Over the summer, American Shipper spent two days shadowing the transportation teams of two major shippers in an endeavor to better understand how shippers actually use a transportation management system.
After hitting an all-time low in February, dry bulk shipping rates have more than tripled. The Baltic Dry Index—which reflects estimates for the cost of moving a variety of different dry bulk commodities in different size ships on a variety of routes—has climbed from a record low of 290 to more than 900 in […]
Consumers often base their purchases of fresh produce on appearance. Unfortunately, those fruits and vegetables with minor bumps, scuffs, bruises, and deformities end up left behind in farmers’ fields to rot. According to the United Nations, between 20 and 40 percent of produce harvested each year is thrown away because it does not […]
The American Trucking Associations has urged the federal government for a decade now to mandate the use of electronic devices that prevent truck drivers from exceeding a pre-determined speed. Now, after the Department of Transportation finally decided it was a good idea, the ATA appears to backing away from the policy and taking a […]
In a recent decision, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) found a Forward Freight Agreement (FFA) between two companies was not a maritime contract and that the court lacked jurisdiction to enforce a judgment handed down by an English court. The case (D’Amico Dry Limited v. Primera Maritime […]
During its most recent assembly, the 191 member states of the International Civil Aviation Organization passed an agreement on a global market-based measure to offset carbon emissions worldwide, putting a bow on a quest for airline emissions trading that has been years—if not decades—in the making. ICAO said the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction […]
The recent events surrounding the bankruptcy of Hanjin Shipping have resonated with serious negative overtones impacting global supply chains in almost every industry. Vessels and cargoes are being seized, crew members are facing arrest and prosecution, senior executives are being pursued by government authorities, and freight is being held up from meeting delivery […]
No American shipper wants to experience a showdown between unionized dock labor and its employers any time soon. That’s why it’s now more important than ever for shippers to continue to nudge dockworkers—those represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union on the West Coast and International Longshoremen’s Union on the East Coast—and […]
One thing that service providers are great at is taking care of you. They will pick up your shipments, export them out of the country, clear them through Customs and deliver them halfway around the world, and they won’t bother you with all of the nitpicky details that they constantly have to deal with. […]
With interest rates at their lowest levels in recorded history there is an abundance of capital seeking investment opportunities, particularly in freight movement infrastructure. It is not surprising that many previously studied, and postponed or rejected, investment ideas are re-surfacing. It is worth reconsidering potential opportunities from time to time because as the world […]
American Shipper has been analyzing the state of the freight payment industry since 2009 and in that time we’ve shone a light on numerous discrepancies between companies that handle payment of transportation and logistics in a systematic way versus those that handle it more manually. In this, the seventh version of our annual […]
Squeezing perishable exporters; The “Amazon Effect” and Operation New Hope
Importers need to double-check that products are properly classified and have accurate origination information on customs entries to avoid being the victim of stepped up U.S. Customs enforcement of unfair trade practices, according to Larry Ordet, a customs attorney at Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg. Congress last year passed the Enforce and Protect Act, […]
New U.S. Customs regulations will make it easier to catch companies trying to avoid anti-dumping and countervailing duties.
The Federal Maritime Commission said Friday it concluded its review of the proposed OCEAN Alliance, allowing the new ocean carrier alliance to take effect Monday, although it is not expected to commence operations until around April 2017.
The Danish liner carrier has resumed service to Iran after a five-year absence and just a year and a half after the Maersk Tigris was fired upon by the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.
Roberto Azevêdo, the head of the World Trade Organization, warned that the benefits of international trade are increasingly getting lost among the incessant anti-trade rhetoric that’s being espoused worldwide.
Meanwhile, a judge in STX Offshore’s Korean bankruptcy proceedings has ordered the troubled shipbuilder to put its shipyard up for sale along with its profitable cruise ship subsidiary based in France, according to multiple media reports.
The transportation and logistics provider’s net income dropped 41 percent to $18.9 million compared with third quarter 2015 after a similar 43 percent year-over-year decline the previous quarter, according to the company’s most recent financial statements.
The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index ticked up 2.3 percent from last week, with rates from Shanghai to Northwest Europe, the Mediterranean and the United States remaining fairly stagnant.
