Thursday, November 18, 2010

UPS Freight, the less-than-truckload (LTL) subsidiary of UPS said this week it has improved transit times between U.S. cities and Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

YRCW said the suit is without merit. Company also signals its intention to close down 31 terminals.

Much of the first half of 2010 centered on inventory restocking, which led to improved freight volumes, shortages of equipment and higher rates, especially when compared to a trying 2009. Since that time, things have changed with volumes relatively flat since mid-year and the theme of ‘cautious optimism’ prevailing when it comes to the long- and short-term economic outlook. These sentiments were echoed to a large degree at the opening session of this week’s TransComp expo, hosted by the National Industrial Transportation League, the Intermodal Association of North America, and the Transportation Intermediaries Association.

America’s waterborne foreign trade in September continued its rebound from last year’s lows, noted the American Association of Port Authorities yesterday

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

With four straight months of sales gains under their belts and with the holiday season fast approaching, retailers have reason for optimism as consumer spending finally shows momentum

A confluence of positive economic events is causing trucking industry officials and economists to predict tighter trucking capacity perhaps as soon as the second quarter of 2011, experts are saying. The effects will be most noticeable in the $290 billion truckload sector, which has more severe capacity restraints on drivers and equipment than the $26.5 billion LTL sector, which still has overcapacity stemming from the last recession.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Slow steaming on the transpacific appears to losing its cachet with some shippers, analysts and carriers report.

The trucking industry could lose significant capacity as more drivers are facing disqualification as the federal government initiates tough safety standards in December and truly rolls them out during 2011. That’s because the federal government is poised to launch the toughest safety crackdown on the estimated 3 million long-haul truck drivers and 800,000 carriers in the history of the industry.

Friday, November 12, 2010

The United States Postal Service (USPS) reported that it had a net loss of $8.5 billion for the fiscal year which ended on September 30. USPS officials cited various factors for the loss, including “continuing economic pressures and migration to electronic media [having] a significant adverse impact on mail volumes and operating revenues. Despite rigorous initiatives that eliminated 75 million work hours and drove productivity to record highs in 2010, the losses mounted.”

A wide-ranging survey published by UPS and IDC Manufacturing Insights based on interviews with senior-level supply chain, operations, logistics, and distribution executives at 125 high-tech companies found that taking care of the bottom line is imperative when looking back at the lessons learned from the Great Recession.