The railroad on Tuesday identified projects in Washington, Montana and North Dakota that will receive a portion of its record $4.3 billion for capital investment in 2013. It said the expansion is needed to keep up with demand.
Agricultural shippers are questioning whether market conditions are such that a planned westbound rate increase announced by the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA) on Tuesday will stick, said Peter Friedmann, executive director of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC). Friedmann said Wednesday a number of agriculture exporters have told him they are skeptical that the market […]
Private equity investor Wilbur Ross is one of the backers behind a new shipping company planning to build eight 64,000-deadweight-ton dry bulk carriers. Nautical Bulk Holdings Ltd., a newly formed Bermuda-based company, announced Wednesday it has raised in excess of $100 million of equity capital to fund the construction of the eight ships by […]
PTA Holdings is predicting its third quarter revenues, when announced, will show a 20 percent increase from the previous quarter, according to the firm’s vice president, Tim Norton. “As announced earlier, we have added additional tractors and trailers during the quarter that will enhance the expansion of and profitability of our Iowa and […]
Old Dominion has released a smartphone app that allows shippers to view their cargo details and receive shipping estimates. Customers can also schedule pickups, view bills of lading, and find the closest service center. “We are always looking for how we can better serve our customers and use technology to offer the best […]
DHL Global Forwarding is adding two new offices to its existing seven offices in Indonesia, expanding its operations to Manado and Palembang. The new offices, which will open before the end of 2013, are part of a large push by DHL into Indonesia that will see more offices open up in the next […]
The Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grants, which are issued by the department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, comes from user fees paid by hazardous materials carriers.
The United States and Uruguay this week signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance trade facilitation between the two countries. Uruguay is an important emerging trading partner for the United States in South America, and is the only non-free trade agreement country included in the Pathways to Prosperity (Pathways) Customs Modernization and Border Management […]
DB Schenker has officially opened its new headquarters at the Frankfurt Airport. The development has space for 500 workers, and a little more than 400 employees from Schenker’s European rail operations and the company’s transportation and logistics division moved in on Aug. 19. The rest — employees from the European Operations Center and […]
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board has increased the fees the shipping public must pay to file for some of its 125 fees for pleadings and other documents, pushing the cost up by less than $100 for 28 documents and increasing the fee more than $100 for 47 pleadings compared to 2012 levels. The […]
Like many states, California has a “sunshine” law via the California Public Records Act (CPRA) that provides for the inspection of public records maintained by state and local agencies. The Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) sought to use that law to obtain records by the port agent of the Board of Pilot Commissioners […]
By Eric Kulisch Retailers that want to enable consumers to make purchases when and where they want, and for each of their brands, need help integrating products, Websites, orders, and customer data with their enterprise systems. That’s where providers of holistic commerce suites such as hybris, IBM, Oracle, Digital River, RedPrairie, Magento, Intershop, […]
Tight pest controls open door for S. Florida to import Latin American perishables. By Eric Kulisch A trial program that for the first time in decades would allow shippers in southern Florida to import limited types of South American produce that meets stringent phytosanitary standards is expected to receive the final go ahead from federal […]
By Eric Kulisch Logistics trends associated with online retail in Western Europe differ somewhat from those in the United States. Germany, France and the United Kingdom account for 71 percent of total European e-commerce sales, with the United Kingdom being the most developed market at 12 percent of all retail sales. There […]
Washington state senators introduce bill for a new maritime goods user fee. By Chris Dupin U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell said they will introduce legislation when the Senate returns in September to repeal the Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT) on imports and replace it with a new Maritime Goods Movement User Fee that would […]
Dunavant’s mobile devices linked to intermodal TMS empower contract drivers. By Eric Johnson Visibility has become so pervasive in the field of logistics management that it has largely obscured the fact that one major link in global supply chains continues to remain virtually opaque to shippers. Drayage remains the veritable black hole when it […]
FreightWatch worries cargo theft in North America on the rise. In early August, FreightWatch International sent a security bulletin to its trucking members warning of possible supply chain delays in Michoacan, Mexico.
Logistics innovation enables merging of e-commerce, store supply chains as retailers race to implement omni-channel strategy. By Eric Kulisch The globalization of the Internet spawned electronic commerce and simplified shopping for consumers, but it has made life more complicated for big box retailers, department stores and other large merchandisers. In response to market pressure from […]
Deadly Canadian accident may lead to more regulatory scrutiny of industry. By Jon Ross In the early morning hours of July 6, a Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway train carrying crude oil derailed, causing one of the deadliest rail accidents in Canadian history. More than 45 people died, and in the weeks after the […]
Some of the most startling images in shipping publications this summer were those of the MOL Comfort, a containership that split in half during a storm on June 17 off the coast of Yemen. The crew escaped unharmed, but both halves eventually sank, the fore section after catching fire. The casualty is confounding […]
