<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">US shippers are demanding more precise delivery times for their goods, as retail charges for late deliveries and better awareness of truck driver hours of service raise the stakes in visibility.</div>

US shippers are demanding more precise delivery times for their goods, as retail charges for late deliveries and better awareness of truck driver hours of service raise the stakes in visibility.

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<div>Supply chain visibility increasingly is a moving target, and mapping technologies need to be fluid and flexible to provide accurate, real-time visibility, according to Rishi Mehra, strategy executive at Trimble MAPS. That’s going to require greater integration of data from various systems, including electronic logging devices (ELDs), Mehra told JOC.com in an interview.When shippers say they want better visibility, what they often want is a more exact estimated time of arrival for a shipment, Mehra said. “ETA is a big thing. Some customers are requiring shippers to schedule deliveries in 15-minute windows, with advance notice of arrival times,” he said....

Supply chain visibility increasingly is a moving target, and mapping technologies need to be fluid and flexible to provide accurate, real-time visibility, according to Rishi Mehra, strategy executive at Trimble MAPS. That’s going to require greater integration of data from various systems, including electronic logging devices (ELDs), Mehra told JOC.com in an interview. When shippers say they want better visibility, what they often want is a more exact estimated time of arrival for a shipment, Mehra said. “ETA is a big thing. Some customers are requiring shippers to schedule deliveries in 15-minute windows, with advance notice of arrival times,” he said. “That results in much more friction between the shipper and carrier.” Trimble MAPS, formerly ALK Technologies, is using its commercial mapping technology to reduce that friction, combining data from ELDs, shipper transportation management systems (TMSs), and carrier dispatch and routing systems in an automated trip management system that can provide dynamic ETAs to customers that adapt as conditions on the road change. It’s an example of knocking down barriers that have kept pools of data in separate silos and integrating them to provide an interconnected view of the supply chain. “Visibility is really having full idea of where the freight is, where it’s supposed to be, when it’s supposed to arrive,” Mehra said. That’s more than knowing the shipment is at mile marker 50 on I-95 in North Carolina. Emphasis on ETAs has been growing alongside e-commerce, Amazon.com, and Walmart, which pioneered the practice of charging vendors penalties for missed deliveries. The factors affecting ETAs often are not well understood by all parties in a supply chain transaction, Mehra said. They include driver hours of service, weather, road conditions, speed, and parking. “People think of traffic congestion having an impact on ETAs, but when you combine things together, you have not only traffic but remaining driver hours of service on their daily and weekly logs and driver break times to factor in,” said Mehra. “And then weather also plays a big role. So, we try to model all these factors and monitor them, and measure ETAs based on live conditions.” Sometimes, major rifts occur when shippers and carriers use different mapping technologies that model conditions differently to calculate ETAs. “People will ask 'why can’t I just use Google Maps or Waze?,'” Mehra said. “The first thing is that those programs don’t have truck-specific routing. And the way Google calculates traffic speeds is based on automobiles, not trucks.” Trimble factors separate truck speed limits and the impact of engine governors that limit truck speeds into its live traffic data and forecasts, he said. “We’ll know the jurisdictions that have trucks traveling 10 miles below speeds posted for automobiles,” said Mehra. “Google may say the truck will be there at 2 a.m. and the carrier’s data shows a different ETA based on hours of service and truck travel speeds,” he said. ELD mandate sharpened focus on ETAs The introduction of the ELD mandate in 2017 put more emphasis on accurate ETAs by eliminating “sloppy” log keeping and forcing truck drivers to adhere to daily driving time limits and the requirement they take a 30-minute break after eight hours of driving. That was a wake-up call for shippers who had remained ignorant of trucker break and driving times. “Suddenly, you could no longer do a 500-mile trip in 10 hours,” Mehra said. Knowing when and where drivers would take their required breaks became important to shippers struggling to get more accurate ETAs, as did wait times at pickup sites and available parking. With the ELD mandate, “you could see how much drag there is on productivity across the system,” he said. Trimble began incorporating ELD data into its web-based trip management platform, adding available hours on driver clocks to GPS location data and other information, including data on driver behavior when truckers run the same route on a regular basis. “Some data was readily available, and some wasn’t because people just hadn’t been thinking along those lines,” said Mehra. Trimble takes shipment data from shippers’ TMSs and dispatching and ELD data from carriers. “Once we were able to get the driver hours of service data, we could calculate initial ETAs and let carriers and shippers know whether a move is feasible or not,” Mehra said. Through the cross-platform integration, everyone uses the same standards and sees the same data. “That can prevent cascading errors,” Mehra said. “If the shipper is looking at different data points, different ETAs, they can have people set up to unload the trailer on the dock, and they won’t be there at the right time. From having people sitting idle to not having the truck ready for the next move, all that has negative cascading effects throughout the ecosystem.” Sitting behind all the trip data is mapping technology that must be updated regularly as delivery requirements get more specific. “It is very important to have any additional data you can capture, and not just the base road network data, that’s almost a commodity play,” Mehra said. “Having a road is one thing. If you have the number of lanes, that’s much more useful.” Contact William B. Cassidy at bill.cassidy@ihsmarkit.com and follow him on Twitter: @willbcassidy .

Trucking News

Logistics Technology News

Shippers map route to more accurate ETAs

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Robert Loya takes the helm of HTA as the drayage industry struggles with stagnant pricing power, increased operating costs and strong competition from new entrants, including AI-enabled platforms. </div>

Robert Loya takes the helm of HTA as the drayage industry struggles with stagnant pricing power, increased operating costs and strong competition from new entrants, including AI-enabled platforms.

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<div class="phx-topic">The chief operating officer of drayage and logistics provider TGS Logistics has been appointed the next CEO of the Harbor Trucking Association (HTA), which represents drayage operators in Los Angeles-Long Beach and Oakland, the group announced Tuesday. Robert Loya, who has more than 30 years of experience in trucking and maritime logistics, will work alongside current HTA chief Matt Schrap until Aug. 22, at which time Schrap will leave the group for employment elsewhere. HTA <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/hta-seeks-new-ceo-amid-multiple-challenges-for-west-coast-drayage-operators-6009322">announced in May</a> that Schrap, its CEO since 2021, would be leaving the organization in August. Loya takes the helm of HTA as the drayage industry nationwide struggles with <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/drayage-stakeholders-say-industry-under-threat-from-falling-rates-increased-costs-6045985">stagnant pricing power, increased operating costs and strong competition</a> from new entrants, including AI-enabled platforms. Over the past month, two California drayage operators have ceased operations, citing both the national issues and efforts to comply with state regulations to phase in newer clean-diesel trucks. Also, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/second-california-drayage-operator-shuts-business-cites-electric-truck-costs-6056822">beginning in 2035</a>, truck manufacturers will only be allowed to sell new zero-emission trucks in California. Loya has served as board president of the California Trucking Association and on the board of directors of the American Trucking Associations’ Intermodal Carriers Conference. He also served on the Intermodal Interchange Executive Committee for the Intermodal Association of North America. Loya served on the Federal Maritime Commission’s supply chain innovation teams in 2016, 2019 and 2020, contributing to notices of proposed rulemaking and industry advocacy efforts to advance the drayage sector. He remains involved with various working groups at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. HTA said in a statement its executive committee “is confident in (Loya’s) leadership and excited for the vision and direction he will bring to the Harbor Trucking Association as we move forward.” Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at <a href="mailto:bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com">bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The chief operating officer of drayage and logistics provider TGS Logistics has been appointed the next CEO of the Harbor Trucking Association (HTA), which represents drayage operators in Los Angeles-Long Beach and Oakland, the group announced Tuesday. Robert Loya, who has more than 30 years of experience in trucking and maritime logistics, will work alongside current HTA chief Matt Schrap until Aug. 22, at which time Schrap will leave the group for employment elsewhere. HTA announced in May that Schrap, its CEO since 2021, would be leaving the organization in August. Loya takes the helm of HTA as the drayage industry nationwide struggles with stagnant pricing power, increased operating costs and strong competition from new entrants, including AI-enabled platforms. Over the past month, two California drayage operators have ceased operations, citing both the national issues and efforts to comply with state regulations to phase in newer clean-diesel trucks. Also, beginning in 2035 , truck manufacturers will only be allowed to sell new zero-emission trucks in California. Loya has served as board president of the California Trucking Association and on the board of directors of the American Trucking Associations’ Intermodal Carriers Conference. He also served on the Intermodal Interchange Executive Committee for the Intermodal Association of North America. Loya served on the Federal Maritime Commission’s supply chain innovation teams in 2016, 2019 and 2020, contributing to notices of proposed rulemaking and industry advocacy efforts to advance the drayage sector. He remains involved with various working groups at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. HTA said in a statement its executive committee “is confident in (Loya’s) leadership and excited for the vision and direction he will bring to the Harbor Trucking Association as we move forward.” Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com .

Port News

Drayage

Industry veteran tapped as new CEO of Harbor Trucking Association

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The German integrator was able to offset tariff-driven volatility in the second quarter through cost-cutting measures but is facing “more of the same” in Q3, according to its CFO. </div>

The German integrator was able to offset tariff-driven volatility in the second quarter through cost-cutting measures but is facing “more of the same” in Q3, according to its CFO.

<div class="phx-topic">DHL Group on Tuesday reported a 12% increase in operating profit for the first half of 2025 despite negative currency effects and significantly lower volumes in its international express and ocean freight forwarding units during a volatile second quarter. The Bonn-based global integrator posted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of just over $1 billion (€929 million) in the first six months, with aggressive cost-cutting measures offsetting a 0.6% year-over-year drop in revenue to $47 billion. The first-half net profit increased 7.9% to $1.8 billion. “We saw the injection of volatility in the world in our Q2 numbers,” DHL CFO Melanie Kreis told analysts during an earnings call, warning that ongoing tariff uncertainty meant investors could expect “more of the same” in the third quarter. ”We are at the beginning of the third quarter, and we haven’t seen a significant acceleration in the growth dynamics, and it remains very volatile,” she said. That volatility was front and center in Express, the DHL Group’s largest division, where the removal of duty-free status on low-value imports from China and Hong Kong by the United States on May 2 cut the volume by 20% in the second quarter. That led to an overall decline of 10% in business-to-consumer (B2C) parcel shipments. The drop in express volume cut total second-quarter express revenue by 5.7% to $6.7 billion, with the Asia-Pacific segment declining 11.3% year over year. But aggressive cost-cutting, including the return of leased aircraft and reallocating aircraft capacity to other trade lanes, limited the impact, with Q2 EBIT increasing 6.9% to $840 million. “In early July, it was said the (US) de minimis rule would stay in place until the summer of 2027, then just four weeks later, we get an executive order (from the White House) which foresees the complete abolishment of de minimis for the rest of world by Aug. 29,” Kreis said. “There are still many moving parts, and we now need to watch and see what the details are, what it means for trade and where the opportunities could be,” she added. “I pushed my team to tell me the worst-case scenario, and they came up with a €200 million (US$232 million) figure for 2025 from loss of volume.” <h3>Negative currency effects </h3>The second-largest DHL segment, Global Forwarding Freight, reported second-quarter revenue was down 5.3% year over year due to a 5.9% drop in ocean volume of 796,000 TEUs and negative currency effects totaling $130 million. Revenue in the ocean segment dropped 6.8% to $1.5 billion. Air freight increased 1.2% in the second quarter to 442,000 tons with revenue falling 3.7% to $1.7 billion, primarily because of negative currency effects, DHL noted. The difficult operating environment dragged the forwarding division’s EBIT down almost 30% year over year in the second quarter to $226 million. Q2 revenue in the Supply Chain division declined 3.9% to $4.8 billion. Excluding negative currency effects of $191 million, revenue for the second quarter was on the previous year’s level. EBIT rose 24.4% to $400 million. Revenue in DHL’s e-Commerce division declined 0.7% to $1.9 billion, with EBIT down 16.1% at $65 million. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

DHL Group on Tuesday reported a 12% increase in operating profit for the first half of 2025 despite negative currency effects and significantly lower volumes in its international express and ocean freight forwarding units during a volatile second quarter. The Bonn-based global integrator posted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of just over $1 billion (€929 million) in the first six months, with aggressive cost-cutting measures offsetting a 0.6% year-over-year drop in revenue to $47 billion. The first-half net profit increased 7.9% to $1.8 billion. “We saw the injection of volatility in the world in our Q2 numbers,” DHL CFO Melanie Kreis told analysts during an earnings call, warning that ongoing tariff uncertainty meant investors could expect “more of the same” in the third quarter. ”We are at the beginning of the third quarter, and we haven’t seen a significant acceleration in the growth dynamics, and it remains very volatile,” she said. That volatility was front and center in Express, the DHL Group’s largest division, where the removal of duty-free status on low-value imports from China and Hong Kong by the United States on May 2 cut the volume by 20% in the second quarter. That led to an overall decline of 10% in business-to-consumer (B2C) parcel shipments. The drop in express volume cut total second-quarter express revenue by 5.7% to $6.7 billion, with the Asia-Pacific segment declining 11.3% year over year. But aggressive cost-cutting, including the return of leased aircraft and reallocating aircraft capacity to other trade lanes, limited the impact, with Q2 EBIT increasing 6.9% to $840 million. “In early July, it was said the (US) de minimis rule would stay in place until the summer of 2027, then just four weeks later, we get an executive order (from the White House) which foresees the complete abolishment of de minimis for the rest of world by Aug. 29,” Kreis said. “There are still many moving parts, and we now need to watch and see what the details are, what it means for trade and where the opportunities could be,” she added. “I pushed my team to tell me the worst-case scenario, and they came up with a €200 million (US$232 million) figure for 2025 from loss of volume.” Negative currency effects The second-largest DHL segment, Global Forwarding Freight, reported second-quarter revenue was down 5.3% year over year due to a 5.9% drop in ocean volume of 796,000 TEUs and negative currency effects totaling $130 million. Revenue in the ocean segment dropped 6.8% to $1.5 billion. Air freight increased 1.2% in the second quarter to 442,000 tons with revenue falling 3.7% to $1.7 billion, primarily because of negative currency effects, DHL noted. The difficult operating environment dragged the forwarding division’s EBIT down almost 30% year over year in the second quarter to $226 million. Q2 revenue in the Supply Chain division declined 3.9% to $4.8 billion. Excluding negative currency effects of $191 million, revenue for the second quarter was on the previous year’s level. EBIT rose 24.4% to $400 million. Revenue in DHL’s e-Commerce division declined 0.7% to $1.9 billion, with EBIT down 16.1% at $65 million. Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Air Cargo Carriers News

Air Cargo

DHL posts solid half-year profit despite Q2 drag on express, ocean volumes

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">While some planned larger projects are facing delays due to challenging market conditions, new facilities will benefit from renewed fiscal support from Washington. </div>

While some planned larger projects are facing delays due to challenging market conditions, new facilities will benefit from renewed fiscal support from Washington.

<div class="phx-topic">The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by the US Congress in July could energize the already active build-out of US semiconductor chip manufacturing plants, potentially driving up the demand for breakbulk and project cargo logistics and shipments. But for that to happen, the semiconductor space will need to overcome setbacks that have resulted in delays on some key construction projects for these multibillion-dollar facilities. The new legislation, which President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, expands the tax credit to 35% from the current 25%, which became available under the US CHIPS and Science Act. Passed in 2022, the US CHIPS Act incentivizes the domestic research, development and manufacturing of semiconductors — microchips that function as the brains of most modern technology applications, including smartphones, automobiles, medical devices and datacenters. When lawmakers approved the CHIPS Act, they designated $39 billion — about three-quarters of the $52.7 billion in CHIPS funding — for the construction of semiconductor fabrication facilities, or “fabs.” John Lu, global sector head of semiconductor fabrications for the industrial projects unit of DHL Global Forwarding, told the Journal of Commerce that the increased credit sends a clear signal to the semiconductor industry that it has the current administration’s backing to bring manufacturing back to the US while supporting investments that manufacturers have poured into constructing new facilities. “It simply reinforces the demand for project cargo logistics, and potentially breakbulk services required to support the growing construction needs,” Lu said. <h3>Setbacks hinder scale-up </h3>But whether the incentive translates to more construction of fabrication facilities remains to be seen. Lu pointed out that multiple US fab construction projects have encountered delays for various reasons. Among the disruptions, companies have cited challenging market conditions, fluctuating customer demands, skilled labor shortages and the slow disbursement of government funding. “It’s not confirmed that more facilities may be planned, as there requires a tremendous technological driving force to spike up the demand for more fabs,” Lu said, adding that artificial intelligence and internet of things technologies are the primary drivers of semiconductor manufacturing facility development. In February, Intel for a second time pushed back the completion date of its $20 billion Ohio One project, a pair of semiconductor production facilities that have been under construction in central Ohio since 2022. Intel now estimates it will be at least 2030 before the first facility is complete. Initial estimates were for production to begin in 2025, but that projection was later adjusted to 2027. Another project facing scrutiny is Samsung’s $44 billion chip fab under construction in central Texas. News reports have surfaced in recent months that a lack of customers could force Samsung to push back the facility’s 2026 completion date, although Samsung denied those claims in a statement to the Houston Chronicle in July. Meanwhile, the world’s largest chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), is doubling down on its US investments and accelerating construction timelines following previous project delays. In March, the company announced plans to increase its US investments by $100 billion to $165 billion. And after twice pushing back construction plans for its chip plant complex in Arizona, TSMC CEO C.C. Wei said during the company’s July 17 earnings call that the company would bump up its production timelines “by several quarters” to meet strong demand from US customers. <h3>Super loads and ‘staggering’ volumes </h3>Engineering, procurement and construction giant Bechtel is known for taking on projects that are first of a kind or massive in scale, including the Hoover Dam and the Channel Tunnel, or Chunnel, linking Great Britain and mainland Europe. Semiconductor projects have recently grown in scale to that level of projects, Kristin Homsi, Bechtel Manufacturing &amp; Technology’s supply chain manager, told the Journal of Commerce. “The construction commodity volume is staggering,” Homsi said, adding that these facilities call for novel technologies that need to be designed and engineered into existence.” Bechtel is building advanced semiconductor facilities in the Midwest for an undisclosed client, Homsi said. These kinds of projects can require as much steel as eight Eiffel Towers, and as much concrete as a new nuclear power plant. “We’re looking at piping and cabling in the millions of linear feet,” she said. “These quantities make logistics incredibly complex.” Lu pointed out that getting the manufacturing and production equipment in on time is of critical importance to the financial viability of the projects, and that logistical precision is critical to ensure facilities can start producing as soon as possible. “Every day that you’re not manufacturing, a $20 billion fab could be losing as much as $5 million a day,” he said. The demand for constructing semiconductor fabrication facilities makes for an especially heavy-lift cargo for breakbulk and project logistics providers and carriers. Constructing semiconductor fabrication plants often requires the transport and handling of extremely large, highly sensitive equipment and other components. “We’re talking about thousands and thousands of these types of materials that need to go into these fabs,” Lu said. Transporting the components and equipment involves moving massive equipment such as air processor units, tanks, water treatment components and other heavy machinery. “That requires a more specialized type of service that can handle these more technical, high-value goods,” Lu said. In the spring and summer of 2024, Intel’s $28 billion silicon chip plant under construction in central Ohio required 24 “super load” cargo movements over land. One of the loads, transported by Shelbyville, Ky.-based Edwards Moving &amp; Rigging, weighed nearly 1 million pounds. Lu said that on fabs DHL has worked on, the company has had to extensively map out the transport of supersize loads. “A lot of planning has to be done months and months in advance, just for one piece,” he said. “And it’s coming from all different locations in the US and overseas.” Contact Autumn Cafiero Giusti at <a href="mailto:autumn@autumngiusti.com">autumn@autumngiusti.com</a>. </div>

The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by the US Congress in July could energize the already active build-out of US semiconductor chip manufacturing plants, potentially driving up the demand for breakbulk and project cargo logistics and shipments. But for that to happen, the semiconductor space will need to overcome setbacks that have resulted in delays on some key construction projects for these multibillion-dollar facilities. The new legislation, which President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, expands the tax credit to 35% from the current 25%, which became available under the US CHIPS and Science Act. Passed in 2022, the US CHIPS Act incentivizes the domestic research, development and manufacturing of semiconductors — microchips that function as the brains of most modern technology applications, including smartphones, automobiles, medical devices and datacenters. When lawmakers approved the CHIPS Act, they designated $39 billion — about three-quarters of the $52.7 billion in CHIPS funding — for the construction of semiconductor fabrication facilities, or “fabs.” John Lu, global sector head of semiconductor fabrications for the industrial projects unit of DHL Global Forwarding, told the Journal of Commerce that the increased credit sends a clear signal to the semiconductor industry that it has the current administration’s backing to bring manufacturing back to the US while supporting investments that manufacturers have poured into constructing new facilities. “It simply reinforces the demand for project cargo logistics, and potentially breakbulk services required to support the growing construction needs,” Lu said. Setbacks hinder scale-up But whether the incentive translates to more construction of fabrication facilities remains to be seen. Lu pointed out that multiple US fab construction projects have encountered delays for various reasons. Among the disruptions, companies have cited challenging market conditions, fluctuating customer demands, skilled labor shortages and the slow disbursement of government funding. “It’s not confirmed that more facilities may be planned, as there requires a tremendous technological driving force to spike up the demand for more fabs,” Lu said, adding that artificial intelligence and internet of things technologies are the primary drivers of semiconductor manufacturing facility development. In February, Intel for a second time pushed back the completion date of its $20 billion Ohio One project, a pair of semiconductor production facilities that have been under construction in central Ohio since 2022. Intel now estimates it will be at least 2030 before the first facility is complete. Initial estimates were for production to begin in 2025, but that projection was later adjusted to 2027. Another project facing scrutiny is Samsung’s $44 billion chip fab under construction in central Texas. News reports have surfaced in recent months that a lack of customers could force Samsung to push back the facility’s 2026 completion date, although Samsung denied those claims in a statement to the Houston Chronicle in July. Meanwhile, the world’s largest chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), is doubling down on its US investments and accelerating construction timelines following previous project delays. In March, the company announced plans to increase its US investments by $100 billion to $165 billion. And after twice pushing back construction plans for its chip plant complex in Arizona, TSMC CEO C.C. Wei said during the company’s July 17 earnings call that the company would bump up its production timelines “by several quarters” to meet strong demand from US customers. Super loads and ‘staggering’ volumes Engineering, procurement and construction giant Bechtel is known for taking on projects that are first of a kind or massive in scale, including the Hoover Dam and the Channel Tunnel, or Chunnel, linking Great Britain and mainland Europe. Semiconductor projects have recently grown in scale to that level of projects, Kristin Homsi, Bechtel Manufacturing & Technology’s supply chain manager, told the Journal of Commerce. “The construction commodity volume is staggering,” Homsi said, adding that these facilities call for novel technologies that need to be designed and engineered into existence.” Bechtel is building advanced semiconductor facilities in the Midwest for an undisclosed client, Homsi said. These kinds of projects can require as much steel as eight Eiffel Towers, and as much concrete as a new nuclear power plant. “We’re looking at piping and cabling in the millions of linear feet,” she said. “These quantities make logistics incredibly complex.” Lu pointed out that getting the manufacturing and production equipment in on time is of critical importance to the financial viability of the projects, and that logistical precision is critical to ensure facilities can start producing as soon as possible. “Every day that you’re not manufacturing, a $20 billion fab could be losing as much as $5 million a day,” he said. The demand for constructing semiconductor fabrication facilities makes for an especially heavy-lift cargo for breakbulk and project logistics providers and carriers. Constructing semiconductor fabrication plants often requires the transport and handling of extremely large, highly sensitive equipment and other components. “We’re talking about thousands and thousands of these types of materials that need to go into these fabs,” Lu said. Transporting the components and equipment involves moving massive equipment such as air processor units, tanks, water treatment components and other heavy machinery. “That requires a more specialized type of service that can handle these more technical, high-value goods,” Lu said. In the spring and summer of 2024, Intel’s $28 billion silicon chip plant under construction in central Ohio required 24 “super load” cargo movements over land. One of the loads, transported by Shelbyville, Ky.-based Edwards Moving & Rigging, weighed nearly 1 million pounds. Lu said that on fabs DHL has worked on, the company has had to extensively map out the transport of supersize loads. “A lot of planning has to be done months and months in advance, just for one piece,” he said. “And it’s coming from all different locations in the US and overseas.” Contact Autumn Cafiero Giusti at autumn@autumngiusti.com .

Supply chain

Project cargo

Breakbulk News

Extended tax credits for chip manufacturers to boost heavy-lift cargo demand

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">TGS Logistics said state grants for electric trucks failed to stem higher costs for new equipment amid a soft rate environment. </div>

TGS Logistics said state grants for electric trucks failed to stem higher costs for new equipment amid a soft rate environment.

<div class="phx-topic">A second major California-based drayage operator has closed its doors in less than a month, raising renewed concerns that the cost of the state’s green push for low and zero-emission trucks might be hastening the demise of the companies. TGS Logistics last week shut down its operations in Northern and Southern California, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/drayage-stakeholders-say-industry-under-threat-from-falling-rates-increased-costs-6045985">following GSC Enterprises’ announcement</a> in mid-July that it ceased operations in the Oakland area. Robert Loya, chief operating officer at TGS, said that drayage operators in California rely upon “layered grants” from the state and from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. A harbor-wide clean truck program reimburses drayage providers partly for electric truck purchases, but much of the revenues collected through the $10-per-TEU fee on laden containers goes toward building electric charging infrastructure. <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/drayage-stakeholders-say-industry-under-threat-from-falling-rates-increased-costs-6045985">Drayage operators are struggling</a> in an environment marked by stagnating pricing while drayage operators’ costs have increased significantly. These market developments haven’t spared drayage operators in California who also face the additional cost of approximately $500,000 per zero-emission truck, said Matt Schrap, CEO of the Harbor Trucking Association. Drayage operators in California have been upgrading their fleets <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/proposed-california-container-fee-would-hit-bcos-5198183">with clean-diesel trucks</a> and, more recently, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/new-fee-to-support-zero-emission-drayage-fleet-at-la-lb-5228423">with the purchase of zero-emission trucks</a>. Those purchases have “exacerbated” current market conditions, he said. The ports since 2022 together have collected about $250 million in revenue from the Clean Truck Fund (CTF) rate. The grants to individual drayage companies are made when the zero-emission vehicles are delivered. The ports continue to modify the CTF rate so that it will have a greater impact on the financial capability of drayage operators to purchase zero-emission vehicles, said Noel Hacegaba, chief operating officer of the Port of Long Beach. Bryan Brandes maritime director at the Port of Oakland, said drayage operators in California — who are already struggling with waning pricing power and increased operating costs and at the same time are purchasing clean-diesel and zero-emission vehicles — run the risk of following TGS’ fate. “TGS was trying to be a leader in the clean-truck movement,” Brandes said. Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at <a href="mailto:bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com">bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

A second major California-based drayage operator has closed its doors in less than a month, raising renewed concerns that the cost of the state’s green push for low and zero-emission trucks might be hastening the demise of the companies. TGS Logistics last week shut down its operations in Northern and Southern California, following GSC Enterprises’ announcement in mid-July that it ceased operations in the Oakland area. Robert Loya, chief operating officer at TGS, said that drayage operators in California rely upon “layered grants” from the state and from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. A harbor-wide clean truck program reimburses drayage providers partly for electric truck purchases, but much of the revenues collected through the $10-per-TEU fee on laden containers goes toward building electric charging infrastructure. Drayage operators are struggling in an environment marked by stagnating pricing while drayage operators’ costs have increased significantly. These market developments haven’t spared drayage operators in California who also face the additional cost of approximately $500,000 per zero-emission truck, said Matt Schrap, CEO of the Harbor Trucking Association. Drayage operators in California have been upgrading their fleets with clean-diesel trucks and, more recently, with the purchase of zero-emission trucks . Those purchases have “exacerbated” current market conditions, he said. The ports since 2022 together have collected about $250 million in revenue from the Clean Truck Fund (CTF) rate. The grants to individual drayage companies are made when the zero-emission vehicles are delivered. The ports continue to modify the CTF rate so that it will have a greater impact on the financial capability of drayage operators to purchase zero-emission vehicles, said Noel Hacegaba, chief operating officer of the Port of Long Beach. Bryan Brandes maritime director at the Port of Oakland, said drayage operators in California — who are already struggling with waning pricing power and increased operating costs and at the same time are purchasing clean-diesel and zero-emission vehicles — run the risk of following TGS’ fate. “TGS was trying to be a leader in the clean-truck movement,” Brandes said. Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com .

Surface

Second California drayage operator shuts business, cites electric truck costs

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">But the increase in truck counts at large truckload providers is more about anticipated growth than any change in current demand. </div>

But the increase in truck counts at large truckload providers is more about anticipated growth than any change in current demand.

<div class="phx-topic">Large US truckload carriers are beginning to add capacity to their fleets after three years of deep cuts, pushing the Journal of Commerce Truckload Capacity Index (TCI) up 1.1 percentage points sequentially in the second quarter to a reading of 76%. The capacity gain was only a trickle of tractors, but it caused the first increase in the TCI in 11 quarters, signaling growing — if not cautious — confidence among trucking executives that the freight downturn that began in 2022, while not yet finished, is finally approaching its end. The TCI was down 0.9 of a percentage point year over year, but the gain from the first quarter indicates the index could soon turn positive on an annualized basis, perhaps by year-end. The increase isn’t a reaction to higher demand in today’s US domestic freight market. Instead, the gain in capacity shows truckload carriers are slowly and judiciously preparing for higher volumes that may arrive in the fourth quarter of 2025 and early 2026. Contract rates negotiated with shippers are either flat or up by low single-digit percentages, carriers report. Capacity is still widely available, and while small and midsized carriers continue to leave the market, shippers retain pricing power. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="bbf4a072-889b-4bbf-94bd-cd682d4252d0"></dynamic-object></div>“The impact of accumulated inflation remains a drag on the amount of truckload freight generated in relation to consumer spending,” Frank Lonegro, president and CEO of Landstar System, told Wall Street analysts during a July 29 earnings call. “Truck capacity continued to be readily available with small pockets of supply-demand equilibrium and market conditions continue to favor the shipper,” Lonegro said. Several truckload shippers have told the Journal of Commerce that they’ve given some carriers small rate increases this year simply to retain access to their capacity, not because of any significant tightness in the marketplace. <h3>Looking ahead </h3>The second-quarter increase in the TCI — which measures changes in actual truck counts at a select group of large, publicly-owned truckload carriers — indicates the US domestic freight market is doing more than just bouncing along the bottom it hit in mid-2022. Shippers are evaluating their capacity needs for the second half of the year and for 2026 amid volatile changes in US trade and tariff policy. Those who expect freight demand and the US economy to improve are looking to secure capacity ahead of any crunch. “We’re having some discussions around doing some peak projects,” Adam Miller, CEO of Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, told Wall Street analysts July 23. “There’s some discussion about what capacity may look like at scale,” Miller said during an earnings call. “[When capacity gets tight], that’s when a carrier of our size at our different brands has the ability to come in and solve large problems for our customers.” Knight-Swift cut its average truckload tractor count by 6.6% year over year in the second quarter and by 6.3% in the first half of 2025. CFO Andrew Hess told analysts Knight-Swift’s truck count should be stable through the rest of 2025. A <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/truckload-carriers-balance-networks-as-tariff-uncertainty-shifts-demand-6052453">reshuffling of capacity</a> across lanes, driven in part by higher US tariffs, is also affecting demand. In the second quarter, Werner Enterprises increased its truck count 1.4% sequentially from the first quarter and 1.1% from a year ago to 7,545 trucks. That’s still a 12.3% reduction compared with a peak of 8,600 trucks in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to company data. “Our one-way fleet size increased sequentially, driven in part from engineered pop-up solutions in response to customer requests,” Derek Leathers, Werner chairman and CEO, told Wall Street analysts July 29. “We have assets in place to support growth through the rest of this year,” Leathers said. <h3>Adding capacity as needed </h3>Other large trucking companies say shippers are seeking to ensure carriers can ramp up capacity as demand grows. “Their conversations with us focus on how to dynamically optimize their supply chain and capacity plans to meet their service needs,” Bradley Hicks, president of dedicated contract services for J.B. Hunt Transport Services, said during a July 15 earnings call. J.B. Hunt wants to be ready with people and equipment “whenever that demand does occur over the next few months,” Spencer Frazier, executive vice president of sales and marketing, said during the call. J.B. Hunt Truckload, the company’s smallest division, increased its one-way truckload capacity by 10.2% sequentially and 7.6% from a year ago in the second quarter. “We’re not banking on big demand improvement, but we do think the supply story will continue to play out,” with more carriers exiting the market, Werner’s Leathers said. Executives at large truckload carriers have been predicting — incorrectly — an imminent shortfall in capacity as smaller providers have left the market over the past three years. Today, they’re more cautious about predictions. “Anecdotally, we hear about failures in our industry, [and] some are sizeable fleets, but it’s always hard to have a good feel about what’s happening with capacity,” Knight-Swift’s Miller said. “We think it’s going to be a slow process for capacity to exit the market.” Contact William B. Cassidy at <a href="mailto:bill.cassidy@spglobal.com">bill.cassidy@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Large US truckload carriers are beginning to add capacity to their fleets after three years of deep cuts, pushing the Journal of Commerce Truckload Capacity Index (TCI) up 1.1 percentage points sequentially in the second quarter to a reading of 76%. The capacity gain was only a trickle of tractors, but it caused the first increase in the TCI in 11 quarters, signaling growing — if not cautious — confidence among trucking executives that the freight downturn that began in 2022, while not yet finished, is finally approaching its end. The TCI was down 0.9 of a percentage point year over year, but the gain from the first quarter indicates the index could soon turn positive on an annualized basis, perhaps by year-end. The increase isn’t a reaction to higher demand in today’s US domestic freight market. Instead, the gain in capacity shows truckload carriers are slowly and judiciously preparing for higher volumes that may arrive in the fourth quarter of 2025 and early 2026. Contract rates negotiated with shippers are either flat or up by low single-digit percentages, carriers report. Capacity is still widely available, and while small and midsized carriers continue to leave the market, shippers retain pricing power. “The impact of accumulated inflation remains a drag on the amount of truckload freight generated in relation to consumer spending,” Frank Lonegro, president and CEO of Landstar System, told Wall Street analysts during a July 29 earnings call. “Truck capacity continued to be readily available with small pockets of supply-demand equilibrium and market conditions continue to favor the shipper,” Lonegro said. Several truckload shippers have told the Journal of Commerce that they’ve given some carriers small rate increases this year simply to retain access to their capacity, not because of any significant tightness in the marketplace. Looking ahead The second-quarter increase in the TCI — which measures changes in actual truck counts at a select group of large, publicly-owned truckload carriers — indicates the US domestic freight market is doing more than just bouncing along the bottom it hit in mid-2022. Shippers are evaluating their capacity needs for the second half of the year and for 2026 amid volatile changes in US trade and tariff policy. Those who expect freight demand and the US economy to improve are looking to secure capacity ahead of any crunch. “We’re having some discussions around doing some peak projects,” Adam Miller, CEO of Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, told Wall Street analysts July 23. “There’s some discussion about what capacity may look like at scale,” Miller said during an earnings call. “[When capacity gets tight], that’s when a carrier of our size at our different brands has the ability to come in and solve large problems for our customers.” Knight-Swift cut its average truckload tractor count by 6.6% year over year in the second quarter and by 6.3% in the first half of 2025. CFO Andrew Hess told analysts Knight-Swift’s truck count should be stable through the rest of 2025. A reshuffling of capacity across lanes, driven in part by higher US tariffs, is also affecting demand. In the second quarter, Werner Enterprises increased its truck count 1.4% sequentially from the first quarter and 1.1% from a year ago to 7,545 trucks. That’s still a 12.3% reduction compared with a peak of 8,600 trucks in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to company data. “Our one-way fleet size increased sequentially, driven in part from engineered pop-up solutions in response to customer requests,” Derek Leathers, Werner chairman and CEO, told Wall Street analysts July 29. “We have assets in place to support growth through the rest of this year,” Leathers said. Adding capacity as needed Other large trucking companies say shippers are seeking to ensure carriers can ramp up capacity as demand grows. “Their conversations with us focus on how to dynamically optimize their supply chain and capacity plans to meet their service needs,” Bradley Hicks, president of dedicated contract services for J.B. Hunt Transport Services, said during a July 15 earnings call. J.B. Hunt wants to be ready with people and equipment “whenever that demand does occur over the next few months,” Spencer Frazier, executive vice president of sales and marketing, said during the call. J.B. Hunt Truckload, the company’s smallest division, increased its one-way truckload capacity by 10.2% sequentially and 7.6% from a year ago in the second quarter. “We’re not banking on big demand improvement, but we do think the supply story will continue to play out,” with more carriers exiting the market, Werner’s Leathers said. Executives at large truckload carriers have been predicting — incorrectly — an imminent shortfall in capacity as smaller providers have left the market over the past three years. Today, they’re more cautious about predictions. “Anecdotally, we hear about failures in our industry, [and] some are sizeable fleets, but it’s always hard to have a good feel about what’s happening with capacity,” Knight-Swift’s Miller said. “We think it’s going to be a slow process for capacity to exit the market.” Contact William B. Cassidy at bill.cassidy@spglobal.com .

Truckload

Truckload capacity index turns upward as carriers cautiously add trucks

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At SSA Marine Mexico, we firmly believe that business development must go hand in hand with social and environmental well-being. Our vision is not solely focused on operating efficiently, but also on creating a meaningful and positive impact in the communities where we are present. Since 1995, we have reaffirmed this commitment through tangible actions that reflect our core values of responsibility, solidarity, and sustainability. <span class="joc_admin__inline-image joc_admin__inline-image-aspect-ratio-3_2 joc_admin__inline-image-position-left joc_admin__inline-image-size-medium" data-figure-size="medium" data-figure-position="left" data-figure-aspect-ratio="3:2"><img src="/content-assets/1752584535914_Photo%201.jpg" alt="" class="joc_admin__inline-image-inherit"> A Year of Major Achievements Over the past year, we allocated more than $107,000 USD to the implementation of 60 social and environmental projects, positively impacting over 7,800 people across various regions of Mexico. Each initiative was designed with a holistic approach, addressing key areas that contribute to long-term community development. Education: Laying the Foundation for the Future Education is one of the most powerful tools to promote social mobility and equitable development. At SSA Marine Mexico, we support academic initiatives that inspire and empower the next generation of leaders. One of our most impactful partnerships was with the University of Colima, where we sponsored the “Reto Camp” program. This initiative encourages university students to develop innovative solutions in the fields of sustainability, logistics, and port operations, offering them mentorship, tools, and real-world challenges to solve. In addition, we donated microscopes, school supplies, and educational materials to institutions in underserved communities, helping to improve the learning environment and provide students with the resources they need to succeed. 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These efforts included donations to orphanages and shelters, as well as support for the National Institute of Migration and grassroots organizations dedicated to protecting and empowering people facing adversity. By standing with those in need, we reinforce our commitment to inclusion and social justice, values that are central to our identity as a responsible company. <span class="joc_admin__inline-image joc_admin__inline-image-aspect-ratio-3_2 joc_admin__inline-image-position-left joc_admin__inline-image-size-medium" data-figure-size="medium" data-figure-position="left" data-figure-aspect-ratio="3:2"><img src="/content-assets/1752584944645_Photo%202.png" alt="" class="joc_admin__inline-image-inherit">Culture: Strengthening Community Identity Cultural identity is a key element in building resilient and united communities. At SSA Marine Mexico, we actively participate in the organization and sponsorship of cultural events that celebrate local traditions and foster civic pride. 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In 2024, we invested $22 million USD in the acquisition of 11 state-of-the-art E-RTG cranes. These electric rubber-tired gantry cranes represent a significant technological advancement in port equipment. Seven of them are already operating on clean electric energy, resulting in a reduction of nearly 4,000 tons of CO₂ emissions and improving operational efficiency by 7%. The remaining four cranes are fully compatible with future electrification, underscoring our long-term strategy to modernize our operations in an environmentally responsible way. This investment is part of a broader innovation roadmap that includes digitalization, automation, and cleaner energy sources—all designed to ensure that our ports continue to grow without compromising the health of our planet. Building a Better Tomorrow, Together At SSA Marine Mexico, we understand that sustainability is a shared and ongoing responsibility. True impact requires collaboration across sectors, long-term vision, and unwavering commitment. That is why we continue to work hand-in-hand with local authorities, non-profit organizations, universities, and our own employees to create solutions that are both scalable and sustainable. Our journey is far from over. In the years ahead, we will continue to deepen our community engagement, explore cleaner technologies, and strengthen the social fabric of the regions where we operate. Each initiative, no matter the size, is a step toward building a future where business success goes hand-in-hand with human and environmental prosperity. We are proud of what we have achieved in 2024, but we are even more excited about what lies ahead. SSA Marine Mexico — Moving the World, Caring for People and Planet. LINK: https://www.ssamarine.mx/

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