American Shipper

   Public-private partnerships are on the rise, creating a stable outlook for the nation’s infrastructure despite slow growth, according to Fitch Ratings’ 2014 transportation infrastructure outlook.    Needed infrastructure is being completed by these partnerships because of “uncertain” federal resources and the dearth of local and state money, Fitch’s Scott Zuchorski explained.    “While not […]

   American manufacturers and related industries shipped almost 11.7 billion tons of goods valued at more than $13.6 trillion in 2012, according to preliminary numbers from the 2012 Commodity Flow Survey released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau.    Final CFS data […]

   DHL Express announced Tuesday that it will double the operational footprint of its main European hub in Leipzig, Germany, to accommodate future shipment volume growth. The company plans to invest 150 million euro ($205.72 million) to construct additional warehousing, sorting and office facilities with a territory of approximately 44,000 square meters.    A new […]

   XPO Logistics has entered into a definitive agreement with Landstar System to acquire NLM for $87 million. The transaction is expected to close by mid-January 2014.     The deal will add NLM’s proprietary online auction system, which allows carriers to bid on loads that are then awarded electronically, to XPO’s transportation management capabilities.    […]

   The Asian Shippers Council (ASC) at its annual meeting on this week in Shenzhen, China, has objected to the proposal by Maersk, MSC and CMA CGM to form the P3 Network.    The group said the vessel-sharing agreement by the world’s three largest container shipping companies would result “in the biggest concentration of capacity […]

Kulisch    Eric Kulisch, trade and transportation editor of American Shipper, received an award from the London-based Seahorse Club Dec. 10 for his September issue cover story, “Breaking down the wall” (pages 8-17), an analysis on how e-commerce has hastened retailers toward omni-channel strategies.    The Seahorse Club is a networking group of public relations, marketing, […]

   Intertanko said, “Vetting inspections of tankers by oil companies are proliferating in frequency, rising steadily in cost and, at an estimated $300 million a year, are well on the way to running out of control.”

   Aspects of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program are an unreliable measure of driver risk, according to a recently published paper by the American Trucking Associations.    In the report, the ATA looked at the FMCSA’s safety measurement system (SMS), a measure of the broader CSA ratings, and found that […]

   IAG Cargo has unveiled new routes for its next-generation aircraft, the B787 and A380. Offering increased cargo capacity and cold-chain services, the aircraft will be deployed across a number of key routes in the IAG Cargo network throughout 2014.     The B787 will launch from four locations on IAG Cargo’s global network. After its […]

   “Imports have seen good growth over the last year, and retailers are well-stocked as the holiday season continues,” stated the National Retail Federation’s Jonathan Gold. “Holiday merchandise has made it from the ships to the shelves.”

   The world’s airports reported an overall year-over-year gain of 4.1 percent in air freight traffic for the month of October, despite sluggish global commerce for most of 2013, according to Airports Council International.    The rise in air freight volumes is consistent with the recent improvements in international trade volumes and overall business confidence, […]

   The Georgia Ports Authority achieved significant gains in November, with a 6.6-percent increase in TEU for the month and a 7.3-percent increase in total tonnage across all terminals. 

   CN Railroad said Tuesday it will start serving a new frac sand producer on its Wisconsin rail network in December.    The production facility of Source Energy Services in Weyerhaeuser, Wis., will have an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tons of high-grade sands, rising to 2 million tons by the third quarter of […]

   The Port of Montreal has welcomed the largest petroleum tanker to have ever visited the port. The MT Overseas Portland, carrying 475,000 barrels of crude oil, arrived from St. James, La., on Thursday.    Beginning in May, the maximum width of vessels allowed to sail into the Quebec-Montreal section of the St. Lawrence channel […]

   Old Dominion Freight Line has relocated and expanded its Fort Myers service center in order to accommodate increased demand in Southwest Florida. The company has maintained a presence in Fort Myers for seven years.    “After years of sustained growth in the area, it was time to expand our facility to serve our new […]

   Steel exports fell by 10.9 percent in September, month-over-month, and declined by 3.4 percent year-over-year, according to government data.    “All export markets for American-made steel declined in September over August, with the exception of the small Asian market, which posted a small increase for the month. It is hard to know whether the […]

   The APHIS Center for Plant Health Science and Technology said it has completed an analysis of any potential pest risks and has posted a draft document for interested parties to review and comment within 30 days.

   Ministers meeting in Singapore adjourned without finalizing a Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, but said they had made significant progress and would meet again next month.     Negotiators had long expressed hope of concluding a Pacific trade deal by the end of the year.     The TPP talks are aimed at opening markets and reducing […]