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Lower labor costs make other countries alluring, but China’s transport infrastructure and container services make it hard to beat.

Appointments also announced by ClassNK, OmniTRAX, Transflo, Symphony RetailAI, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions and Grote Industries.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer testified before the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday during a hearing on World Trade Organization reform.

City’s construction boom helped fuel influx of steel to Canadian inland port.

Volumes continue to remain strong even during seasonal slow patch and trucking capacity still remains tight in the region.

Port aims to reduce truck turn times as shippers look more closely at terminal performance; rail seen as key to expedite cargo.

The legislation introduced Tuesday by a bipartisan group would reauthorize the act through 2024 at current funding levels.

Half a million dollars in fines assessed to importers for more than 10,000 engine imports that failed to meet federal emissions standards.

International oil major BP has announced that it will retail a new very low sulfur fuel oil following successful sea trials, however, it has not released a date when sales will begin. The fuel will have a maximum sulfur content of 0.5 percent and will be sold by BP around the world. BP is one of several refiners, such as Shell and Sinopec, that are offering or are researching low-sulfur fuel.

Digital communications making progress, but not as fast as hoped

The Grimaldi vessel Grande America caught fire on 10 March and sank on 12 March after a cargo fire. on deck spread to other containers. All the crew and passengers were rescued.

Revenues are falling at Roadrunner Transportation Systems, but management remains confident the company is heading in the right direction.

Damaging winds of more than 60 mph, a foot of snow or more for parts of the nation’s heartland the next two days. Possibly one of the strongest storms in the Great Plains in a quite some time.

Trump’s budget bodes well for certain freight grants but Democrats take issue with reliance on the private sector.

The nominees have been announced and voting is now underway in the inaugural FreightWaves Shipper of Choice awards. The Shipper of Choice Award is in partnership with Convoy.

The UK’s House of Commons has rejected Prime Minister Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement with the EU by a massive 149 votes, the second time the deal has been voted down by a huge margin in Parliament.

The systems are nowhere near ready but several panelists at the big CERAWeek meeting see advantages for hydrogen in heavy-duty transport.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement will go to a Parliamentary vote again today with the expectation of another heavy defeat for the Government.

It’s been below freezing in much of Montana since the start of February. Record cold streaks have lasted into March.

Colleran replaces Subramaniam in the post.

If the world’s fleet of 737 MAX 8 aircraft were to be grounded for some period of time until a fix is found, how much impact would that have on air cargo?   

The oil, developed by GoodFuels and derived from used cooking oil and forest residues, does not contain sulfur oxide or require engine modifications.

Panelists discussed current market data and how the TCA educates its members to operationalize data in their businesses.

The audience brought up ‘the trolley problem’ and the productivity gains of Level 4 autonomous trucks.

Virginia-based flooring supplier haunted by 2015 missteps from investigation of defective, formaldehyde-tainted flooring imports from China.

Volvo has started testing connected vehicle technology in California, plus Michigan governor pitches fuel tax hike, California legislator wants to phase out diesel engines and Alibaba buys into delivery company.

Want more? SONAR users get exclusive access to the detailed breakdown and insights.

Bumble Bee Foods is now using the SAP cloud platform blockchain service to trace the journey of yellowfin tuna from the Indonesian ocean to the consumers’ dinner table.

Technology is quickly turning vehicles into mobile communications devices and that always-on connectivity is driving new efficiencies for fleets of all sizes.

A late night dash to Strasbourg by UK Prime Minister Theresa May has produced a new agreement that would sit along side the original Withdrawal Agreement, but the Attorney General says that there is no substantial change to the legal position on the Irish backstop.

All 27 people on the ConRo vessel owned and operated by the Italian Grimaldi Group abandoned ship early Monday morning and were rescued by the Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll.

The Kaimana Hila, the sister ship to the Daniel K. Inouye, is expected to enter service in late April.

The Agriculture Transportation Coalition says replacing marine terminal with ballpark would be a step backward and limit potential export growth.

Big ships come to U.S. even as backhaul cargoes still lacking, and truckers deal with terminal shut-outs and chassis imbalances.

The cocaine shipment from Colombia is the second largest seized at the Port of New York and New Jersey in 25 years.

The executive committee of the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department set an agenda Monday that also eyed rail safety and combating commercial driver fatigue.

BP Marine says it conducted comprehensive testing of the new fuel that will comply with the IMO regulation that goes into effect next year.

The Bureau of Industry and Security is looking at export controls of technologies expected to facilitate development of the country’s future space policy.

The agency has extended the comment period for its “21st Century Customs Framework” initiative through April 11.

Down, down, down – freight rates are down, nearly across the board, on export and import routes to and from China, according to indices published by the Shanghai Shipping Exchange.

International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) has released solid results for 2018. The port and terminal operator, which is headquartered in Manila, Philippines, had an up-up-up 2018 compared to 2017. ICTSI’s box volumes were higher, revenues increased and the group generated higher profit.

Canada’s No. 2 auto parts maker sees growth surge in industrial manufacturing business.

Wagers’ position goes, and so does he.

Infrastructure hearings and a controversial waiver have lawmakers taking sides on the Jones Act debate.

Canadian-made Class 8 truck posts a 250-mile range and 25,000-pound maximum payload.

Amazon one of the companies covered under departing FedEx executives’ non-compete clauses.

MatchBack Systems provides an innovative approach to manage shipping container costs and improve efficiency optimization through the use of matchbacks.

Destructive winds, heavy snowfall in the Great Plains will slow down truckers, disrupt supply chain for a couple days. Up to a foot of snow, winds reaching 60 mph.

Retail sales rebounded in January despite big declines in motor vehicle and gasoline sales. Gains in core sales helped to stabilize the retail sector during the month, erasing much of the decline from December 2018.

CEO Appel says 2019 restructuring of postal, e-commerce unit to drive 2019 profitability.

Brexit-Day in the United Kingdom is approaching with this week billed as a critical week in the process. Prime Minister Theresa May is battleing to save her deal and could fly to Strasbourg for more talks with the European Commission ahead of tomorow’s vote.

Think of it as one small step for Boeing and one giant leap for the sustainable jet fuel supply chain.

Market expert Dean Croke writes about the impact of Daylight Saving Time (DST) on drivers (particularly truckers) and the pros and cons of the energy saving rationale behind DST.

Industry and higher education professionals gathered on March 8 for a presentation on the value of market data in the freight and shipping business at a Lunch and Learn event, co-hosted by FreightWaves and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

The futures contracts will provide a way for carriers, shippers and third-party logistics providers to hedge their exposure to truckload spot rate volatility.

Container volume growth will not outstrip global GDP to the same degree as in the past because many commodities once shipped in bulk already have shifted to containers.

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Modern transportation management systems (TMS) have lowered the cost while increasing the power of the solutions, opening doors for shippers of all sizes to benefit.

The FinEst Bay Area has secured a $17 billion financing for the world’s longest undersea tunnel between Finland and Estonia from a large Chinese private equity firm. This is yet another example of the Chinese interest in European infrastructure, a possible extension to their grand OBOR initiative.

Good day, Data mining efforts in the post-ELD era continue apace. On Friday, software firm Trucker Tools LLC and consultancy J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. launched a platform integration […]

People involved in negotiations gave a ringing endorsement of the pact’s labor and environmental provisions, a hot topic as Congress expects to consider the deal soon.

Huarong Energy, formerly known as Rongsheng Heavy Industries, which was China’s largest privately owned shipbuilder, sold the assets to the bond holder for HK$1.

Over the last several years, Columbus Rickenbacker airport has emerged as a key and growing alternative U.S. gateway for international air cargo.

E-commerce giant Alibaba says it will deepen collaboration with the parcel delivery company STO Express

The NCBFAA responded with alarm to Customs and Border Protection’s March 16 mandate to use the new “create/update importer identity form.”

Korea Development Bank will transfer its Daewoo stocks to a subholding company to be established by Hyundai Heavy in return for equity stake in the company.

Member of THE Alliance is latest ocean carrier to experience financial difficulty amid a still volatile rate environment.

IMAGE: JIM ALLEN / FREIGHTWAVES Central Oregon Truck Company, Inc. of Redmond, Oregon, Searcy Specialized of Harrison, Ohio, and Meritor, Inc. of Kansas City, Missouri were recognized for their contributions […]

Republican Sen. Mike Lee’s Open America’s Water Act would open U.S. domestic waterborne commerce to “qualified,” non-U.S.-flag vessel operators.

Competiton regulations prevent container shipping lines discussing individual cargo owners between themselves, but this regulation may prevent the lines from warning each other about the potential dangers of a cargo. Its time for a change in the rules some say.

Stevedoring company says the investment by Blackstone Infrastructure Partners is “growth oriented.”

Los Angeles has had the heaviest freight volumes in the U.S. for the past several months, but carriers should be paying attention to where that freight is headed.

The model spelled out here may work in the long run. But in the short run, companies are going to turn to marine diesel and that may be a problem for the trucking sector.

High-growth business models make sourcing talent even more difficult for freight brokerages.

With diabetes rates for truckers running 50 percent higher than the national average, industry and health advocacy groups are working to raise awareness about how drivers can manage the disease and ensure a high level of public safety.

Highway expansion projects that receive private and public funds could be exposed to added risk.

Navistar International Corporation’s first quarter revenues bounce on orders for new truck designs and a strong performance in the spare parts business.

Job growth fell well short of expectations in February, as the economy added the fewest workers to payrolls since 2017. Hiring slumped in several industries during the month, but trucking employment increased for the ninth consecutive month.

This February was brutal in parts of the Midwest. One city reported more than 50 inches of snowfall. Weekend blizzard to add more.

If you wonder where the truck drivers are, look to smaller fleets as their driver numbers surged over the past eight years. But with customers only tapping this pool of drivers occasionally, shippers leave themselves exposed to volatile spot rates, according to freight brokers.

CargoX and dexFreight, the two blockchain logistics companies will collaborate in offering digital bill of lading solutions and cost-effective logistics operations.

Purchase will add a cloud-based terminal operating system for small container and mixed cargo terminals.

The UK’s consultation paper on the airline and airfreight business, called Aviation 2050, predicts that hybrid electric/hydrocarbon jets could be operational as early as 2035, as environmental and technological issues are set to dominate future developments.

The road can be a dangerous place when severe weather hits.

Two days after a report concluded that none of the world’s 20 biggest publicly traded airlines is doing enough to tackle climate change, executives from Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines said the sustainable jet fuel supply chain has a long way to go before airlines could transition away from conventional energy sources.

There are worries that the U.S. may be seen as an unreliable source of commodities such as soybeans.

Thousands of people flooded the Indiana Convention Center this week to see the latest products and services being offered to vocational and other types of fleets. Dozens of new products were announced, here is a look at some of them.

The group reported a 1.8 percent growth in revenue in 2018, but the decline in EBIT was attributed to 502 million euros spent on restructuring the PeP division.

Michael Khouri, who has served as acting FMC chairman since January 2017, was officially named chairman by President Trump on Thursday.

Trade ministers from Indonesia and Australia signed a new free trade agreement (FTA), the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA), in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 4. The new agreement eliminates nearly all tariffs on the two-way trade in goods between the two nations. A wide variety of non-trade barriers will also be removed.

Electric trucks dominated the vehicle conversations at this week’s Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, plus the cost of charging vehicles, overtime pay changes and another trucker protest planned.

House lawmakers reintroduce legislation requiring trucks over 10,000 pounds to have protective guards on all sides, which the association says offer no safety benefit.

The time to hire for the agency currently takes about 300 days, with less than 3 percent of applicants successfully completing the hiring process.

The YM Warranty and YM Wellspring are planned for the Pacific North West Coast Loop 3 and Mediterranean Service-2 lanes.

With female representation among truckers at just three percent, industry looks for ways to close gap.

Dry bulk and container shipping along China coast seeing too much capacity, according to government statistics, leading to falling rates.

The project, which is set to double the capacity of the largest container port on Sweden’s east coast, is expected to be completed by the fall of 2020.

Members of the trade community presented several ideas on Thursday for reforming the World Trade Organization as the U.S. continues to work with the EU and Japan on ways to […]

Export weakness, geopolitical uncertainty weigh on demand.

V. Group, a leading global marine and offshore vessel management and support services provider headquartered in London, hired Allison Henrikson to fill the role of Chief Financial Officer on Thursday, […]