China

Virtually every U.S.-listed shipping stock fell on a day that the S&P 500 hit a record high.

Pullback in trans-Pacific shipping rates: beginning of the end or brief reprieve with end still not in sight?

Shipping Asia-U.S. via regular ocean service and rail? “I would bet your goods will not arrive in time for Christmas,” says Flexport’s Nerijus Poskus.

Los Angeles is at the front line of the port congestion crisis. Its executive director outlines his strategy to clear anchorages.

Capesize bulkers haven’t earned this much since 2009, and freight futures just made “monstrous” move up.

Class 8 truck orders skipped a beat in September as supply shortages delayed the typical order season with fewer new trucks booked.

As some Chinese factories go dark, more delays for container imports but bullish sign for coal, LNG and oil shipping.

Two of China’s main ports are preparing for the arrival of Typhoon Chanthu, which could slam Taiwan first.

As stimulus-fueled demand overwhelms trans-Pacific capacity, a widening freight spread leaves small shippers behind.

Truck Talk is a weekly newsletter providing perspective on advancements in the trucking industry from electrification to autonomy.

COVID closes a big cargo facility at Shanghai airport, creating another bottleneck for shippers ahead of the holiday inventory buildup.

Extreme measures to contain delta variant create unprecedented backlog of dry bulk ships off China.

Labor shortages at Chinese airports and pilot quarantine rules related to COVID are forcing airlines to scuttle many cargo flights to keep operations going and pilots from being put in isolation.

The world’s 10 longest railway networks

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Canada again beats Mexico to remain the top U.S. trade partner; Merqueo raises $50 million to expand across Latin America; Aries Worldwide Logistics opens Laredo office; and CBP in Texas intercept a rare pest in a produce shipment.

U.S. inventory-to-sales ratio still historically low as key import source — China — faces growing delta variant risk.

Despite all-time-high container production, demand continues to outpace supply and new box prices keep rising.

Good news for dry bulk shipping stocks, bad news for decarbonization: The global coal trade is thriving.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: US agricultural exporters experiencing shipping container crunch; TForce Logistics expands last-mile delivery in Texas; Dachser expands operations in Arizona; and TexAmericas Center to expand rail service.

The Biden administration wants to reduce reliance on China for critical rare earth materials.

Container ships in the congestion-plagued trans-Pacific trade have stepped on the gas, with some vessels now topping 20 knots.

The biggest container shipping line in the world says container traffic at the massive Port of Yantian in China is moving much better after COVID restrictions were recently lifted. But exporters have a long way to go before ocean shipments go smoothly again.

Nowports aims to digitize supply chains from Asia to the Americas with $16 million in Series A funding.

On Sunday, China banned new downloads of Didi’s ride-hailing app, and on Tuesday, the stock dropped more than 23% in response.

Regulators in China target two Full Truck Alliance apps in a cybersecurity investigation less than two weeks after the freight platform’s U.S. IPO.

The Port of Yantian is operating at 100% on the vessel side again after a month of delays, but that doesn’t mean the container buildup will get resolved soon.

A year and a half after COVID emerged in Wuhan, China’s exporters, liners, shipyards and container factories are all booming.

Chinese ride-hailing company Didi has filed for an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, but some analysts are already questioning the long-term value of the stock.

Electric vehicle manufacturer ELMS will debut a prototype of its Class 3 cargo van at the FedEx contractors event at the end of July.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Mexico remains top US trade partner; second USMCA labor complaint lodged at Mexican factory; Hyliion expands Texas headquarters; and avocado imports from Mexico up 26%.

Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi has filed paperwork with the SEC for an IPO on a major U.S. stock exchange.

No matter the rhetoric, the unvarnished truth is it takes people to move trade.

The digital freight platform has a big market share in China, is growing its revenue but remains unprofitable.

Project44 attributes its exponential growth, like its 135% year-over-year new bookings growth in Q1, to its skilled global team.

Doing business in China is tricky and companies could get sucked into the political quicksand, so best to have an exit strategy to avoid reputational risk, experts say.

At the end of Q1, JD Logistics was operating over 1,000 warehouses globally that cover 226 million square feet of space, managed by the JD Logistics Open Warehouse Platform.

The containers that U.S. shippers need are all built in China, where factories could set a new production record this year.

Aeroméxico Cargo inaugurates twice weekly direct cargo route between Mexico City and Wuhan, China.

Self-driving truck software maker Plus signed its long-rumored SPAC with $500 million cash and $3.3 billion valuation expected in Q3.

China’s potential monopoly over containers and intermodal chassis is the target of an investigation by FMC Commissioner Carl Bentzel.

Visibility provider’s global focus “is part of our DNA,” says Chief Product Officer Vernon O’Donnell.

Importers are scrambling as demand sails past ocean transport supply. The numbers paint an ominous picture for cargo shippers.

Chinese container production still trails torrid demand. Ever Given accident was ‘icing on the cake’ — making box shortfall worse.

“For the first time ever, shippers can have a true global view of their supply chain network in a single platform.”

You may not have heard of Cainiao, but you know parent company Alibaba is the Amazon of China. Cainiao is powering Alibaba’s logistics and recently arranged air transport from Singapore to duty-free shops in China.

Switzerland had the highest average truck driver salary at more than $70,000 a year.

2006: Istanbul-based freight forwarder Advance International has made use of international agency plans to re-establish reliable landbridge routes between the two continents.

Mexico is again the top trading partner of the United States for February, followed by Canada and China.

Lufthansa Cargo and DB Schenker are flying carbon-neutral weekly routes from Germany to China, using carbon offsets and sustainable aviation fuel.

It’s not that companies can’t operate without China, it’s just that for now, said companies will not grow as fast as they could with it, and will likely do so with lower margins. In a retail world constantly balancing sales and profit, avoiding China is giving up both for many Western brands.

Autonomous trucking startup Plus is beginning production of Level 4 software this year as it works toward 10 billion miles of on-road testing.

Port Houston is positioning itself as a viable option for handling more containerized imports from Asia.

The Baidu Apollo fleet consists of 500 vehicles, with open-road tests conducted in 30 cities around the world. The company’s Robotaxi service has carried 210,000 passengers and is available in Beijing, Changsha and Cangzhou, with plans to move into 30 more cities over the next three years.

The company can deliver over 90% of its orders same or next day, and has access to 99% of the population.

China was the top U.S. trading partner for the 10th consecutive month in January and was the most important trading partner in 2020.

In a wide-ranging keynote during the FreightWaves Global Supply Chain Week, former U.S. Senator Bob Corker expressed concern for America’s global status.

Jared Flinn, operating partner of Bulkloads.com., discusses the future of the bulk commodities market post-COVID-19 pandemic and what to look for in 2021.

Kuehne + Nagel is on a mission to get bigger in Asia. Two deals this week in China are helping to make that possible.

Cargo shippers hamstrung by the global container shortage should not expect a box building spree in China to come to their rescue.

S.F. Express is growing its domestic Chinese parcel business at a dizzying rate. The acquisition of a large Hong Kong logistics company helps it expand overseas.

Self-driving truck technology startup Plus is already working on an autonomous freight matching project in China. Now it has investors there.

Engine and power systems maker Cummins Inc. destroyed analyst estimates for Q4 as the loosening of COVID-19’s grip in China pushed record sales.

For the second month in a row, China was the main trading partner of the U.S., followed by Mexico, Canada and Japan.

Automakers have put a high priority on EVs as the world shifts to cleaner modes of transportation. With demand for EVs forecasted to rise, the demand for rare earth metals used in both EV drivetrains and batteries will definitely be on the rise as well.

A “China+1” or “China+2” strategy makes sense for many reasons, but how much can companies afford to distance themselves from China’s manufacturing prowess?

China still holds the title of the world’s manufacturing floor, but business challenges are leading more companies to source production in other countries.

Alibaba is challenging Amazon on many fronts, including logistics. It’s now handling import/export operations in South Korea.

The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America’s general counsel Ed Greenberg looks forward to spending time with his grandson.

At airlines, cargo is typically the junior partner to passenger service. During COVID, the roles are reversed and United Airlines is using its cargo network to support more passenger service.

“China and tariffs: Why COVID has actually increased cargo yields” was the topic of a virtual fireside chat at the American Shipper Global Trade Tech Summit.

New ocean container floor design developed and tested by the Institute of International Container Lessors over the past 10 years reduces wood use by up to 45%.

Shacman’s new plant will be the 12th truck/truck engine manufacturing facility in Mexico, joining Freightliner, Kenworth, Navistar, Hino, International, DINA, Mercedes Benz, Isuzu, Scania, and VW/MAN.

Airfreight exports from China slowed a bit in mid-August, allowing shippers to take back a tiny bit of pricing before rates shoot up for the next few months in as retailers build inventory for the holidays.

ATRAN Airlines says increased online shopping has increased express air cargo traffic between Moscow and China’s northern cities.

With trade relations between the U.S. and China strained, the future of global supply chains could be Mexico.

With airfreight capacity squeezed and rates high between China and the U.S., ocean freight consolidators offer the option of fast, cheaper less-than-container load, trans-Pacific services.

Engine maker Cummins soundly beat estimates for earnings and sales in the second quarter because its plants in China worked overtime as the country rebounded from the coronavirus pandemic.

Russian airline Volga-Dnepr, whose planes are commonly associated with transporting heavy equipment, spent the past three months ferrying tons of medical supplies from China to France to combat COVID-19.

United Airlines and Delta are dipping their toes back into the China market. But with COVID-19 and political tensions rising it won’t be a surprise if they are stopped again.

Face shields, gloves and hand sanitizer were yesterday’s hot airfreight product. Now the cool shipments that people need right away are yoga pants, bikes and hot tubs.

The U.S. Department of Transportation says it won’t entertain requests from Chinese airlines to operate more flights beyond the current cap.

The U.S. is loosening restrictions on flights by Chinese airlines after China partially reopened its aviation market to U.S. carriers.

Air cargo and cross-border trade could be unintended victims of the dispute between the U.S. and China over access by their respective passenger airlines.

Escalating airfreight transportation rates and capacity shortages from China due to the global pandemic have encouraged some shippers to split supply chain shipments between ocean and air pallets.

vHub, which connects owners of underutilized trailers with those looking for short-term trailer usage, has opened its platform to integration with most telematics systems. Also, China trade deal in doubt, retail imports fall and road funding drops.

Continental is shutting down its Roadlog ELD service, as of Aug. 14. Plus, FreightWAVES LIVE@HOME is one day away, Trump pushes severing of supply chain from China, and Walmart launches two-hour delivery.

Uncertainty beyond loss-making second quarter concerns Daimler leaders, though robust supply chain and cash position suggest fast production ramp-up when economy recovers

In this commentary by Brian Aoaeh makes the case that efforts by grassroots organizations in the fight against COVID-19 should be more fully accepted.

The maritime shipping companies have been able to increase their rates amidst the COVID-19 induced shut down. Is this a sign of things to come for domestic carriers?

Most airlines using passenger planes for cargo-only operations are doing so on a charter basis. Qatar Airways will operate scheduled rotations to and from China.

Crew members evacuated from container ship, tested for coronavirus and hospitalized in China.

Workers at an Amazon warehouse are protesting conditions while Instacart workers are walking off the job amid coronavirus concerns. Plus, truck drivers are scared, but still delivering and Americans learn the value of the supply chain.

The February downturn in air cargo volumes presages even worse performance in the coming months, according to analysts.

Executive Director Gene Seroka said the coronavirus has not impacted landside operations.

FreightWaves and Descartes are partnering for an hour-long webinar to provide clear metrics on the impact of COVID-19 on trade flows, as well as steps that you can take now to minimize supply chain disruption.

Deutsche Post World has lowered its guidance for the year and cited Amazon’s continuing insourcing of logistics as a major reason. Plus, Goldman Sachs is predicting a 5% contraction in the economy, labor shortages could hamper restocking of shelves, and the Fed slashes interest rates.

Import volumes are showing the first signs of recovery since the initial decline in early February.

“As an industry representing brands and retailers, we do not tolerate forced labor in our supply chains,” said five large U.S. apparel and footwear associations.

Preparedness is essential when it comes to the coronavirus or other supply chain disruptions, experts say