The way companies import goods into the United States could look a lot different in a few years if U.S. Customs continues to make progress on several fronts to streamline processes for releasing cargo and the types of documentation required of shippers.
By Alan F. Spear TAPA Americas chairman, and U.S. director of cargo security loss control for Chartis This because this first column has to do with work TAPA has been doing for the past few years that may change the way logistics planners look at trucking companies, at least from a security perspective.
We are finally beginning to see a Customs bureaucracy that views part of its role as assisting the U.S. economy by making it easier for companies to engage in international trade and generate profits. Beyond that, Customs and Border Protection is maturing into an organization that works smarter. Rather than each office or […]
Jo-Ann Stores says it has benefited from pre-payment audit system. By Chris Dupin Jo-Ann Stores is the largest specialty retailer of fabrics and one of the biggest sellers of craft items in the United States, with annual sales of over $2 billion in its fiscal year ending Jan. 29, 2011, but threading together […]
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, under the leadership of Commissioner Alan Bersin, wants to get to know the nation’s top shippers a whole lot better, not to make their lives difficult at the border, but to create a more customer-friendly atmosphere. For years, Customs — no matter where in the world — has […]
Brightstar International, the owner of 215 cartons of cell phones, brought suit against Minuteman International, a company that sells equipment used to buff floors. Brightstar said its telephones, en route to Wal-Mart, were destroyed by a fire in a container used in an intermodal rail movement. The company further alleged the blaze was […]
When the containership Deneb capsized at dockside in the port of Algeciras last June, an investigation found 16 of the 168 containers on the load list had actual weights far in excess of declared weights — from 1.9 to 6.7 times above their declared weights. Incidents like this prompted the International Association of […]
TTI’s proposed operation will load containers mostly destined to Asia. By Chris Dupin Total Terminals International has proposed to build a special 10 acre facility within its 385 acre terminal at Pier T in the Southern California port of Long Beach to handle exports of grain and related products, such as distiller’s […]
Love them or hate them, non-vessel operating common carriers have become part of the fabric of the ocean shipping community. But could this business model be headed for a significant change or possibly extinction? “I believe the traditional NVOCC business model is at risk,” proclaimed Jon Monroe, industry veteran and systems developer for third […]
Korean line’s 10 mega-ship order helps counter ‘hyper-competitive market.’ In a world of growing containership fleets and ship sizes, the South Korean container line Hyundai Merchant Marine has managed to carve its niche as a profitable mid-sized line over the past few years. Despite having only the 18th largest fleet in the world […]
10 things we don’t expect next year, but could happen
Speculation has been rampant of late that the top container lines are starving the market of viable rates in order to force what they consider to be much needed consolidation. What’s changed in recent weeks is that some of the beleaguered carriers in the chasing pack are starting to speak their minds about the issue.
Further proof that environmental stewardship is becoming a big priority for the aviation industry comes from Swiss WorldCargo, which said it will introduce new “lightweight’ containers to its fleet during the next four years. The company said the unit load devices (ULDs) will significantly reduce weight and, by extension, lower fuel consumption, costs […]
Last month I mentioned steps taken by Continental Airlines and Alaska Airlines to use more biofuels to power their aircraft and reduce carbon emissions. They both flew commercial flights with a biofuel mix for the first time and are investing in biofuel production and distribution networks. The Federal Aviation Administration on Dec. 1 […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has recently revamped its directory to assist small to mid-sized agricultural exporters with locating freight forwarders to handle their logistics needs. The Directory of Freight Forwarders Serving Agricultural Shippers (available online at https://www.ams.usda.gov/ATFreightForwarder) provides access to more than 600 forwarders familiar with handling agricultural goods. […]
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission says it plans to review whether to allow foreign, unlicensed non-vessel-operating common carriers to enter into negotiated rate arrangements (NRAs).
MIT research shows ocean transit reliability isn’t as problematic as landside delays. Ocean shippers have long cried out for more schedule reliability from liner carriers but have had few ways to precisely measure the true performance of their ocean service providers.
Move seen as way to combat Maersk’s tightening grip on Asia-Europe trade. By Eric Johnson As big news goes, the second and third largest global container lines joining forces on a number of major global trades is pretty big. Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM in early December announced […]
Deputy commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection will become acting commissioner when outgoing agency chief Alan Bersin officially leaves office on Dec. 30.
A six-week U.S. government dragnet ended Dec. 16 resulted in the arrest of 33 people allegedly involved in importation, distribution and sale of more than 327,000 counterfeit products, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE agents participating in Operation Holiday Hoax seized fake toys, cell phones and chargers, handbags, DVDs, perfume, integrated circuits, wallets, […]
