The Port of Long Beach has been selected to apply for a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan to replace the highly congested Gerald Desmond Bridge. The bridge lacks capacity for current and projected traffic, including trucks that serve the Southern California port, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Tuesday. The […]
In the last three months, I have metamorphosed from American Shipper associate editor to just plain ol’ American “shipper,” and boy, has it been an interesting experience. A little background: five years ago, I moved to New Delhi, India to cover the liner and logistics industry from an Asian perspective for American Shipper. […]
Very interesting development — Kiva becoming part of Amazon. (Reported in the March 20 AS Daily.) As of early April while writing these comments, I am not certain why Amazon would buy Kiva. Just because Amazon, including Zappos, which is owned by Amazon, uses Kiva technology in their warehouses does not mean you […]
Scudder Smith, principal consultant for Parsons Brinckherhoff, recently completed a study about the Panama Canal for the U.S. Maritime Administration that is intended to help the government better understand changes in freight patterns, the ability of U.S. port and inland infrastructure to handle traffic resulting from the arrival of larger vessels, and guide necessary […]
By Eric Johnson Welcome to the fourth installment of our yearlong countdown of the top 12 non-vessel-operating common carriers for U.S. inbound containerized cargo. Using data provided to American Shipper by the trade intelligence firm Zepol Corp., we’ll take a closer look at each of these companies in terms of where their cargo […]
CargoWise, a technology provider for logistics service providers, has announced Independent Transport & Shipping AB (ITS) has completed implementation of its ediEnterprise platform. Sweden-based ITS will use the platform for its ocean, air, and road freight forwarding operations including the Web services and tracking it provides. Martin Selfors, IT Manager for Independent Transport & […]
The liner carrier will assess a set of peak season surcharges from Asia to Latin America over the next month, stating the $300-per-TEU fee is needed because of a shortage of 20-foot dry containers on the trade.
Eleven piracy reports were received in Nigeria and Benin during the first quarter of 2012, equivalent to the whole of 2011. In all, IMB recorded 102 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the first quarter of 2012.
Teletrac, a GPS fleet tracking and telematics provider, has updated its main software platform Fleet Director with a focus on new and established technology. Fleet Director allows operations managers to run fleets more efficiently while improving driver safety. The updates focus on including new business intelligence, in-cab color touchscreen tablets with two-way messaging, […]
States, local governments and non-profit organizations can apply for up to $20 million worth of grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help programs aimed at replacing older diesel engines with cleaner alternatives. The EPA on Friday opened the fiscal year 2012 application process for the Diesel Emission Reduction Program (DERA). Another $9 […]
Ocean freight levels have remained “soft” through April, though they’re stronger than in March, according to the latest Stifel Nicolaus Logistics Confidence Index, which is based on a monthly survey of shippers and forwarders in several European trades.
Canadian National Railway said it had a profit of $775 million in the first quarter, 16 percent more than the $668 million in the first quarter of 2011. Revenue in the first quarter was $2.35 billion, up 13 percent from $2.08 billion in the same 2011 period. Claude Mongeau, president and chief executive officer, said the company […]
Emirates Shipping Line said this week it plans to hike rates on the trade from the Far East and Southeast Asia to East Africa. The increase, effective May 1, is $250 per TEU. Emirates said it is “in line with market conditions.”
foodcareplus, an Antwerp-based logistics services provider specializing in food products, has joined with Nova Fresh Logistics to deliver an all-in-one logistics offering for the seafood industry.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed another 90-day extension of the surface transportation bill last week, which would provide funding for road building and transportation programs through the end of the fiscal year. The current three-month extension lasts through June. So why move on another extension before the existing one nears expiration? Well, […]
RailAmerica has appointed Gary Lewis to senior vice president and chief commercial officer. Lewis, who joined the company in 2009, was previously vice president of industrial development. Before coming to RailAmerica, he was director of sales and marketing at Kinder Morgan Terminals, and prior to that, he served in various management roles during […]
The U.S. Export-Import Bank approved $360 million in supply chain financing to benefit suppliers – many of them small businesses – of Navistar International Corp. Lisle, Ill.-based Navistar is a manufacturer and marketer of medium and heavy trucks and mid-range diesel engines. “Ex-Im Bank’s supply chain financing benefits Navistar’s small business suppliers […]
Significant theft of metals in the United States has increased by 254 percent, from 13 thefts in the fourth quarter of 2011 to 46 incidents in the first quarter of 2012, according to a report from FreightWatch International, a logistics security company. Freightwatch says there were more metal thefts in the first quarter than all […]
Dynamex, which provides same-day transportation services in North America, has introduced a truckload service. Jason Bergman, the company’s vice president of North American sales, called it an ideal time to enter this market, citing increasing fuel costs and a thinning driver pool. Initially the service will focus on the continental United States. Dynamex said it will […]
For the past two decades, American shippers have been mostly content to allow nearly all their international logistics functions to be managed by freight forwarders, non-vessel-operating common carriers and customs brokers. While these intermediaries undoubtedly continue to perform invaluable transportation and trade compliance services for shippers, there is an increasing cadre of large […]
