News

A study commissioned by consultancy SEA\LNG and its partner promoting the use of LNG as a marine fuel shows that LNG can cut carbon emissions by up to 28 percent, though there are questions over the study’s methodology.

Data on producer prices shows that wholesale inflation pressure jumped in March, driven by rising gas prices. Industry detail showed that overall trucking rates continued to decline in March, led by the largest monthly decline in long-distance truckload rates in over four years.

What The Truck?!? episode 63What the Truck is going on in all things freight this week? Our focus this week is on regulatory moves, final mile and LTL, and updates in freight tech and capital investment. This week Ellis Smith joins Chad Prevost in the studio while JP is on assignment in Orlando covering the TIA Conference.

Marc Moncion of Fleet Complete predicts forthcoming regulations will ensure a stronger vetting process for electronic logging devices than in the U.S.

Don’t underestimate Mother Nature. Numerous truck drivers in the Midwest lost control while moving through a major snowstorm Thursday.

Cocoa farming in Africa witnesses a lot of forced and child labor, which can be eliminated if the stakeholders within chocolate supply chains can have transparency on end-to-end operations.

The port’s volumes in March grew 12.7 percent year-over-year to 650,977 TEUs.

8/10 Survey respondents believe digital, next-gen supply chains will be the predominant model in 5 years.

The grounding of all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft has caused many problems; it has also created an opportunity for freight forwarders. Read a market expert’s take on the situation.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao on Wednesday defended the proposed budget, a 4 percent decrease from FY 2019-enacted levels.

WebCargo by Freightos has acquired India-based Air Freight Bazaar, with the intent of expanding its footstep in global air cargo digitalization.

Plus: Amazon acquires warehouse robotics startup; Germany reckons with electric vehicles

Both companies share a common goal – giving small companies the leverage they need to play in the big leagues.

Inexpensive cloud-based technology is leveling the playing field between small, mid-sized, and large 3PLs.

The nomination of Nazak Nikakhtar to undersecretary of Commerce for industry and security helps fill the most senior role at the Bureau of Industry and Security.

Transfix is betting that its carriers care more about asset utilization than rate per mile.

House Ways and Means Committee Democrats say passage of labor law reform legislation by the Mexican congress is needed before they support the agreement.

The port’s throughput grew by 4.2 percent year-over-year in the first quarter and by 10.7 percent year-over-year in March.

While tariff fight may not repeat itself, other factors that lead to drayage capacity crisis still in play for shippers this year.

The study found gas-fueled engines reduced well-to-wake greenhouse gas emissions up to 21 percent for two-stroke slow-speed engines.

Year-to-date the iron ore trade on the Great Lakes stands at 3.4 million tons, an increase of 9.5 percent.

Director-General Roberto Azevedo talked about the impacts of restrictive measures like tariffs on overall global trade and prospects for reforming the multilateral body.

U.S. export transactions with persons listed on the Unverified List may require a Commerce Department export license.

Chris Henry, Program Manager, TCA Profitability Program IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK Although capacity has risen dramatically in the past six months, one fact remains unchanged: there is a shortage. However, that shortage […]

The president of Gennex Media conspired with others to fix prices on online sales of promotional items between 2014 and 2016.

Uber released its S-1 filing after the market close, placing in on track to go public with its anticipated May IPO.

President Trump’s executive order would create new transportation option for capacity-constrained LNG markets.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection increasingly is using data to perform “predictive analytics” to more precisely target violations that may occur in the import entry process.

The industry’s recruitment and retention problems are compounded by increased federal and state regulations, a competitive job market and time away from home.

With almost all of the Class I railroads transitioning to precision scheduling railroading (PSR), an operational model that emphasizes running railcars on a fixed schedule, a question surfacing within the rail industry is how much emphasis should the railroads place on lower operating ratio.

Report from Menon Economics and DNV GL predicts Dubai will climb into the top five by 2024.

Intermodal loadings fell by as much as 4 percent due to weather events impacting the western network, Todd Tranausky said in an FTR State of Freight webinar.

Rob Lowe is named director of administration and CFO and Matt Copot is hired as vice president of maintenance.

Lyft value falls; Europe’s air cargo traffic is on a decline; Ford’s CEO says that fully autonomous cars will not be a reality in the near future.

French company is increasing its warehousing space in Vietnam almost tenfold.

“If you do remove this as a tool for the shipping lines to use, are you prepared to accept higher freight rates as a consequence?” asked analyst Tan Hua Joo.

Approximately 9,000 inspectors in North America will be checking to ensure trailer underride guards meet federal regulations as part of CVSA’s annual International Roadcheck blitz scheduled for June 4-6.

The shipping line signed a memorandum of cooperation with Nansha officials last week.

Tan Hua Joo also asserts that carriers are downplaying their scrubber strategies as they tell customers they must recover the higher fuel costs.

Albertsons Companies is now part of the IBM Food Trust network, and plans to use blockchain in tracking its food produce from the farm to its store shelves.

“Truck, Driving, and Tractor Driver” is the most common job in 29 of the 50 states.

Mao Sun and Xing Er were flown from China to Denmark and then transported by truck to their new home.

In partnership with Reliance Partners …Data analytics and machine learning can help companies irrespective of the size of their data sets, as long as the data being captured is of good quality and is specific to the required operational needs.

Motor carriers may want to double-check the condition of their trailers’ rear impact guards before hitting the highways in early June.

The airline also had revenues grow by 13 percent to its strongest performance in five years.

The Taiwanese shipping company said it will have 14 new 11,000-TEU containerships that all are IMO 2020 compliant delivered between 2020 and 2022.

Hair follicle testing – once cleared for use in the federal database – could have the biggest effect on driver availability.

Head of Israeli maritime security firm Naval Dome says the “maritime sector is being targeted by highly motivated cyber criminals.”

European Council leaders agreed to extend Article 50 again delaying the UK’s departure from the EU until no later than October 31, with the option of leaving earlier if possible.

Executive orders aim to foster oil and gas permitting, but Trump’s own trade policies also put kibosh on rapidly growing export markets.

The board of directors for the company, which is being acquired by DSV, also proposes that no dividends be paid to shareholders in 2019.

The House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee also received requests Wednesday for the same cost share for inland waterways that was set up for deep draft ports.

Claus Hemmingsen will leave the company with the closure of the Energy division, set to take place by the end of June.

Keelung, Taiwan-headquartered ocean container carrier Yang Ming has announced that it signed charter agreements on April 10 for four box ships of 11,000 TEU with ship-owning specialist Shoei Kisen Kaisa of Imabari City, Japan.

Chris Henry, Program Manager, TCA Profitability Program IMAGE: JIM ALLEN/FREIGHTWAVES “You margin is my opportunity” —Jeff Bezos, Amazon Founder and CEO Over the next month, we will be bringing forward […]

When freight rates are terrible, even a slight improvement seems like an uptick. But a terrible market is still a terrible market. Capesize rates have marginally, slightly, improved… but they’re still dreadful. And the rest of the dry bulk shipping markets  are doing their best to impersonate a submarine… they’re all steadily sinking. Ship scrapping that removes some excess tonnage may help rate recovery.

Shortage of skilled labor industry’s biggest headache.

No pension hikes in the cards under the agreement.

Initial outlook shows a near-average 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, but this doesn’t mean we should let down our guard.

The pending IPO comes as many experts are questioning the profitability of the ride-share model.

Pork and wine among the potential targets as Ottawa looks to step up pressure over steel and aluminum levies.

The Justice Department said the Illinois company imported 36 shipments of Chinese-origin saccharin that were transshipped through Taiwan to evade paying antidumping duties.

Between 2007 and 2011, Standard Chartered Bank facilitated $240 million worth of financial transactions that violated U.S. sanctions programs.

Year-to-date rail volumes for every commodity except petroleum and petroleum products slumped last week in the United States, according to the Association of American Railroads.

Today on FreightWaves NOW, the blizzard explodes, intermodal looks at capacity on two coasts, and what is the latest ISM data telling us about the economy?

Only one more local needs to ratify for national contract to take effect.

The committee will consider topics like development, refinement and implementation of policies, programs, initiatives, rulemakings and security directives.

Amazon’s outsize presence in Seattle has yet to translate into a new wave of start-ups but that is expected to change as the tech giant’s relationship with the city enters a new phase and the region’s venture capital ecosystem matures.

U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: USX), announced a partnership with Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) this week to combat human trafficking.

The requirement is part of a package of amendments under the revised annex to the IMO’s FAL Convention adopted in 2016.

The fluctuating price of fuel makes it difficult for carriers and shippers to know the exact cost to move freight. Genesis Fuel is offering a way to pre-buy diesel at a set price, adding certainty to the cost for both parties.

Despite a 4.7 percent year-over-year decline in cargo movement, the port still recorded the second-busiest first quarter in its history.

People in the Great Plains just can’t catch a break. After a “bomb cyclone” in mid-March slammed parts of Colorado, the Dakotas and Nebraska with heavy snow and destructive record-breaking winds – knocking out electricity to hundreds of thousands of customers – another storm is on the way this week. For an April storm, it may become historic for some places.

The projects in Illinois, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Louisiana are part of the Class I railroad’s $2.9 billion capital investment budgeted for 2019.

Some benefits of blockchain that cut through the hype and change the game.

Inxeption introduces Zippy Freight, a new service that helps B2B merchants get shipping costs and complexity under control and obtain flexible logistics options.

ONE CEO Jeremy Nixon says the growing number of typhoons is “creating disruptions to vessels passing up and down within Asia.”

The auction of the terminals in the state of Pará to private operators netted $115.9 million and included leases ranging from 15 to 25 years, according to The Rio Times.

E-commerce has changed consumer buying habits, but it has also changed the supply chain for less-than-truckload carriers, who have had to adapt in various ways to keep pace.

Precision scheduled railroading (PSR) can’t succeed if the Class I railroads aren’t able to fold the shortline railroads into the new operating model, according to one of the early developers of the precision railroading model.

FreightWaves has chosen Predata, the predictive analytics company for geopolitical risk, to integrate data with FreightWaves’ SONAR.

Could this be the year ocean carriers get shippers to pay up? It may be if they want a ‘get-on-the-boat rate’ and not just a ‘paper rate.’

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding is tapped to build the first U.S.-flag bulker for the Great Lakes trade in more than 35 years for Interlake Steamship Company. 

Labor, environment and affordable health care among the priorities laid out by Rep. Richard Neal in a letter to to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

The technology company will focus on appointment-making, track-and-trace, and eliminating paperwork.

Drewry’s white paper predicts, if the tariffs are imposed, a rush of U.S. imports of finished vehicles and auto parts in 2019 before declines in 2020 and 2021.

The successful talks will re-establish Peru’s forestry and wildlife supervision agency as an independent entity.

Keppel Offshore & Marine has secured a grant of up to $1.48 million for the vessel, which is expected to be finished in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Ashley Coker IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK A handful of trucking industry leaders will sit on the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) new Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee. The committee will draft recommendations on […]

One to two feet of snow and 50-mph winds are heading to the Great Plains. It’ll be the second blizzard to hit the region in the past 30 days.

The Women in Trucking Association (WIT) received more than $30,000 in donations during its 10th annual Salute to Women Behind the Wheel ceremony.

Company expects to pass on lower costs to shippers.

Maersk Growth invests in Australian start-up, IncoDocs, that will automate the documentation process for small to medium trading companies.

Chemical hazmat shipments figure prominently on newly created committee within U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

sennder has raised investment to expand its digital freight markeplace footprint across Europe.

First ocean-faring vessel to port following-record breaking year brings 18,920 metric tons of unrefined sugar.

Hundreds of miles of critical freight rails once out of commission due to flooding are back in service.

The White House on Monday declared that an agreement to offer Cuban baseball players “a safe and legal path” to Major League Baseball teams is illegal.

Precision scheduled railroading (PSR) is the latest tactic railroads are using to improve their operations – and their images. Market voice Jim Blaze explores whether PSR is real or just marketing hype…

Brexit should reach a temporary resolution this week with an extension to Article 50 following the approval of the Cooper/Letwin bill that limits the Government’s ability to withdraw from the EU without a deal.