American Shipper

   FreightWatch International is urging truckers traveling in Mexico to use caution at the Chalco toll booth on the Mexico-Puebla Toll Road and the Tepotzotlan booth on the Mexico-Queretaro road due to teacher’s union protests in the area.    The firm, which monitors and tracks cargo thefts, said teachers are currently slowing up freight flows by asking for donations from […]

   The U.S. Transportation Department’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) has released about $63 million in grants to 33 University Transportation Centers (UTCs) to advance research and education programs that address critical transportation challenges facing the country.    “University transportation centers are key to helping us address today’s transportation needs, from environmental sustainability to […]

   A bill requiring the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s final ruling on sleep apnea has passed through the House by a unanimous vote and will now be considered by the Senate.    If made law, the bill would “ensure that any new or revised requirement providing for the screening, testing, or treatment of […]

U.S. and Japanese officials conducted thorough on-site audits to ensure that their organic programs’ regulations, quality control measures, certification requirements, and labeling practices were compatible.

IMO Secretary General Koji Sekimizu said ocean shipping is “the world’s only really reliable, global, cost-effective and energy-efficient mass transportation method for energy, materials, foods and industrial products.”

The equity firm has purchased the white-glove logistics firm from Transport Resource partners for an undisclosed amount, combining the company with another 2013 acquisition, MXD Group.

An investigation by the analyst into liner carrier and freight forwarder knowledge of index-linked ocean contracts found inconsistencies, and in some cases, insufficient knowledge, about the instruments among sales offices.

   The World Trade Organization on Wednesday adopted an Aug. 2 dispute settlement panel report in favor of the United States in a major trade dispute with China, proving the country’s imposition of duties on U.S. chicken “broiler” products violates international trade rules.    With the report now formally adopted by the WTO Dispute Settlement […]

   The bulk carrier Nordic Orion, loaded with metallurgical coal in Vancouver, British Columbia, completed a successful voyage through the Northwest Passage earlier this week.    The Norway-based Bellona Foundation said the ship is transporting 73,000 tons of met coal to a steelmaker in Finland.    While increasing numbers of ships are sailing through the […]

   Knight Transportation recently proposed an acquisition of USA Truck for $9 per share or $95 million only to be rebuffed by the carrier’s management.    Knight is now taking its offer public to communicate directly with USA Truck’s shareholders.    The total value of the proposed acquisition, which includes USA Truck’s outstanding debt, is $242 […]

   Representatives from the International Civil Aviation Organization and the World Customs Organization joined together at ICAO’s 38th assembly to reinforce their partnership and collaboration.     ICAO’s head Raymond Benjamin said “we’ve recognized that focusing only on the aviation leg of a given shipment is no longer enough.”    He added ICAO will now focus […]

   The U.S. and Iraqi governments on Wednesday reaffirmed their strategic partnership during a meeting of the Services, Technology, Environment and Transportation Joint Coordination Committee (STET JCC) in Washington.    Iraqi Deputy Minister of Transportation Bangen Rekani and U.S. Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs Susan Kurland co-chaired the meeting. The […]

   Carrier Transicold said it has introduced a new container atmosphere control technology that helps maintain quality of produce so it can be shipped over longer distances.    The company said its XtendFRESH system actively manages oxygen and carbon dioxide levels inside the shipping container, while simultaneously removing ethylene. Carrier also said the system is designed to […]

   President Barack Obama has nominated Deb Miller, a former head of the Kansas Department of Transportation, to the Surface Transportation Board to replace Francis Mulvey, who saw his term expire in December.    If confirmed by the Senate, Miller’s appointment would run through 2017.    Mulvey, who is currently serving as vice chairman, is […]

   In a transportation procurement study published in June by American Shipper, in partnership with Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and Retail Industry Leaders Association, 50 percent of large shippers cited a lack of return on investment (ROI) as the number one inhibitor to their adoption of bid procurement technology. This is a shockingly […]

Shippers urge early talks for U.S. West Coast longshore labor contract.    Contract negotiations between employers and longshoremen on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts were protracted and fractious in 2012-2013, with importers and exporters watching nervously from the sidelines.    Shippers are bracing themselves once again as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which represents […]

By Randy Mullett, Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs, Con-way Inc.    America has fallen behind the rest of the world’s developed economies in truck productivity and shippers and consumers should care because they are bearing the brunt of this shortfall through higher shipping costs, increased congestion, heightened emissions, less safe highways, and […]

   The number of new truck broker registrations has declined for seven consecutive months this year, after first showing a decline in September 2012, according to analysis of U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data by MyCarrierResources.com and Interstate Transport, a brokerage in St. Petersburg, Fla.

   The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced its version of a Water Resources Reform Development Act reauthorization bill on Sept. 11, and was scheduled to debate, amend and rewrite the legislation on Sept. 19.    With today’s emphasis in Washington on streamlining government and reducing spending, H.R. 3080 includes many reform initiatives, including requiring […]

   U .S. Customs and Border Protection has tentatively selected ATS Logistics Inc. of North Charleston, S.C., as the new operator of its Central Examination Station for the Port of Charleston, replacing incumbent Charleston Freight Station, spokesman Sean Crep said.    Charleston Freight Station has, for the past 17 years, been the designated warehouse location […]