imports

Despite the timing of the Lunar New Year, import volumes at three of the largest U.S. ports rose year over year.

The East and Gulf Coast ports continue to take market share from the largest West Coast ports, which had a challenging March.

Port Houston reported strong imports after a soft January as general cargo tonnage represented nearly 40% of total import tonnage in the month.

Transportation providers should watch both coasts for increasing spring activity in March.

Port director Gene Seroka cited replenishing inventory and consumer spending as drivers of growth.

Lagging effects of the pandemic are still making evaluating the economy a challenge.

U.S. imports kept chugging along, despite all the talk of supply chain problems due to Red Sea attacks and Panama’s drought.

Next year, U.S. importers must navigate canal restrictions, diversions from the Red Sea, more canceled sailings and, possibly, a port strike.

Imports have held up surprisingly well this year, but peak season’s end and canal restrictions are finally curbing volumes.

Containerized imports have rebounded strongly in 2023, with October volumes up 33% from February’s low.

Now that port labor unrest is over, West Coast container terminals are starting to claw back some of their lost volumes.

Peak season demand propelled imports higher in September, although softening spot rates point to a fourth-quarter slowdown.

Now that supply chains are back to normal, the typical effects of seasonality have returned, bringing U.S. imports up.

Containerized imports are rising seasonally, as expected. This year is on track to top pre-pandemic volumes by low single digits.

June volumes of containerized imports were higher than normal and the National Retail Federation predicts more gains ahead.

America’s imports are not signaling a recession, at least not yet. Inbound volumes are rising from the bottom.

Inventory destocking is the biggest container shipping headwind, says Maersk. Its data shows no evidence of inventory pressures alleviating yet.

The Europe-U.S. trade held up a lot longer than the Asia-U.S. trade, but trans-Atlantic premiums are now fading away.

“Simply put, there’s no bigger priority right now than this contract agreement,” says Gene Seroka of the Port of Los Angeles.

Although import volumes show signs of a nascent recovery, the inventory overhang remains daunting.

U.S. importers have forsaken their traditional gateway in Southern California. Many may be gone for good.

U.S. businesses overshot in 2022, importing way more than they needed. The hangover is in full swing, depressing 2023 imports.

After a bounce in January, containerized imports could drop this month to the lowest level since May 2020.

Imports continue to decline and are close to where they were before COVID-19, but the coastal mix is very different.

November saw another double-digit drop in America’s containerized imports, driven by sinking volumes from Asia.

Drop in imports from China in recent months comes on the heels of years of gains by exporters in the rest of Asia.

Truckload volumes in Elizabeth, New Jersey, are still rising after a boost in imports last week, but that will likely change in the days ahead. Detroit’s volume boom went bust, bringing reactions to their lowest on record since 2018.

Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of ocean carrier Hapag-Lloyd, gives his take on the “bullwhip effect,” rates and global trade.

Southern California ports are being hit by double-digit import drops as the COVID-19 cargo boom winds down.

Demand for Asian goods began dropping earlier this year. This is now having a delayed — and highly negative — effect on U.S. imports.

Reefer volumes spike in Illinois, the port of Houston sees a record number of TEUs in August, and exports from China continue to slide worldwide.

Importers have been shifting to the East Coast since 2021, but the full realization of this has peaked over the summer. The shifting import pattern has strong downstream effects for surface transportation providers.

After 10 years of negotiations, the Mexican state of Jalisco recently received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to begin exporting Hass avocados to America.

America’s goods imports hit a capacity ceiling during the COVID-era boom. Volumes are still bouncing around near the top.

A shipping researcher dubbed July 1 “Bloody Friday” due to a large drop in stock prices for several shipping companies.

Import volumes have not realized the dip in shipping orders yet. What does this mean?

Analysts from J.P. Morgan and Bank of America warned of an impending disaster for U.S. imports.

The latest baby formula developments include relaxed regulations to support more imports, an air cargo pipeline and congressional scrutiny.

energy trade between the U.S. and Mexico reached a nine-year high

The United States has imported a relatively small share of crude oil from Russia, but U.S. imports of petroleum products from Russia — namely, unfinished oils and fuel oil.

China’s biggest holiday used to have a dramatic impact on U.S. transportation and the flow of goods. Now it seems more of an afterthought.

No letup yet: It’s taking even longer for Asian exports to get across Pacific to American buyers.

Mexico is the largest avocado producer in the world, with a volume that exceeded 2.3 million tons in 2020

EDRAY’s global shippers reportedly have seen a 40% increase in drayage productivity, five times less rehandling and 25% less emissions.

After a year and a half of predictive misses, procurement teams and supply chain managers are in need of Lithium to help treat their bipolar ordering behavior.

Transportation rate growth has gone parabolic as shipping demand continues to strain networks. What are the fundamental reasons for this and how long will these conditions persist?

With no end in sight for global supply chain crisis, importers warned to brace for high costs throughout next year.

More container ships are stuck at anchor off California than ever before. The gridlock is about to get even worse.

As stimulus-fueled demand overwhelms trans-Pacific capacity, a widening freight spread leaves small shippers behind.

U.S. rail terminals that handle imports are still grappling with chassis shortages, although efforts are being made to address overflow at the terminals.

Industrial chemicals, petroleum coke and dry bulk led the way in June

Container ships in the congestion-plagued trans-Pacific trade have stepped on the gas, with some vessels now topping 20 knots.

Americans are spending more on services. Contrary to predictions, this has yet to curb demand for containerized goods.

Mexico Remains Top US Trade Partner, Canada No. 2

Retailers at increasing risk of not getting goods from Asia on shelves as ocean transport system hits limit.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Port Laredo looks to boost produce imports; Texas drug trafficking organizer gets life in prison; e-commerce startup Merama raises $60 million; and Amazon facility set for Texas Gulf Coast.

Importers are scrambling as demand sails past ocean transport supply. The numbers paint an ominous picture for cargo shippers.

Now that shipping lines hold the pricing cards, importers must reset strategies, says Sea-Intelligence’s Jochen Gutschmidt.

On this episode of Great Quarter, Guys, Andrew Cox and Seth Holm discuss whether a wave of shipments is on its way to the U.S. or if the parcel system can handle the load.

Imports have fueled the domestic freight economy over the past year. That growth continues out of the traditional peak season with shippers booking maritime capacity in April. Could this translate to a record summer for trucking?

Mercado Labs connects, organizes and optimizes international supply chains, bringing order to the complex and monthslong importing process. End-to-end visibility is table stakes for an agile, efficient and resilient supply chain.

Bad timing: Still-rising cargo demand is coinciding with container-shipping constraints in the wake of the Suez Canal crisis.

This is an excerpt from Monday’s (3/29) Point of Sale retail supply chain newsletter sponsored by ArcBest. Yee-HAW, people. The third round of fiscal stimulus is causing an immediate and significant boost to […]

Peloton is riding a wave for the history books right now. It has grown revenues by triple digits year-over-year for three consecutive quarters while building one of the most recognizable brands in not just fitness, but all consumer segments. If it should continue this meteoric rise, it must sort its supply chain issues before either the vaccines or competition prematurely puts out its flame.

Kevin Hill and Michael Vincent discuss how imports and retail sales continue to support intense freight activity.

The Trump Administration announced an import ban on all cotton and tomato products originating in China’s Xinjiang region citing evidence of forced labor. This ban is much bigger than just cotton and tomatoes. It is a call to action for all retailers to better understand their sourcing practices.

Transportation providers may spend January unclogging supply chains as warehouse capacity has become a precious commodity thanks to the continued influx of imports.

Trucking and rail volumes remain elevated while the imports fade. Is this is beginning of the end of the 2020 freight boom?

Import volumes continue to fuel the surface transportation boom. Will it last into 2021?

The U.S. is experiencing an import surge.

Anthony and Zach bring on Maritime expert Henry Byers to discuss the near- and long-term impacts to the domestic freight market resulting from the record-breaking influx of shipments from Asia.

American steel producers have complained that imported steel rebar from Mexico and Turkey have unfairly undercut U.S. prices.

The port is a top choice for Fortune 100 companies that have been integral to the country’s pandemic response.

Freight is getting crammed into the U.S. West Coast as fast as carriers can pick it up. How long will it last?

Trade has been destabilized by the pandemic. Can trade credit insurance help de-risk trade to a degree and help solidify supply chains?

The retail apparel sector has been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn how international trade, supply chains and tariffs complicate things further.

Imports of nondurable goods are outperforming durable goods imports this month, which may indicate warehouses are full of their durable counterparts due to lack of demand.

Chart of the Week: Outbound Tender Volume Index– USA SONAR: OTVI.USA After experiencing one of the most volatile periods in history over the past two months, freight market volumes have recovered to […]

The maritime shipping companies have been able to increase their rates amidst the COVID-19 induced shut down. Is this a sign of things to come for domestic carriers?

“The coronavirus is delivering a shock to the supply chain,” said port chief Mario Cordero.

Executive Director Gene Seroka said the coronavirus has not impacted landside operations.

Import volumes are showing the first signs of recovery since the initial decline in early February.

Preparedness is essential when it comes to the coronavirus or other supply chain disruptions, experts say

Zach and Anthony talk about the latest coronavirus developments on transportation, the main functions of a freight forwarder and recent economic developments.

The coronavirus is having a far-reaching impact across the globe. The timing may make things worse for domestic trucking.

Chattanooga-based Tranco Global brings customs expertise in house.

All the latest ocean news including imports and Iran plus what is Chinese Year and how does it work in shipping?

Darren Prokop writes about the complexities of international trade (imports and exports) and how transportation is measured in that mix.

Freight volumes fell off a cliff at the end of October. Is this yet another reason for concern that the market may slow even further?

FreightWaves releases new data into SONAR regarding biodiesel and its place in the fuels market.

Amazon.com recently acquired cloud-based startup INLT, a move designed to simplify importing goods into the United States for Amazon’s online merchants, according to Reuters. INLT, which the company said stands for IN:LET, […]