News

Canadian National Railway reported a net income of $866 million Canadian for the second quarter of 2015.

The Kenco Innovation Labs and its staff in Chattanooga, Tenn. will work with customers to “identify, research, and prototype leading-edge ideas and processes.”

GT USA names U.S. terminals operations manager, while Davies Turner picks U.K. national sales director.

The Federal Maritime Commission found the Northwest Seaport Alliance is not likely to reduce competition or result in an unreasonable increase in cost or reduction in service.

In the meantime, port truck drivers continue to strike the drayage firm Pacific 9 Transportation at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, claiming independent contractor misclasification.

Dicom Transportation Group of Canada said the acquisition of Extra Express will expand its final-mile delivery services in the western United States.

The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security on Tuesday implemented the State Department secretary’s removal of Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

EVA Air will purchase five 777 Freighters from the aircraft manufacturer at an estimated cost of $1.5 billion at list prices.

Second quarter revenues at the railway were down across all commodity groups, with the exception of its Chemicals and Petroleum segment, according to the company’s most recent financial statements.

The seasonally adjusted index increased 1.8 percent compared to June of 2014, according to the American Trucking Associations.

The cargo division of Qatar Airways will introduce the first 747 freighter to its fleet Aug. 1.

The South San Francisco Bay port is a big handler of sand and gravel in Silicon Valley’s backyard.

The Port of Busan’s newest container terminal, BNCT, expects to have an annual throughput of 1.7 million TEUs for the full year in 2015.

The airline will acquire three ATR 72 turboprop all-cargo planes for its new interisland shipping service.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport Cargo Terminal Co., Ltd. reported it handled 762,104 tons of cargo at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport for the first half of 2015 , up 10.9 […]

The full service intermodal drayage carrier and transportation broker opened a new terminal in New Orleans, La.

Puget Sound Pilots hires former Port of Seattle Maritime Division head as executive director, and Port of Coos Bay chief executive officer steps down.

EU antitrust regulators said Kuehne + Nagel, Express Interfracht, and Schenker operated as a cartel, fixing prices on their joint “Balkantrain” and “Soptrain” services in Europe from July 2004 to […]

The trucking company and third party logistics provider reported net earnings of $103.4 million in second quarter 2015, compared with $93.4 million in second quarter 2014.

The aircraft manufacturer said “continued economic expansion” will require the global airline industry to hire about 28,000 new pilots annually.

Total throughput and net profits at the Port of Rotterdam increased 6.8 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively, in the first half of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014.

AirBridgeCargo Airlines reported a 17 percent increase in freight volumes compared with first half 2014 figures.

The Israeli port reached a record output of 318.8 containers per ship hour and 74.7 containers per crane hour last week.

The shipping and logistics provider teamed up with Staples to make it easier to ship UPS packages from the retailer’s locations in the United States.

The new DC is equipped with 16,800 square-meters of distribution and logistics space and 2,400 square-meters of office space.

Menlo Logistics’ Freight Brokerage has opened a second European office in Prague.

The third-party logistics provider was awarded two new contracts by Mazda Australia.

The domestic transportation management company has established a formal, two-year partnership with Ecolibrium Solar to handle a large portion of the company’s full truckload movements.

ABC appoints VP in Europe and KCS names marketing chief, while GES announces new chief commercial officer.

The port drivers’ seventh strike at Los Angeles and Long Beach in recent years is targeting Pac 9 Transportation in protest over alleged independent contractor misclassification.

Neptune Orient Line, the parent company of ocean carrier APL, said it remains focused on its core liner business.

The derailment of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe train spilled more than 35,000 gallons of crude oil just east of Culbertson, Mont., according to an e-mail from DOT official Michael […]

The World Trade Organization’s Information Technology Agreement was expanded last week to include additional tariff cuts on high-tech trade.

The World Trade Organization on Wednesday announced the expansion of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), which promises to phase out hundreds of tariffs on information technology exports worldwide.

Gov. Brown says the new state report should establish “clear targets to improve freight efficiency, transition to zero-emission technologies, and increase competitiveness.”

The National Transportation Safety Board weighed in on the National Airlines Boeing 747 freighter crash at Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan in 2013.

The Belgian port attributed the growth in cargo throughput primarily to increases in the container freight and liquid bulk sectors.

Throughput for all main cargo categories at the French port reached 40.4 million tons for the first half of the year, an increase of 6 percent compared with same period […]

The Chandler, Ari.-based freight broker and exclusive agents’ use of MacroPoint allows third party access to load status, avoiding the need to hire additional staff.

Logistics software provider Descartes’ solution enables U.K.-based Graff Diamonds to integrate EU duty relief program with its customs warehouse procedures.

The airport handled 2.1 million tons of cargo for the first half of 2015, up 0.6 percent from the same period last year.

The port reported a total throughput of 23.37 million tons for the first half of 2015, up 1 percent from the same period the previous year.

Ocean carriers Maersk Line, MSC, CMA CGM, COSCO and MOL announced general rate increases.

   A maritime financial tsunami is building, and in different ways, it will affect container lines, ports, and shippers.    This commentary focuses on how ports may be affected, since ports are […]

Container Analytics with Ben Meyer    Port Canaveral, located about halfway down the Atlantic Coast of Florida, this month opened its brand new container terminal. In doing so, however, it […]

On Second Thought with Tom Nightingale    Recently, a headline, “Intermodal Surpasses Carload for the First Month on Record,” caught my attention and I thought, “Wow, for what might be […]

With tighter ship sulfur emission caps, scrubbers and heavier fuel may become attractive.

L.A. terminal maximizes capacity with on-dock rail, automated stacking, and “auto-strads.”

   In the June issue, I penned a commentary about the labor model of app-based concierge services, especially those with a delivery component. (See “Will Uber be the next Teamsters […]

   One of my favorite people in the transportation industry used an analogy recently that warmed my prog rock heart.    He said there was a steady drumbeat of people—both […]

Managers are shifting their attention from macroeconomic trends to more basic issues, such as improving performance and growing their business. To do that, it always helps to build up one’s […]

ILA, USMX agree to begin talks to extend the U.S. East Coast dockworkers’ contract.

Ag shippers suggest ways to improve container flow through the country’s marine terminals.

Free flow helps several ports evacuate container yards more smoothly.

BNSF Logistics develops rail equipment, services to handle increasingly larger wind turbine blades.

   The Shanghai International Shipping Institute (SISI) has provided an interesting window into China’s ambition to continue growing its international shipping business.    China “will remain the largest cargo trader […]

   It does not come into effect until July 1, 2016, but the World Shipping Council and other organizations are reminding shippers that mandatory amendments to the International Convention for […]

   The U.S. Export-Import Bank has been called a purveyor of “corporate welfare” and a “boondoggle,” but the federal government-backed institution has long proven a useful and secure financial tool […]

   In a dispute involving cargo damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, a federal judge found the storm was an “Act of God,” absolving the defendant from liability. (Lord & […]

“The ultimate customer of the world’s cargo shipping industry deserves a voice at the table of the regulatory bodies deciding its future,” GSF Chairman Robert Ballantyne said in the forum’s […]

Ocean carriers deploy 540,034 TEUs of capacity each week through the Suez Canal, according to data from BlueWater Reporting’s Capacity Report application.

The ESC’s support for the merger stands in sharp contrast to its opposition to a proposed merger proposed between UPS and TNT in 2012.

Shipment volumes and payments for the month showed continued growth but remained below 2014 levels, according to the latest Cass Freight Index Report.

The less-than-truckload carrier announced it will take delivery of 875 new tractors to replace older units and will add 1,750 new trailers to its fleet this year.

The French ocean carrier will add two vessels and several port calls its EURAF4 service between the Mediterranean and West Africa beginning July 18.

The third-party logistics provider opened a global distribution center in Born, the Netherlands for industrial spare parts.

Florida East Coast Railway announced a 26 percent year-over-year increase in volumes and the opening of a new train dispatch center in Jacksonville, Fla.

Crowley appoints IT VP and WCI hires government relations direction, while Cambridge Systematics, SMARTRAC and Sedex Global name senior executives.

U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 2014 Kansas Supreme Court ruling that said the express carrier violated the Kansas Wage Payment Act in not treating drivers as employees.

Hapag-Lloyd has reportedly picked Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Berenberg to assist it with an initial public offering, fueling speculation the German ocean carrier is accelerating its plan for a […]

UPS Capital’s acquisition of the logistics arm of global integrated security company G4S is its second recent purchase in the high-value cargo logistics sector.

The railway increased net earnings 4.5 percent compared to Q2 2014 as quarterly operating income topped $1 billion for the first time in company history.

The Israeli ocean carrier will alter its AME service, which operates between China, Malaysia, India and the Mediterranean, starting July 27.

United States retail and food services sales were up 1.4 percent in June compared to the previous year, according to advance monthly sales estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia reported a nearly 163 percent increase in net profits in the second quarter of 2015 compared to the second quarter of 2014.

Truckload pricing will increase between 4 percent and 9 percent through the remainder of 2015 despite a slight deceleration in spot rate growth, according to investment firm Avondale Partners.

Coal, iron ore, grain and liquid bulk shipments on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway dropped in the first half of 2015.

Year-over-year rates were down for the sixth consecutive month in June, according to the latest Cass Intermodal Price Index.

The UPS Worldwide Express Freight service, designed for urgent, time-sensitive and high-value international heavyweight shipments, added eight new origin countries and five new destination countries to its network.

USA Truck appoints CEO, while England Logistics and High Road Partners appoint VPs, and the Renault-Nissan Alliance picks new head of supply chain.

Singapore investment company Temasek is seeking buyers for Neptune Orient Lines, parent of ocean carrier APL, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal.

The Port of Oakland attributed the decline in volumes primarily to reduced exports, as import volumes grew for the fourth consecutive month.

Third-party logistics provider Kuehne + Nagel Group reported higher profits in the first half of the year despite a decline in revenues compared to the same period in 2014.

Yard operations at APM Terminals Port Elizabeth facility continue to be impacted after a major water main broke early Tuesday morning.

The U.S. Commerce Department has released 19 new reports to help the country’s exporters identify potential overseas markets.

Annualized turnover rates at truckload fleets with more than $30 million in annual revenues dropped to a four-year low, according to the most recent figures from the American Trucking Associations.

The shipping and logistics provider will offer a less-than-container-load service from Zhengzhou, China to Hamburg, Germany.

The Port of Antwerp is looking to construct a permanent liquefied natural gas bunkering facility for barges by 2019.

The forwarder has launched its Trans Border Connect less-than-truckload (LTL) service between the United States and Mexico.

American Airlines Cargo will now operate a new, 12,000-square-foot freight facility in Atlanta, marking its second expansion in this market since 2013.

CHM Maritime, a subsidiary of Cashman Equipment Corp., has added two 300-foot-by-100-foot deck barges to its fleet in Tampico, Mexico.

Swissport International and Flughafen Graz Betriebs are planning cargo-handling joint venture at Graz Airport.

Duluth Seaway Port Authority names business director and Port of Long Beach gets new communications chief, while TIACA appoints five to board.

The Federal Maritime Commission’s report was based on feedback from industry leaders at four public forums held around the country to gauge the impacts of port congestion and examine possible […]

The discount variety chain’s 1.5 million-square-foot facility in Upstate, South Carolina is expected to generate major trade growth for the Port of Charleston, according to South Carolina Port Authority CEO […]

BNSF Logistics’ purchase of Transportation Technology Services will expand its wind turbine component transport services, as well as other project cargoes, by rail.

The Hanjin San Diego lost power near Bald Head Island, NC en route from Port Newark to the Port of Wilmington.

The U.S. transportation sector will continue its steady operational and financial performance for through the second half of the year despite some challenges in the industry, according to the mid-year […]

Ocean carrier Mediterranean Shipping Co. will begin using the New York Container Terminal for its ECSA String 1 and USEC to WCSA services.

The Washington State Legislature approved a total of $32.9 million in its 2015-2017 Transportation Revenue Package towards three rail infrastructure and economic development projects in Eastern Washington.