North American companies are signaling that they will need to build up larger inventory buffers to meet strong US consumer demand, something that will keep up pressure on ocean freight.
Logistics Technology Providers
Logistics Technology Providers
Technology is now embedded in the very fabric of the way that freight moves across oceans and land. A major dynamic driving technology in logistics is the rise of e-commerce, which has heightened customer expectations in both consumer and industrial markets, and raised demands placed on logistics teams.
Another major factor is the flood of venture capital funding, underpinning hundreds of logistics technology startups, while serving to accelerate the overall pace of innovation. The dizzying pace of new start-ups, new buzzwords and new information makes it extremely challenging to chart an intelligent, risk-averse path. For shippers, it can be confusing to decide which areas of their business make the most sense to invest in, which specific solutions to use to track their supply chain data and to evaluate their current systems and processes.
The logistics technology choices that ocean carriers make will have a significant impact on the overall direction of the logistics technology sector in the future, because much of the data that shippers need in order to optimize their supply chains originates within the data networks of those carriers. To maximize the benefits of such initiatives, the critical data must be accurate, and must flow through such channels as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in a timely fashion. In an effort to improve the quality of this data, some ocean carriers are taking steps to collectively harmonize their data standards.
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News & Analysis
23 Jul 2021
Canadian National Railway (CN) is offering rebates on demurrage charges for shippers that pick up containers from its Chicago and Memphis terminals during periods of lower traffic in an attempt to mitigate congestion at the busy inland intermodal ramps.
23 Jul 2021
Rising EU imports are placing growing pressure on the regional supply chain, but European businesses fear the COVID-19 Delta variant poses “a major risk” to the regional economic outlook.
23 Jul 2021
The US Surface Transportation Board wants the seven Class I railroads to explain their policies and practices for demurrage fees, but the agency is holding off on regulating them more — for now.
23 Jul 2021
The last-mile divisions of logistics providers Ryder Systems and TFI International are building new hubs and remodeling existing networks to deliver increased speed-to-market for their retail customers.
22 Jul 2021
Norfolk Southern said that changes to the layout of the Landers intermodal yard in Chicago and additional lift equipment will help speed the flow of ocean containers.
22 Jul 2021
The acquisition of third-party logistics provider Transplace will transform Uber Freight, providing greater access to shippers, as it builds a “fully scaled” logistics platform.
22 Jul 2021
CSX and Union Pacific are working hard to restore fluidity on intermodal networks, but both companies said that issues may persist through the end of the year.
22 Jul 2021
Strong consumer demand in European markets was reflected in the first-half container throughput numbers posted by the Dutch hub of Rotterdam.
22 Jul 2021
Forwarders say US importers of lower-value cargo from Asia and those with low margins are increasingly priced out of the trans-Pacific market as peak season volumes further tax the shipping system.
21 Jul 2021
Terminal operators in Los Angeles-Long Beach expect UP and BNSF restrictions on eastbound intermodal services to Chicago will further stress an inland supply chain that is already stretched thin.
21 Jul 2021
As desperate shippers search for cargo solutions and sop up breakbulk capacity, the new MPV/HL sentiment index reveals strong short-term confidence but longer-term wariness in the breakbulk sector.
21 Jul 2021
Canadian National completed inspections and repairs to a bridge damaged in a wildfire that has disrupted intermodal and other freight services to the Port of Vancouver.
21 Jul 2021
US retail inventories as a percent of sales sits at an all-time low, but many importers and shippers are getting priced out of restocking because of high ocean freight rates.
21 Jul 2021
A liner-led consortium aimed at using blockchain to digitize key container shipping processes has launched a cargo release product in China.
21 Jul 2021
The carrier-led standards consortium DCSA on Wednesday established definitions for five key port call phases to improve messaging between carriers and terminals.
20 Jul 2021
J.B. Hunt says shippers and railroads must improve how quickly they process containers to prevent a peak season supply chain meltdown.
20 Jul 2021
Seattle-Tacoma and Vancouver increase their regional market share due to new services and extra-loader vessel calls, with Prince Rupert hoping to rebound from a slow first half.
20 Jul 2021
The shipping industry is closely watching COVID-19 developments in Vietnam that have closed factories there, given the recent Yantian outbreak that spiraled into months of congestion in South China.
20 Jul 2021
Cargo owners are unlikely to see any easing of elevated rate pressure across transportation modes through the fourth quarter, according to K+N's Detlef Trefzger.
20 Jul 2021
Technology provider EDRAY, flush with new funding, has expanded its range of solutions to include a drayage marketplace and visibility tools.
20 Jul 2021
US maritime regulators have told the top container lines operating in the US to open up their books for an audit of how they assess storage charges amid increased pressure from Congress and the White House to crack down on unreasonable detention and demurrage fees.
19 Jul 2021
Truckload rates should begin to flatten as freight volumes and networks “max out,” but shippers shouldn’t expect pricing to slip very far, Michigan State University’s Jason Miller tells JOC.com.
19 Jul 2021
BNSF Railway is rationing the number of ocean containers it will move between Southern California and Logistics Park Chicago for two weeks in an effort to relieve mounting congestion caused by a flood of imports to the Midwest.
19 Jul 2021
More longshore workers will be eligible to return to marine terminals at the Port of New York and New Jersey with the lifting of COVID-19 manning restrictions put in place last year.
19 Jul 2021
After a COVID-19 pandemic lull, violations of ISPM 15 regulations around dangerous insects are increasing in Houston and elsewhere, triggering costly remedies and intense frustration in the breakbulk and project cargo community.
19 Jul 2021
Congestion across North Europe ports is forcing short-sea operators to deploy significantly more capacity just to maintain schedule reliability.
18 Jul 2021
A bill expected to be introduced in Congress in August would drive a sweeping bipartisan overhaul of US shipping law if passed.
16 Jul 2021
BNSF Railways has ended domestic intermodal service between Northern California and CSX Transportation’s terminal in northwest Ohio, with a source saying a lack of shipper interest was behind the move.
16 Jul 2021
Canadian National Railway services to Vancouver are sporadic as wildfires slow trains and imports pile up at Port of Vancouver docks. Three out of the four marine terminals are reporting container dwell times that are on average 10 days or more.
16 Jul 2021
FedEx’s investment in Delhivery will expand its cross-border e-commerce service and also provide FedEx with an extensive last-mile delivery network within India.
16 Jul 2021
The MSC-Shell deal shows that commercially viable solutions for zero-emission fuels are a long way from being available at scale.
16 Jul 2021
A new digital forwarding platform emerges in India to serve small 3PLs that want to provide shippers instant quotes and attached insurance and finance solutions.
16 Jul 2021
Maersk’s moves in India are a clear sign it is aggressively pursuing strategies to retain and grow its market leadership there amid resurgent export trends.
15 Jul 2021
Union Pacific’s emergency measure is meant to help move a stack of containers at its Global IV terminal outside of Chicago where an estimated 2,000–3,000 containers sit without chassis.
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