In its recent Pulse of the Online Shopper survey, UPS found U.S. e-commerce spending grew by 15 percent in 2012 to $186 billion, vastly surpassing the growth rate of traditional retail, and a chunk of this activity is fueled by air freight. While shippers trading down for cheaper transport options may hit the […]
Amid tight budgets, U.S. Customs sets aggressive schedule to complete long-delayed IT project. It’s been a marathon, but the finish line is finally coming into sight for U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s massive systems modernization project known as ACE. More than a dozen years and $3.1 billion since development of the Automated Commercial Environment began […]
The ongoing synchronization of border management between the United States, Canada and Mexico to make trade and travel more efficient and secure is a good model for developing a global standard for supply chain regulation, Thomas Winkowski, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said Sept. 23 in Washington. If customs administrations […]
There’s been a lot of attention paid in the last year to Japan’s new so-called 24-hour rule, which is designed to give Japan’s customs and security officials the same types of early access to ocean cargo documentation that the United States has had for years.
Software provider acquisition adds compliance capability in world’s biggest export market. The strength of any provider in the global trade management (GTM) space is typically measured on two axes — the robustness of its technology and completeness of its content. If a provider has a robust platform and invests in the people and expertise to […]
Acquisition of sourcing specialist Procurian opens opportunities for logistics clients. In the past two months, two major procurement-related deals have underscored the value in this stage of supply chain management. American Shipper dissected the topic of spend management solutions provider SciQuest’s $43 million acquisition of procurement and sourcing software provider CombineNet in its October […]
By Walter Kemmsies, chief economist, Moffatt & Nichol As the United States struggles to recover, it is clear that increasing exports, supported by larger vessels to offset high fuel costs, can help the process; however, investment needed to support this activity goes beyond making seaports capable of handling the larger vessels…
Retailers collaborate on standard process for security audits of overseas factories. Several major U.S. retailers have banded together and harmonized how they conduct security audits of foreign suppliers to make it easier for all parties to meet the guidelines of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism. Trade compliance officers involved in the process spoke with […]
Significant turnover rates are returning to large truckload companies, and the American Trucking Associations said it’s creating a tight market for qualified drivers. During the second quarter of this year, turnover at these carriers rose by two percentage points to 99 percent on an annualized basis, according to the ATA’s Trucking Activity Report. […]
An early October news report in the Irish Independent newspaper said one of two small rockets fired by al-Qaida terrorist affiliate Al-firqan Brigade at the vessel COSCO Asia as it transited the Suez Canal on Aug. 31 struck a container filled with smuggled cigarettes. The illegal cargo had a reported street value in […]
The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America honored Al Gina, who recently retired as assistant commissioner for international trade at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, during its annual Government Affairs Conference in Washington on Sept. 23. Gina, a native New Yorker and die-hard New York Jets fan, received two standing ovations […]
When Mumbai, India-based Allcargo Logistics, the parent company of Ecu-Line, announced it acquired a 100-percent interest in Econocaribe Consolidators, it furthered the ongoing trend of consolidating the ocean freight consolidators. Allcargo said Econocaribe is the third largest U.S. non-vessel-operating common carrier. Based in Miami, Econocaribe has nine U.S. offices and 22 receiving terminals […]
The United States Maritime Alliance’s Dave Adam said the return of work pertains to master contract work. That includes the handling of containers and large roll-on, roll-off cargo, though not cars.
The Port of Baltimore said arbitration was expected to begin Friday morning in an effort to end a strike by members of International Longshoremen’s Association. The strike began Wednesday and has shutdown public terminals in the port.
President Barack Obama is expected today to formally nominate former Defense Department General Counsel Jeh Johnson to be secretary of homeland security. Rand Beers has been serving as acting secretary since mid-August.
Maersk officials said this week the members of the pending P3 Network will submit regulatory filings in Europe, North America and Asia within a week or two, with details of the alliance’s planned schedule to be made public soon as well.
Maersk Line has advised that a labor action in Rotterdam is causing it to divert ships to Amsterdam. The carrier said that due to current collective labor agreement negotiations for a new facility of APM Terminals in Rotterdam, “the current facility of APM Terminals in Rotterdam has been confronted with unannounced work stoppages. […]
Construction officially kicked off Thursday on the Port of Savannah’s “last mile” Jimmy Deloach (Parkway) Connector project. “Today, we take another step toward making sure companies can get their goods in and out of the port as safely and as quickly as possible, thereby saving time, money and lives,” Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal […]
Freight railroad CSX said Thursday it will invest $50 million to build a new intermodal facility near Pittsburgh to serve shippers in the area and enhance the efficiency of its truck-like service. The facility will be located in McKees Rocks and Stowe Township on the route between CSX’s ultra-modern truck-rail transfer hub in Northwest Ohio and a large terminal in Chambersburg, […]
A group of large U.S. retail trade associations have asked the country’s lawmakers to renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act for at least 15 years “to ensure the predictability necessary to support trade and investment decisions.”
