Intermodal

TSA says truck and driver shortages, rail and terminal congestion have pushed up intermodal rates and cargo handling costs.

The Teamsters continues drayge organizing drive and sees Hub settlement as game changer.

CSX says intermodal volumes in the thrid quarter were 5-percent higher.

The chassis shortage spurs action by Long Beach to keep cargo fluid.

SoCal port says new supply of chassis is first step towards congestion relief.

EPA program emphasises supply-chain collaboration to cut pollution.

Puget Sound ports said cooperation plan is a response to the competitive pressures in the container industry.

   Contemporary anecdotal evidence suggests, and recent empirical substantiation supports, the phenomenon that shippers are continually misusing Incoterms. This practice continues among the world’s shippers despite the International Chamber of […]

Problems faced by trucking, other shipping industries foster inland transport changes.

Truck and rail transporters find money in the movement of liquid bulk tanks.

   A recent decision that affirmed two decisions by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (Sompo Japan v. Norfolk Southern et al. and Nipponkoa Insurance […]

Expansion strategy rests on accelerated volume growth, higher rates and innovative financing.

Rep. Lowenthal says bill would raise $8 billion for dedicated freight fund.

TSA announces contract rate objectives for 2015-16, differentials for 20-foot and high-cube boxes.

Port operators, users say cargo delays caused by inefficient system.

Companies hope to put gray pool in place by beginning of 2015.

The smartway program promotes collaboration, innovation to cut pollution.

Service providers detail intermodal issues at the annual IANA conference.

The FMC agreement would allow two ports to discuss congestion issues.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has set Greenville Yard terminal to be its fourth ExpressRail terminal.

The major bulk chemical hauler will gradually roll out the product across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

TIGER funding will go to 72 projects, 13 percent of which are in the maritime sector.

Containerization and Intermodal Institute is recognizing the CEO of MSC’s U.S. subsidiary for his leadership.

Space Coast port courts new lines of cargo business, makes investments to ignite growth.

Shippers want a more balanced truckload market in which to move freight.

Israeli liner carrier believes it has renewed vigor now that restructuring is complete.

Can a distributor of DVDs expand and diversify its 3PL business?

U.S. freight industry is ready to take off, but other regional economies still need to catch up.

Steven Rubin, who has been serving on an interim basis, is named president and chief executive officer at Horizon Lines.

Quality Carriers, a provider of bulk chemical transportation services, has expanded into Charleston.

   Maryland’s Department of Transportation has terminated an agreement with CSX to build the Baltimore Rail Intermodal Facility at Morrell Park and has pulled all state funding from the project. […]

   Direct ChassisLink Inc., the Charlotte, N.C.-based chassis leasing company formed when Maersk Line decided to divest itself of its chassis fleet, has acquired REZ-1, a provider of domestic intermodal […]

   The Alabama State Port Authority on Monday completed the purchase of two industrial properties formerly owned by Walter Energy.    The properties cost the port $25 million, and include […]

   The port said the 12-acre project will result “in a modern and efficient intermodal container transfer terminal to facilitate the movement of marine and rail cargo, while enhancing safety […]

   The asset tracking solutions provider Globe Tracker International has begun a partnership with Refrigerated Transport Electronics, a developer and manufacturer of monitoring products for the intermodal refrigerated container industry, […]

California funds study of hybrid dray trucks powered by overhead wires to achieve cleaner air.    The demise of the electric trolley car network that once crisscrossed Los Angeles is […]

Small Calif. firm wants to commercialize cheaper, clean-air alternative to electrifying berthed vessels.    In an effort to reduce air pollution, West Coast ports and shipping lines have spent hundreds […]

   Last year might be one both shippers and transportation companies moving cargo through the Port of New York and New Jersey would like to forget. Congestion got so bad […]

Looming capacity shortage, regulatory demands and driver shortage triggers.    After high spot rates during the first few months of the year, prices for van, refrigerated and flatbed transport came […]

   A new company, Minyan Marine, believes it has a winning formula for building a successful “marine highway” operation.    While coastal shipping of containers or truck trailers are common […]

   The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Fund, which owns marine terminal operations at ports in New York and Vancouver, Canada, is actively seeking to grow its portfolio of infrastructure assets. But […]

   “DP World Vancouver is still experiencing an extremely high discharge volume of U.S. cargoes. This, combined with a Canadian cargo increase and rail car supply that does not meet […]

   “The second quarter results were indicative of a rebounding economy and higher-than-predicted import shipments,” said Joni Casey, president and chief executive officer of the Intermodal Association of North America.

   Deutsche Bank recently put Maher on the sales block. Maher operates the largest terminal in the Port of New York and New Jersey, as well as the Prince Rupert intermodal […]

   Liner carrier Hamburg Süd has opened an office in Nanjing, increasing its operational footprint in China to 20 locations.    All tasks that were previously carried out by the […]

   During the second quarter, C.H. Robinson saw total revenues rise 6.5 percent, year-over-year, to more than $3.5 billion, as net income increased by 6 percent to $118.5 million.    […]

   Exel has formed a new freight brokerage company, Exel Freight Connect, to help connect its customers with carriers across the United States, Canada and Mexico.     The new company […]

   Norfolk Southern officials said the railroad broke a record for net income during the third quarter, generating $562 million, a 21-percent, year-over-year rise.    Income from railway operations experienced […]

   Freight tonnage will rise 23.5 percent between 2013 and 2025, as freight revenue increases by 72 percent during the same period, according to the American Trucking Associations’ “U.S. Freight […]

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has received 20 ocean transportation intermediary license applications and changes for review.

Cantwell    Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., a long-time advocate for freight investment, plans to sponsor a bill that would support greater development of freight infrastructure as part of a long-term […]

   CMA CGM said that through its Greenmodal Transport subsidiary it has acquired a 15.5-percent stake in a company building an intermodal terminal in Marseille.    Other partners in the […]

   Officials said that growth is coming on the strength of upward trends in the intermodal and oil and gas markets, and that this growth would allow them to increase […]

   J.B. Hunt earned $93.4 million during the second quarter, up nearly $6 million from the same period last year, on fairly robust revenue results for most of its segments. […]

   A Norfolk Southern train hauling vehicles and intermodal cargo from Lousiville, Ky., to Norfolk, Va., derailed Monday.    A dozen autorack cars and two double-stack intermodal rail cars traveling […]

   The 43-acre rail transfer center increases the railroad’s intermodal capacity at the Fort Lauderdale port from 100,000 to 450,000 lifts per year and reduces local traffic congestion and dray […]

New Jersey marine facility adds capacity for big ships with large technology investment.    The seven-year-old APM Terminals facility at the Port of Virginia no longer is the most modern, […]

Port of San Francisco sees a future in breakbulk, bulk cargo.    Since 2005, when the Port of San Francisco stopped handling containers, its cargo business has dropped dramatically, from […]

   Global Container Terminal is not the only facility at the Port of New York and New Jersey being upgraded.    Port Newark Container Terminal expects to put into operation […]

   The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on Tuesday gave final approval to two new incentives for carriers aimed at making the more port more competitive with other West […]

   Domestic intermodal traffic jumped to a record 270,243 units during the week ended June 14, a 6.3-percent, year-over-year, rise, according to the Association of American Railroads.    Domestic rail […]

Surprised by China’s decision to block the P3 Alliance’s proposal? So was most of the shipping world. Tune in to this 35-minutes podcast to hear American Shipper and BlueWater Reporting […]

   Union Pacific has increased service levels for its “premium” intermodal offerings to Chicago beginning in Portland and Northern California.    According to a press release, officials made the change […]

   Domestic freight activity inched up by 0.4 percent from March to April, led by trucking and intermodal growth, according to recently released figures collected by the Department of Transportation. […]

Rotunda Capital acquires majority stake in third-party warehousing, fulfillment services provider.    Private equity firm Rotunda Capital Partners has acquired a majority stake in Amware Logistics Services, a provider of […]

   The U.S. International Trade Commission recently voted to continue an investigation, first announced in May, of imported 53-foot dry containers used to move intermodal cargo within the United States. […]

BNSF and Ferromex    BNSF Railway, the largest freight railroad in the United States, will launch its first intermodal service offering in Mexico on May 27 in partnership with Mexico’s […]

   The U.S. Commerce Department this week initiated antidumping and countervailing duty investigations into imports of 53-foot domestic dry containers from China.    Dumping occurs when a foreign company sells […]

Public-private partnerships provide $26 billion to upgrade country’s maritime facilities.    The government of Brazil has embarked on an ambitious, multibillion-dollar port modernization and expansion program to help make the […]

   The importance of maintaining and improving infrastructure cannot be overstated. That’s because when cargo movement is delayed, redirected or seriously impeded, critical shipping deadlines are missed, orders get canceled, […]

EPA ramps up effort to improve air quality around nation’s seaports.

   The United States needs a larger U.S.-flag fleet to support national security requirements and boost the economy, and that requires adopting policies to help expand international cargo opportunities for […]

   Condolences and remembrances continued to pour in Monday for former House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar, who died unexpectedly over the weekend. The Minnesota congressman carved out a […]

   The Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA) is recommending a freight rate increase of $700 per 40-foot container on July 1 for “protein shipments” –refrigerated meat such as beef, pork and […]

   The Alabama State Port Authority Board of Directors on Friday authorized the acquisition of two industrial tracts at the Port of Mobile, the authority announced Monday.    The tracts […]

   The North American Free Trade Agreement has achieved its goal of increasing trade, lowering tariffs and making transportation more efficient during its first 20 years in force, but several […]

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   James Caponiti has been appointed president of the American Maritime Congress, a nonprofit organization representing the U.S. maritime industry. He has been executive director of AMC since October 2011. […]

   Swift Transportation said earnings per share during the first quarter will fall between $0.11 and $0.13, a lower-than-expected range that comes as a result of severe weather and its […]

CEO Lovetro says chassis pool operator “intent on providing a broader suite of services.”    TRAC Intermodal, the largest chassis leasing company in North America, is looking to enter the […]

MarAd’s acting chief says “cargo will create a demand for ships, and ships create a demand for mariners.”      A year after taking charge of the U.S. Maritime Administration, […]

   Congestion attributed to labor shortages, computer glitches, and a reduced supply of container chassis led the Port of Authority of New York and New Jersey in December to form […]

   The Virginia Port Authority in early April outlined a series of recent steps, as well as future ones, to address poor terminal productivity that has caused congestion for motor […]

STB weighs arguments for competitive switching between railroads.    At the end of March, an anticipated public hearing by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board brought more than eight hours of […]

EDF’s Green Freight initiative helps companies lower their emissions while building a business case for sustainability.EDF’s Green Freight initiative helps companies lower their emissions while building a business case for […]

   Last month I wrote about Tiger Cool Express and several other providers of temperature-controlled transport (“Refrigerated rail heats up,” pages 34-42). Buried in the story is a brief mention […]

   CSX has begun operating a sophisticated, new intermodal terminal in Winter Haven, Fla., about 45 minutes west of Orlando.     The facility will serve as an end-of-line rail hub […]

   XPO Logistics has closed its $335 million acquisition of Pacer, completing a deal that was announced in January.    Daniel Avramovich, Pacer’s former chief executive officer, has taken over […]

   BMW’s announcement Friday that it will invest $1 billion to expand its plant in Spartanburg County, S.C., underscores the increasing resurgence in domestic U.S. manufacturing, growth in foreign direct investment, […]

   Stratford Land, a Dallas-based land investment and management company, has broken ground on RiverPort Business Park in Hardeeville, S.C.    The property is located four miles from the I-95 […]

   Four Fortune 100 companies and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway have formed the Alliance for American Competitiveness to push Washington to make strategic investments in infrastructure that support economic […]

NYK said that starting May 1, it will no longer provide chassis at marine, truck depot and intermodal rail facilities in Long Beach, Calif.; Los Angeles; San Diego, Calif.; and […]

   The boards of third party logistics providers Coyote Logistics of Chicago and Access America Transport in Chattanooga, Tenn., have approved a merger agreement.    Terms of the deal were […]

   As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been winding down over the past several years, U.S.-flag carriers have had to increasingly diversify their cargo base toward other U.S.-flag […]

   Crowley said its Carib Energy subsidiary has been awarded a multi-year contract to supply containerized, U.S.-sourced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to its first industrial customer, Coca-Cola Puerto Rico Bottlers […]

   Russian intermodal transport operator Ruscon has started a scheduled flexitank container service to Kazakhstan.    In the first quarter of 2014, about 40 containers arrived from Italy at the […]

   Florida Gov. Rick Scott visited the Jacksonville Port Authority on Monday to kick-off the beginning phase of the Intermodal Container Transfer Facility, which is expected to be completed in […]

   Anchorage, Alaska, is suing the federal government in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims over what it says is the U.S. Maritime Administration’s (MarAd) “breach and complete abdication of […]

   President Barack Obama on Tuesday released a $3.9 trillion budget for fiscal year 2015, with a 2.6-percent budget increase for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a $10 billion freight […]

   Shippers have begun getting squeezed by truck capacity, according to an industry note by Cowen and Company.    The firm said that during the South West Association of Rail […]