News

Since last summer, Elon Musk has been teasing Tesla fans with word the company is building an electric “semi truck.” What form, shape and size that truck will take is still under wraps, but at least now we have a more definitive timeframe.

This Week in Trucking, President Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan is hitting some bumps in the road; economic indicators continue to favor improving conditions for the nation’s trucking fleets and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is making a last-ditch effort to stop the upcoming ELD mandate.

The wife of a seafarer who perished when the cargo ship El Faro sank in October 2015 near the Bahamas is asking Congress to establish new regulations aimed at preventing […]

Exports from China increased 16.4 percent from the previous year in March, while imports grew 20.3 percent, reversing a rare trade deficit in February, according to recent data from the […]

The international trade association has asked the Supreme Court to review its case on the electronic logging mandate, and to determine whether the rule violated the Fourth Amendment.

The liner shipping industry will see “profound change” in the next two decades, as macro-economic & demographic shifts are altering trade patterns, industry consultant Lars Jensen said in his book, […]

The oil and gas industry said CBP’s proposed revisions on when Jones Act vessels must be used in offshore oil and natural gas activity will lead to less oil and […]

The Southern California port saw a surge of cargo following Asian Lunar New Year celebrations and because U.S. retailers shipped merchandise ahead of the new vessel alliance deployments that began […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the number of counterfeit merchandise seizures in Puerto Rico for the first two quarters of federal fiscal year 2017 increased by over 300 percent […]

Omaha, Neb.-based Class I freight railroad Union Pacific is combining its Wichita service unit leadership with its Kansas City, Fort Worth and North Little Rock units and reassigning three management […]

After taking the consumer market by storm, the famed electric automaker will attempt to break into the commercial truck market later this year with an all-electric semi truck, founder and […]

Fellow Hamburg-based containership owners Leonhardt & Blumberg and Buss Shipping have agreed to form a new joint ship management venture that will sport a fleet of 55 feeder-size vessels, the […]

Federal Maritime Commissioner Mario Cordero will be appointed executive director of the Port of Long Beach, where he served as a harbor commissioner from 2003 to 2011.

Federal Maritime Commissioner Mario Cordero will be appointed executive director of the Port of Long Beach, where he served as a harbor commissioner from 2003 to 2011.

There is a lot of fear among drivers that they are being displaced by autonomous vehicles, and plenty of companies building these vehicles are looking to do just that. But one company is approaching the autonomous space with an eye on keeping drivers employed and improving their lives.

The Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 will raise roughly $5.2 billion per year in investment funding for transportation infrastructure over the next 10 years through a series of […]

Vitti Logistics has chosen to use MacroPoint’s freight-tracking software to connect with carriers and track loads across North America.

Rhode Island House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan plans to submit legislation to repeal the so-called “Rhode Works” law, a truck-only tolling program that has been met with strong opposition from […]

However, export volumes during the month fell 5.3 percent from March 2016 as shipments to overseas markets experienced headwinds from the strong U.S. dollar.

The port experienced year-over-year increases in container, breakbulk and dry bulk tonnage for the first quarter of 2017, despite a drop in liquid bulk tonnage.

Saddle Creek Logistics Services adds senior director of business development, while Port of Price Rupert vice-president of commercial and regulatory affairs and general counsel steps down.

The Singapore-based containership lessor, which has a fleet of 14 Panamax ships, said it will wind up operations in the wake of defaulting on loans.

A futures market will react to the underlying fundamentals of its physical market because in the end, the futures price is linked to the physical market. But, the opposite is also true. A physical market can look to a futures market for transparency and guidance on rate structure. A developing trucking freight futures market might be the answer to solving these industry issues. 

The independent investment and asset management firm is launching MPC Container Ships AS, an investment vehicle focused on feeder vessels with between 1,000 TEUs and 3,000 TEUs of capacity, the […]

Sinotrans & CSC, parent company of the largest freight forwarder in China, has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of transportation, finance and real estate conglomerate China Merchants Group.

Federal Railroad Administration inspectors have discovered nearly 24,000 defects, including worn rails, broken or loose bolts, and cracked steel bars on rail lines used to transport crude oil, according to […]

Hong Kong-based containership lessor Seaspan said Graham Porter resigned as a director of the company, and has been replaced by The Washington Companies President, CEO and Director Larry Simkins.

Malta-based paperless solutions provider essDOCS has now acquired TridentGLOBAL after recently announcing its acquisition of eCertify just last month.

The refrigerated warehouse specialist now has over 165 facilities around the world with more than 145 in the U.S.

American Trucking Associations hires director of strategic communications, while Worldwide Flight Services appoints global head of people.

The third-busiest port complex in North America has spent billions raising the Bayonne Bridge and dredging New York harbor in preparation for larger containerships.

The upcoming electronic logging device (ELD) rule is a great example of the type of mandated technological change coming to the trucking industry, and yet it serves as a great reminder of the importance to perform due diligence before adopting such technologies.

Currently general manager for ride-sharing firm Lyft in Southern California, Kan has also served on the board of directors for Amtrak since 2015, the White House said in a statement […]

Shippers, forwarders and non-vessel-operating common carriers are concerned about carriers’ financial stability, quality of customer service and reliability, according to a joint survey by Drewry and the European Shippers’ Council.

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) estimated the nation has a shortage of around 2,000 mariners, and one logical way to overcome the shortage would be to add 40-45 vessels to […]

The 3,100-acre multimodal industrial site in Baltimore entered into a 10-year agreement with Host Terminals to oversee the vast majority of marine cargo operations.

Major container ports in the United States handled 1.43 million TEUs in February 2017, down 7 percent from the previous year, according to the Global Port Tracker report by the […]

The container terminal operator posted a net profit of 75.9 million euros on revenues of 639.4 million euros, year-over-year increases of 3.3 percent and 8.1 percent, respectively.

The South Carolina Ports Authority handled 192,311 TEUs in March, surpassing the January 2017 record by more than 7,000 TEUs.

Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) CO., Ltd in China will construct the 38,000-dwt vessels, which will be delivered in 2020.

The Singapore-based ocean carrier, now a subsidiary of France’s CMA CGM, will commence the Asia Fremantle Express (AFX) service between Singapore and Fremantle on April 27, 2017.

AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) appoints vice president of its Americas division, while Crane Worldwide names six new VPs, and Virgin Atlantic Cargo adds account manager in Sydney.

The European Commission has cleared the proposed acquisition of German ocean carrier Hamburg Süd by industry leader Maersk Line, provided the company withdraws from five trade-route specific vessel sharing agreements.

In a stock swap valued at $6 billion, truckload operators Knight Transportation and Swift Transportation have agreed to a merger. The new company, Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, will have approximately 23,000 tractors, 77,000 trailers, 28,000 employees and control approximately 5% of the nation’s truckload market.

The Danish shipping giant has confirmed it is selling its Brazilian cabotage subsidiary Mercosul Line in a preemptive move aimed at satisfying any potential competition concerns from Brazil’s Conselho Administrativo […]

Chinese conglomerate HNA Holding Group Co. offered to purchase CWT Ltd. for 1.4 billion Singapore dollars (U.S. $995 million).

Michael Khouri, acting chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, said such pacts can help terminals improve service and operations to benefit the American shipper and consumer.

International Warehouse Logistics Association President and CEO Steve DeHaan said the group is urging Congress to facilitate the creation of a system that better aligns the design of the nation’s […]

The mid-Atlantic port handled 232,148 TEUs for the month, with loaded container imports growing 9.5 percent and loaded exports up 3.3 percent from the previous March, according to the most […]

However, U.S. lamb export volumes tumbled 41.3 percent in February from a year prior.

The ocean carriers’ jointly operated North Europe Express (NE1) service, which connects Israeli ports with Northern Europe, operates with five vessels with an average capacity of 5,093 TEUs, according to […]

Lineage Logistics names senior vice president of Sales & Value-Added Services, Transervice Logistics appoints director of sales for the company’s western regional division, and The Tioga Group hires senior associate.

The two Phoenix-based trucking giants said Monday the transaction to create Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc., the industry’s largest full truckload company, is expected to close in the third quarter of […]

The two Phoenix-based trucking giants said Monday the transaction to create Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc., the industry’s largest full truckload company, is expected to close in the third quarter of […]

Schneider National Inc. is the first transportation provider to issues shares in an initial public offering since 2010, according to data compiled by Dealogic. But, will it be the last? The time may be ripe for more companies to dip their toes in the water. 

This week in the Week in Trucking, we look at improving truck orders and optimism among carriers, why consumer GPS devices don’t work in trucking, GE’s approaching to training workers and how one carrier is finding success by offering its drivers video.

U.S. shippers should not underestimate the power the nation’s longshore unions hold over the flow of containerized cargo, said Chris Gillis, editor at American Shipper.

A planned container facility at the La Quinta Trade Gateway is no longer a viable option due to its proximity to a residential area.

Overall losses in the maritime industry fell during the year, but increased cargo accumulation risk onboard vessels and in port continued to challenge insurance providers, according to a report from […]

The London-based shipping research and consulting firm is predicting imports from Asia to East Coast of North America ports will outpace those shipped to West Coast of North America ports […]

Transportation and logistics employment showed continued growth in March 2017 following a revised gain of 8,100 positions in February, according to recent preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Bipartisan legislation was reintroduced last week to address deficiencies in the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) efforts to protect rail, transit, highway, and maritime passenger and freight transportation.

Since last week, the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index fell on trades from Shanghai to Europe, the Mediterranean and the United States.

The Kempten, Germany-based global logistics provider’s revenues for fiscal year 2016 totaled 5.71 billion euros, a 1.7 percent year-over-year increase.

House Reps. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., have introduced bipartisan legislation that would increase investments in harbor and port projects by 29 percent from current funding levels without […]

Rate volatility is something that every broker, carrier and shipper must deal with. But, sometimes knowing how shipping rates will react to an event can be a guessing game. The I-85 bridge collapse in Atlanta is a case in point. 

The transportation industry is ripe with startups hoping to be the one that disrupts a $726 billion industry, but without help, most don’t last. Dynamo is a Chattanooga-based venture capital firm that specializes in the logistics space and is helping a few of these startups gain a solid foothold in transportation.

A Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson told American Shipper space is tight on the Europe to Asia trade right now from an uptick in volumes, which is abnormal for this time of year.

Furie Operating Alaska has agreed to pay $10 million for transporting an oil rig from the Gulf of Mexico to Alaska on a foreign-flag ship.

A coalition of rural agricultural and aviation industry associations are warning Congress that the removal of air traffic control duties from the FAA could bias funding and regulatory decisions in […]

Experts have attributed the surge in icebergs to unusually strong counter-clockwise winds that are drawing the icebergs south, and possibly from global warming, the Associated Press said.

Total cross-border trade between the United States, Mexico and Canada jumped 6.7 percent in January 2017, the third straight month of year-over-year increases, according to the Department of Transportation’s Bureau […]

Meanwhile, the Lake Oswego, Ore.-based transportation equipment manufacturer recorded a 38 percent year-over-year boost in revenues for the quarter ending Feb. 28, 2017, fueled by higher wheel volumes and externally […]

State-owned Alaska Railroad Corp. saw cargo revenues drop 16 percent to $69.6 million for the full year in 2016 as volumes of petroleum products and coal tumbled from the previous […]

Combined United States carload and intermodal cargo volumes increased for the fifth consecutive month in March 2017 following several months of year-over-year declines, according to data from the Association of […]

Net orders for North American Class 8 trucks totaled 22,800 units in March 2017, relatively unchanged from the previous month and 41 percent from the previous year, according to freight […]

FedEx Freight President and CEO Mike Ducker and Werner Enterprises President and CEO Derek Leathers told a Senate subcommittee the U.S. must invest more in its roads and bridges for […]

In a world which carriers want to be paid quickly for their services, brokers have long turned to factoring as an option. Technology, though, is changing the payments business, and that means quicker payments for carriers and more cash flow flexibility for brokers. 

Following public comment and stakeholder input on a June 2016 advanced notice of proposed rulemaking, the Surface Transportation Board has proposed rules to “help improve and expedite” cases involving litigation […]

The Commerce Department said U.S. exports of goods and services in February reached a value of $192.9 billion, slightly more than January at $192.5 billion, and up from $180.7 billion […]

French state railway subsidiary SNCF Logistics and Marseilles-based shipping container technology firm Traxens have been conducting collaborative research for the past year on a real-time rail tracking system expected to […]

The Finnish logistics company said it has four LNG-fueled ships under construction, and is planning on expanding its fleet of LNG-fueled trucks from 40 to between 150-200.

The Polish port has plans to expand and boost capacity by adding more deep-water transshipment quays and establishing the Central Port, along with building a new roll-on/roll-off terminal in the […]

The 13,800-TEU MSC Daniela was brought to anchor near the Colombo Lighthouse after containers on board burst into flames late last night about 120 nautical miles off the coast of […]

Lowell, Ark.-based trucking and intermodal logistics provider J.B. Hunt Transport Services has opened a new enterprise sales office in Toronto, its first in Canada, the company said in a statement.

In addition to two daily narrowbody flights already in operation, American Airlines has launched a new daily, nonstop widebody service between San Juan Luis Muñoz Marín Airport (SJU) and Philadelphia […]

The new multi-purpose, turboprop aircraft, the AN-132D, took off on its maiden flight March 31.

IAG Cargo names new chief executive, while Trans Global Projects Group hires chief executive officer of Natco Switzerland subsidiary.

House members question whether the Shipping Act should be revised, and also said there is a need to protect domestic tugboat and terminal companies.

Piracy concerns don’t get the headlines they once did, but it remains a problem for seafarers.

Unlike some technologies, blockchain technology is not likely to displace many workers in the trucking industry. It does promise, however, to streamline financial operations and compliance reporting to make those operations more seamless, potentially saving fleets tens of thousands of dollars.

Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. and state lawmakers have introduced legislation that would raise $52.4 billion in investment funding for transportation infrastructure over the next 10 years through a series […]

The Norwegian Competition Authority has issued a decision blocking Icelandic ocean carrier Eimskip from purchasing asset-light shipping and logistics company Nor Lines due to a lack of sufficient competition in […]

Wilh. Wilhelmsen ASA and Wallroll AB, joint owners of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, EUKOR Car Carriers and American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier, have created a new ownership structure to enhance efficiency and […]

Hyundai Heavy Industries Group is pushing ahead with new investments, and plans to more than double its number of researchers in the wake of its official split into four separate […]

The project will focus on improving Ethiopia’s Modjo Dry Port, which handles 95 percent of the landlocked country’s trade.

Port terminal operator China Merchants Port Holdings Co. Ltd. saw 2016 earnings jump 14.3 percent to $5.49 billion Hong Kong (U.S. $706.5 million) compared with the previous year as container […]

Bureau Veritas promotes senior executive vice president, while Greenville & Western Railway Co. appoints general manager and manager of mechanical and transloading, and Glander International Bunkering hires two new traders […]

The European Shippers’ Council said some shipments from Europe to Asia have been delayed up to eight weeks.

The April meeting in Beijing will be the third global regulatory summit between Federal Maritime Commission, China’s Ministry of Transport and the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition.