tariff guide for privatized terminals revised
15 Jan 2019
Indian authorities believe the revised “tariff guidelines 2019” will create a more conducive operating environment for initial concession holders.
A truck travels on a US road.
US high court rules against forced trucker arbitration
15 Jan 2019
Even owner-operators work under ‘contracts of employment,’ the US Supreme Court said, which means claims of misclassification, ‘stolen wages,’ can’t be forced into arbitration.
Port of Hong Kong.
Terminal pact holds little for Hong Kong shippers
14 Jan 2019
The alliance of Hongkong International Terminals, Modern Terminals, COSCO-HIT Terminals (Hong Kong), and Asia Container Terminals is aimed at improving terminal utilization and efficiency.
Low-Sulfur Fuel Regulation infographic.
Infographic: Container lines push low-sulfur fuel fees
11 Jan 2019
Bunker surcharges have been revised by carriers to mitigate the effect of the IMO sulfur cap of 0.5 percent starting Jan. 1, 2020.
Port of Montreal.
Trade pact to drive intra-Asia trade, Canada exports
10 Jan 2019
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which took effect Dec. 30, will contain 495 million consumers.
Dover port, United Kingdom
Post-Brexit supply chain turmoil fears build
10 Jan 2019
With little over two months to go, there is still no sign of a deal between the United Kingdom and European Union.
Container shipping.
UK ports prep for post-Brexit cargo shift
09 Jan 2019
The United Kingdom is scheduled to leave the European Union on March 29 but is struggling to reach a deal on trade that would limit disruption.
Port of Los Angeles.
US retailers tempering import plans
08 Jan 2019
"With the holiday season behind us, the immediate pressure to stock up on merchandise has passed, but retailers remain concerned about tariffs and their impact on the nation’s economy,” said Jonathan Gold, the NRF’s vice president for supply chain and customs policy.
Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals.
BMCT leads rail, transshipment gains at JNPT
07 Jan 2019
PSA said two factors are driving the railed cargo and transshipment handling improvement.
Shanghai port.
South China targets rival hub's LCL cargo
07 Jan 2019
The Shenzhen port of Shekou has opened a consolidation center that will ease customs restrictions on China's growing LCL cargo imports.
A warehouse / distribution center in the United States with workers.
E-commerce spurs US courier hiring
04 Jan 2019
Even with a US recovery in its 10th year, the transportation and warehouse sectors continue to register strong monthly job growth.
The Port of Los Angeles.
Volatility frames cautious trans-Pacific contract talks
04 Jan 2019
When imports increased strongly last summer, due in part to front-loading of shipments to get ahead of the Trump administration’s tariffs on China, spot rates soared by more than $1,000 to each coast.
US CBP Washington.
Minimal cargo risk from US government shutdown
04 Jan 2019
Delays may occur if paperwork is flagged by a federal agency in which staffers are furloughed.
Video: 2019 Kickoff: Analysts eye IMO 2020, data, service shakeups
03 Jan 2019
Peter Tirschwell provides insight into IMO 2020 impact, Maersk-Damco service changes, and expanding potential within data standardization.
The Port of Oakland.
Freight shipping certainties for 2019
03 Jan 2019
Here are a few certainties shippers and their transportation providers can bank on for 2019.
A resin plant at sunset.
Long-awaited US resin boom seen emerging
02 Jan 2019
Althougth US-China trade tension can affect demand, there are several reasons US resin exporters remain bullish for 2019.
A wind power blade being transported in the United States.
Demand blows logistics pressure to wind projects
02 Jan 2019
New factors will increase pressure on the US wind power logistics market, which already experiences late-year bottlenecks.
Trade sector braces for new year of uncertainty
31 Dec 2018
In 2019, as in 2018, the US trade community will face multiple uncertainties generated by the Trump administration’s often unpredictable trade policy.
Maersk containers, vessel at port of Paranagua.
Exports offer Brazil container outlook hope
20 Dec 2018
After a damaging truck strike, holiday trade gains are expected to be sub-par — although it is historically a time of demand growth.
Cargo being unloaded.
Brexit supply chains shift to crisis mode
19 Dec 2018
There are just 100 days to go until the UK exits the European Union, with British businesses "watching in horror" as the country lurches towards the worst case scenario — leaving the EU with no deal.
Krishnapatnam Port.
India transshipment growth slows
18 Dec 2018
Despite the lower growth, India's logistics reform measures have increased competition across transport modes — something cargo owners and logistics providers welcome.
Shanghai port.
Tariffs driving US-bound production out of China
18 Dec 2018
US-China tariff uncertainty is prompting US-bound manufacturing moves out of China, but undertaking the shift is not a quick and easy process.
A US Postal Service truck.
Analysis: USPS' parcel future is in the mailbox
17 Dec 2018
The presidential task force on US Postal Service reform has focused on an important aspect of its business model, but unfortunately it has missed an opportunity to make a change that would truly make a difference for the Postal Service.
A warehouse in the United States.
US freight volumes, spend slow, but still growing
14 Dec 2018
US freight volumes are still growing. Equally significant, the international political climate that affected imports, exports, and trade flows in 2018 could do so again in 2019.
YRC Worldwide.
DOJ claims YRC Worldwide overcharged
14 Dec 2018
The lawsuit stems from a long-running dispute and investigation into reweighing of military freight.
Dover Straits, United Kingdom.
Shippers prep for worst-case Brexit scenario
12 Dec 2018
The latest deal reached between Britain’s Theresa May government and the European Union has failed to win any political support, and Brexit contingency planning suggests the private sector is assuming all trade with the EU will be on World Trade Organization terms, regarded as a worst-case scenario.
A highway in Alaska.
New US grants prop up port, highway, rail projects
11 Dec 2018
Port, rail, and highway projects are among 91 grants distributed by the US Department of Transportation, including for the extension of port berths and terminals and inland port rail access.
Brazil truckers on strike - May 2018.
Brazil truck strike threat returns with protests
10 Dec 2018
Over the weekend, drivers protested at Alemoa, in front of the main road access to the port of Santos, and closed the main highway between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro for six hours, backing up truck traffic more than two kilometers (1.24 miles).
A heavy lift ship.
New low-sulfur fuel clauses clarify time charters
10 Dec 2018
Both clauses are designed to be "simple and practical" and ease the global fleet's Jan. 1, 2020 transition to a low-sulfur fuel era, BIMCO said.
A Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) meeting.
FMC takes middle ground on detention-demurrage
07 Dec 2018
The Federal Maritime Commission stopped short of any regulatory action on detention and demurrage. Instead, a task force would meet to “refine commercially viable demurrage and detention approaches.” There were several findings, however, which validated cargo owner concerns and provide reasons to be optimistic that teams of stakeholders will be able to find resolutions.