This year’s Future of Freight Festival takes place Nov. 19-21 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. But it’s not your average conference. Sure, there are wonderful speakers and fireside chats. But that’s only half the fun. F3 is set up with half-days of speakers and amazing content. The other half we take over downtown Chattanooga, and there are events, networking and a lot of fun to be had by all. This year, subscribers to Running on Ice get a promo code exclusive to us! You can register with this link or use the code F3ROI24 at checkout for a discount.
All thawed out
All eyes were on the Canadian railroads this week as tensions between the railroads and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference came to a boiling point. The Teamsters had issued a strike notice on Monday following Canada’s 72-hour notice strike law. In response, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National issued lockout notices for the Teamsters.
As of Thursday morning at 12:01, the companies had essentially come to a halt over failed union negotiations.
Enter Steven Mackinnon, the Canadian minister of labor. MacKinnon said Thursday morning, “[I]t is my assessment that the parties are at a fundamental impasse. Therefore, it is my duty and responsibility to invoke my authorities under the Canada Labour Code to secure industrial peace and deliver the short and long-term solutions that are in the national interest.”
MacKinnon sent all parties back to work and officials to binding arbitration.
This stopped the country from coming to a halt, as Canadian carriers could not absorb the volume sent by rail into the trucking market.
Mike Millian, president of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, said in Noi Mahoney’s article, “The removal of one train load requires roughly 300 trucks to move the same product. We simply do not have that kind of capacity available in the network. The rail shutdown will affect 65% of their revenue, which will be catastrophic, and in the near term is going to lead to having to park trucks and lay off workers.”
While the contract talks are far from over, it’s a huge relief to the supply chain and anyone dabbling in cold chain freight in Canada.
Temperature checks
A key development for the world of heart transplants is highlighted in a study courtesy of the University of Gothenburg. The use of heart-in-a-box technology has significantly reduced the risk of early heart failure in transplant patients compared to traditional cold storage methods. The heart-in-a-box oxygenated system allows a heart to function better and extend transport times, improving outcomes for the recipient.
The existing method of heart transplant storage is to keep the organ at 4 degrees Celsius in potassium solution in a cooler with ice. The clock starts on a four-hour window the minute that heart hits the ice. The window includes recipient matching, transportation and surgery to avoid increasing the risk of complications for the recipient.
With the introduction of the heart-in-a-box, that window extends up to nine hours as the device keeps the heart at 8 degrees Celsius and is oxygenated using a pump, a set of tubes, a reservoir and a fluid that is circulated through the resting heart while waiting for transplantation.
Food and drug
Eat Mor Chikin is the tagline for Chick-fil-A and a goal the chicken sandwich giant seeks to expand on by building a new cold storage warehouse in Miami. Chick-fil-A has over 50 stores in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, making this cold storage warehouse a much-needed facility for its continued success.
The facility will be over 150,000 square feet and will operate around the clock 24 hours a day, except on Sundays. Some things remain constant with the fast-food giant known for all operations and stores being closed on Sundays. The facility will support all Chick-fil-A restaurants in South Florida, where the company first served its signature chicken.
South Florida is known for storm surges, hurricanes and flooding, which Chick-fil-A has taken into account. It has petitioned the county to allow it to raise the building pad and the area directly around the warehouse and distribution center by 6 inches. The existing site and its loading docks often flood after heavy rain, so this will make the building more climate-resilient.
Cold chain lanes
This week’s SONAR market goes to Miami. Produce season has come and gone, and reefer outbound tender rejections are on the decline as the ROTRI dropped 128 basis points week over week for an outbound tender rejection index of 5.62. Reefer outbound tender volumes have dropped from the beginning of the month, setting Miami up for a slow end to the month. The ROTVI is at its third-lowest point for the year, offering little hope to Miami finishing the summer strong. The busy part of hurricane season is right around the corner in September and October, which could make for a rough end of the third quarter for the Miami freight market.
Is SONAR for you? Check it out with a demo!
Shelf life
The secret icy landscape that shapes how we live
Food and beverage cold chain logistics market may set epic growth story
PHT Investment Group launches fund to invest in post-harvest infrastructure
Air cargo industry anticipates big peak season to finish year – FreightWaves
Wanna chat in the cooler? Shoot me an email with comments, questions or story ideas at moconnell@freightwaves.com.
See you on the internet.
Mary
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