News - Industry News

TMS provider augments growing investment in drayage technology

[caption caption="A new TMS for drayage companies is available in eight US port markets, including New York-New Jersey, Los Angeles-Long Beach, Savannah, Norfolk, and Houston. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]A new technology provider to the port drayage industry on Tuesday released a transportation management system (TMS) designed primarily around automating non-revenue-generating operational...

Kuehne + Nagel posts solid Q3 result, but urges Q4 caution

[caption caption="Demand for Kuehne + Nagel domestic transport capacities in Europe in the third quarter was back to pre-crisis levels. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]Kuehne + Nagel increased its pricing power in the third quarter while still growing air and ocean volumes, capitalizing on an operating environment that has improved rapidly since...

Halifax container backlog mostly gone, but delays remain

[caption caption="About 1,800 containers were diverted to Halifax due to the recurring strikes at Montreal in August. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]The Halifax Port Authority has dug out most of its backlog stemming from ships diverted there after labor action disruptions in Montreal in August, but containers are still sitting on the...

JOC Rankings: E-commerce boosted 2019 parcel carrier revenues

[caption caption="Global parcel delivery and last-mile providers saw their combined 2019 revenues tick up 1.9 percent to $267.7 billion, data shows. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]Consumers’ increasing preference for buying things online drove much of the revenue growth seen in the world’s largest freight transportation providers in 2019, and last year’s leaders...

Youredi seeks to ease integration woes for logistics industry

[caption caption="The importance of system integration in logistics has increased as a raft of browser-based technologies gain traction and need to be connected to existing systems. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]Youredi, the maritime and logistics system integrations specialist, on Tuesday launched a new program intended to help companies manage a range of...

DCSA wades into port call optimization discussion

[caption caption="While DCSA is attempting to standardize definitions of port call data between carriers and terminals, ship captains are still largely in control of when vessels arrive in port. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) on Tuesday released new data definitions for the container vessel port call process...

CP, Maersk ink rail agreement for Vancouver, Montreal

[caption caption="The CEO of Canadian Pacific sees “a strong relationship developing” with Maersk following the second agreement between the two companies in just over a month. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]Canadian Pacific Railway said Monday it has inked a multi-year agreement with A.P. Møller-Maersk under which the railroad will move the carrier’s...

LA–LB congestion expected to worsen as ‘record’ imports arrive

[caption][/caption] The congestion that has plagued the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in recent months is expected to worsen over the next two weeks owing to what is being called a “record” level of imports, non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOs) and terminal operators told JOC.com Monday.Productivity at the 12 container...

Drayage shortage crimps supply chain amid quick demand recovery

[caption caption="With a rapid resurgence in volume in ports and intermodal ramps, finding drivers to haul containers has become increasingly difficult. Photo credit: Ari Ashe."][/caption]The amount of available drayage capacity in the market to handle container movements has dwindled in recent months due to a combination of factors. Those include...

Ag shippers beset by ‘earliest return date’ problems: study

[caption caption="Agriculture exporters say they face operational impacts, costs, and administrative costs associated with a lack of communication on changes to container earliest return dates. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]US agricultural exporters say shipping lines are poor at communicating changes to so-called earliest return dates (ERDs) for containers, creating costs to manage...

OOG logistics platform e2log widens its scope

[caption caption="Logistics technology platform e2log specializes in OOG cargo but has broadened its approach to the market. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]Logistics management platform e2log, originally aimed squarely at oversized and out-of-gauge (OOG) cargo, has expanded its focus. Clients wanted a single platform that also managed the many freight tons of ancillary...

Zim offers Alibaba shoppers direct e-commerce ocean services

[caption caption="Sellers on China’s largest e-commerce trading platform, Alibaba.com, can now buy sea freight space directly from Zim. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]Zim Integrated Shipping Services has moved deeper into the booming cross-border e-commerce market by entering into an ocean freight deal with Chinese online shopping giant Alibaba.The strategic agreement, the implementation...

Premium container service uptake pulls industry away from commoditization

[caption caption="Market conditions seen in 2020 are likely to carry over into trans-Pacific contract negotiations next year. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]Amid the current market of record-high container freight rates and widespread equipment shortages, which are likely temporary despite the pain inflicted on shippers, there are signs of a longer-term change in...

Pandemic requires shippers, carriers to realign contract expectations

[caption caption="Shippers and carriers need to rethink priorities and contingencies before signing long-term contracts in a pandemic environment wrought with uncertainty. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]Shippers are increasingly confronted with a dilemma over how they should approach contract negotiations for longer-term durations with carriers. This is especially acute for shippers using contracts...

Q3 intermodal results hurt by congestion, poor velocity: J.B. Hunt

[caption caption="J.B. Hunt reported a 2 percent increase in intermodal volumes, lower than what will be at least a 7 percent increase in industry-wide 53-foot container volume when IANA releases final figures. Photo credit: Ari Ashe."][/caption]J.B. Hunt Transport Services Friday reported weaker-than-expected third-quarter results in its intermodal division, citing network...

Drewry upgrades ’20 carrier profit guidance to $11 billion

[caption caption="An unexpectedly strong recovery of demand since the second-quarter lockdowns will lead carriers to healthy profits in 2020. Photo credit: Drewry."][/caption]Drewry has upgraded its operating profit expectation for container shipping in 2020 by 16 percent to $11 billion — a level not seen in a decade — following “meteoric third-quarter rate...

China–Europe air cargo rates climb as new products hit the market

[caption caption="Product launches are competing for space with general air cargo and medical equipment. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]Air cargo rates on the China-Europe trade are responding to rising demand as product launches from 5G smartphones to gaming consoles put pressure on already limited capacity.Average spot rates on the Shanghai-North Europe route...

Forwarders turn to visibility for customer leverage

[caption caption="Shippers largely want supply chain visibility conveyed to them in systems they already use, or via logistics service providers with which they have existing relationships. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]Visibility software continues to be an elusive space to categorize due to the complex range of offerings in the market and varied...

New breakbulk terminal opens in New Orleans

[caption caption="Steel coils being transshipped from ship to barge at the Port of New Orleans. Photo credit: Port of New Orleans."][/caption]Gulf Stream Marine (GSM)'s newest breakbulk, bulk and project cargo terminal, locatedm at the Alabo Street Wharf in New Orleans, began operations on October 7 and will be receiving vessels...

Canadian, US East Coast ports redrawing rail routing for imports

[caption caption="Western Canadian and US Northeast ports are capturing a larger share of ocean containers moving into Chicago railyards (pictured). Photo credit: Shutterstock.com."][/caption]Western Canadian ports are gaining an increasingly larger share of imports traveling by rail to the US Midwest, while US East Coast ports are making similar inroads into...