National Retail Federation

This year’s peak season could see West Coast labor disruptions coincide with Panama Canal water levels impeding cargo flows to the East Coast.

Shippers want Congress to expand FMC’s power over rail storage fees, but shipping lines say the power is already in the hands of the STB.

U.S. businesses overshot in 2022, importing way more than they needed. The hangover is in full swing, depressing 2023 imports.

Although retailers may be past the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, other headwinds persist, reminding storefronts the importance of having a resilient supply chain, according to National Retail Federation’s Jon Gold.

Railroad intermodal volumes are down, but consumer spending remains relatively strong. Carloads of coal are up, but forest products are down. Whether these volume changes reflect broader macroeconomic slowing remains less clear.

The Association of American Railroads estimates that a nationwide strike could cost about $2 billion each day, while shippers groups rally Congress to intervene in the event a strike seems imminent.

President Biden plans to sign into law the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, the first ocean shipping regulations passed by Congress since 1998.

The port chaos cocktail: Mix 12 months of container bottlenecks with contentious contract talks for dockworkers.

“For years, we have talked about the lack of available data to help with port operations. Ports are basically a black box when it comes to available information,” says the National Retail Federation’s vice president of supply chain and customs policy, regarding issues with global supply chains.

An IBM and NRF survey of consumers finds that hybrid shopping options are becoming the default preference for many.

FedEx is forecasting a 10% increase in package deliveries during the holiday shipping season.

As Halloween returns to a semblance of normal in 2021, more consumers than ever before will purchase candy, costumes and decorations online.

New forecasts from the National Retail Federation call for retail imports to stay high through at least February.

Intermodal rail volumes were lower again year-over-year in September as the ability to process containers and imports is stymied by ongoing supply chain capacity constraints.

If you thought President Joe Biden would quickly reverse Trump’s controversial trade policy toward China, guess again. U.S. importers aren’t happy.

Labor and chassis shortages, as well as congestion in the wider supply chain, have contributed to lower U.S. intermodal traffic compared with a year ago.

August is likely to see a new monthly record for retail container imports, with 2021 doing the same. However, ongoing supply chain dislocation clouds how quickly consumers will be able to get their hands on the goods.

Spot pricing has surged even higher, propelled by carrier rate hikes and China congestion fallout.

Reducing dwell times for equipment and at the terminals is one way the Class I railroads are seeking to relieve systemwide supply chain congestion, according to executives at recent investor conferences.

Freight shipments continue to break records with little signs of slowing. The year-over-year comparisons get tougher in the back half of 2021 but the current supply-demand dynamics may not change all that much.

U.S. rail traffic slipped last week from the prior week, although they’re still up by double-digit percentage points year-over-year, according to data from the Association of American Railroads.

Retail sales surged in March along with freight volumes. An increase in vaccinations and stimulus payments provided a “perfect alignment” for the blowout report.

If you ordered a fire pit or a rowing machine online, there’s a good chance it’s coming through the Port of Long Beach. The port is moving record amounts of containers and shipments are experiencing delays.

U.S. rail traffic rose 14% in March amid higher grain and intermodal volumes. But some commodities are also reflecting uneven year-over-year comparisons because of the pandemic-induced volume downturn that began in late March 2020.

Freight rail associations and shippers praise President Joe Biden’s efforts to modernize U.S. transportation infrastructure, but some are worried about how to foot the costs. Also, congressional leaders introduce bills on railcar recycling, highway grade crossings, and loans for rail and intermodal facilities.

U.S. intermodal traffic on a weekly basis continues to show strength, rising last week by 22%, according to the Association of American Railroads. The increase comes amid higher U.S. retail sales in February year-over-year, despite a sequential decline.

Carriers should begin planning now to influence policy change that could result from Biden’s supply chain executive order, industry observers say.

Booming sales, thin inventories and more stimulus on the way provide the backdrop for potentially setting a new record for retail container imports in 2021. The National Retail Federation raised its outlook again for loaded containers landing at U.S. ports in the first half of the year.

U.S. weekly intermodal volumes moved higher last week amid support from retail and e-commerce, while carloads slumped as some U.S. Gulf Coast facilities seek to fully return to normal following February’s winter storm.

Several of the nation’s largest retailers say inventory positions are improving. However, retail sales continue to outpace efforts to stock up, suggesting trucking demand could stay elevated well into 2021.

There is no definitive end for this freight bull market in sight. Consumers continue to spend on goods, driving freight and diminishing already depleted inventories. Even if consumer spending diverged from its current trajectory (which I see as unlikely, especially given the additional stimulus, accelerating vaccine rollout and strong consumer balance sheet), the mass inventory restocking ahead will be sufficient to keep freight flowing from a consumer perspective.

National Retail Federation’s Jon Gold and CNBC’s Lori Ann LaRocco discuss the impact of empty containers and port congestion and how retailers can protect themselves from future supply chain vulnerabilities.

Higher consumer spending, inventory restocking and rising import levels contributed to a 9.6% gain in North American intermodal volumes in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the Intermodal Association of North America.

As retailers faced a decline in customers during COVID-19 lockdowns, many turned to scanning applications to help meet a surge in online orders.

COVID changed consumer behaviors and the result has been a growing realization the supply chain is no longer proactive but rather reactive to quickly shifting consumer demands.

U.S. weekly carloads last week were only 1.4% lower than year-ago levels, while intermodal traffic is still experiencing double-digit percentage increases.

U.S. carload traffic on a weekly basis was 3.1% lower last week on a year-over-year basis and 1.7% higher sequentially.

Weekly intermodal traffic is still higher year-over-year although on a sequential basis, volumes appear to be leveling off for trailers.

U.S. intermodal volumes grew in September amid a continued increase in U.S. imports.

U.S. rail volumes, including intermodal traffic, fell in a week that was shortened by Labor Day.

Intermodal volumes actually grew year-over-year.

U.S. carloads fall nearly 18%, although intermodal traffic slipped by only 1%.

Analysis concludes West Coast ports have lost 19.4% of market share since 2006.

Weekly rail traffic moved higher week-to-week amid growing builder confidence and higher retail sales in May. But will the upward trend last?

Although rail traffic is still down significantly over 2019, that wide difference in volumes could be slowly starting to narrow.

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.

As states begin to reopen their economies, leading retail trade groups urge the opening of all distribution centers and implementation of a three-phase reopening strategy.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is shrinking U.S. rail volumes as the housing construction and retail sectors struggle to stay afloat.

North American rail volumes last week were approaching levels normally seen during Christmas and New Year’s, according to the Association of American Railroads.

“With ongoing challenges posed by the coronavirus, there is real concern about these fees being assessed when there are equipment issues beyond the control of the shipper or motor carrier,” 67 trade associations told the Federal Maritime Commission.

“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.

Congress urged to double Coast Guard budget over next decade.

Year-to-date U.S. rail volumes are still sluggish, and the effect of the coronavirus on intermodal volumes remains unclear.

Overwhelming approval of U.S.-Canada-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act paves new trade pact’s way to President Trump’s desk for signature.

2018 high-water mark for container volumes makes it ever tougher for 2019 to come out on top.

Brian Aoaeh writes about the “other” side of ecommerce – the returns of unwanted merchandise and how retailers are handling the issue.

The Senate is not expected to vote on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement until early 2020.

This article is brought to you courtesy of NEXT Trucking The holiday shopping season is well underway even before Black Friday, as stores roll out promotions and shoppers look to […]

After first half surge, the back-end of November is weakening after the last U.S. freight surge.

“Finally, a ray of hope for the U.S.-China trade relationship,” said Myron Brilliant, U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s head of international affairs.

Tariff Reform Coalition members want the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee to “exercise greater oversight and control” over President Trump’s tariff authority.

Shippers responded to the last round of tariff increases on imports from China by front loading containers into U.S. ports in July, the National Retail Federation said. After bottoming out […]

An additional $300 billion in proposed U.S. tariffs against China could result in lower railroad freight volume , but economic uncertainty and competition from trucks appear so far to be bigger threats for rail volumes.

Supply chain investments are helping retailers meet the inventory challenges of a growing market, the National Retail Federation (NRF) reported today in its 2019 retail sales forecast.

Trucking companies could be exposed to increased liability while a challenge to FMCSA’s hours-of-service preemption in California is pending.

Volumes still strong in run-up to tariffs, as retailers ramp up imports.