Topic: News

In advance of another round of tariffs set to take effect in December, the most recent edition of the Port Tracker report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates, expects import volumes at major United States-based retail container ports to hit its highest mark for 2019.

Atlanta-based freight transportation and logistics bellwether UPS announced today that, from 2020-2022, it will buy more than 6,000 natural gas-powered trucks, in a $450 million investment geared towards expanding its alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet and supporting infrastructure.

Growth prospects remain healthy for ocean and air cargo segments heading into next year, though the trajectory figures to level off somewhat according to Fitch Ratings in its latest annual report.

Following what it called an urgency on behalf of shippers to move freight prior to the end of the third quarter, data recently issued by DAT, a subsidiary of Roper Technologies, in its DAT showed a more quiet beginning to the fourth quarter for spot market activity.

The Washington-based American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) recently announced it has hit what it called a historic high, of 272 supporters, for the companion bill in the United States House of Representatives, H.R. 510, which calls for the permanence of the Short Line Tax Credit (45G).

Falling 1.9 cents, the national diesel average now stands at $3.047, coming on the heels of a 0.015-cent decline a week ago.

The United States Surface Transportation Board (STB) recently issued a notice of proposed rulemaking focused on enhancing its methodology for determining the railroad industry’s cost of capital.

ISM data focus on larger multinationals, whereas IHS Markit polls a representative mix of company size.

Rail carloads, at 992,452, were down 7%, or 74,172 carloads, compared to September 2018, and intermodal units, at 2,054,025, slipped 6.4%, or 140,161 units, annually.

NRF said it expects holiday retail sales to rise between 3.8%-to-4.2% to between $727.9 billion and $730.7 billion. Salesforce said it expects U.S. digital commerce revenue growth to rise 13% annually this year, with total sales pegged to hit $136 billion in the U.S. and $768 billion globally.

GP Global has marked a milestone with the successful delivery of the first International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2020 compliant bunker load of low sulphur fuel oil (LSFO).

The index ISM uses to measure non-manufacturing growth—known as the NMI—was 52.6 in September (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth is occurring), which is a 3.8% decrease compared to August.

In a media conference call this week, Neil Bradley, U.S. Chamber of Commerce executive vice president and chief policy officer, said that time is of the essence for Congress to move forward and enact USCMA sooner than later.

From parcel to fulfillment to freight, data insights at every touchpoint are crucial when it comes to designing your holistic supply chain strategy and avoiding “insane” decisions.

Chicago-based FourKites, a provider of real-time tracking and visibility solutions across transportation modes and digital platforms, said this week it has formed a strategic partnership with Hamburg-based ocean freight intelligence provider Ocean Insights that they said will provider shippers and carriers with enhanced tracking capabilities, from global seaports to final destinations.

Looking ahead, FTR said it expects the SCI to remain in the mid-positive range akin to July over the course of the next year, with the caveat that any significant increase in fuel prices, due to the pending IMO 2020 mandate and other potential risks to diesel costs, may impact that forecast and make for a more negative outlook for shippers.

Atlanta-based transportation and logistics bellwether UPS said it received the United States government’s first full Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Part 135 Standard certification, which is required to operate a drone airline.

The report’s key metric, the PMI, declined 1.3% to 47.8 1 (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth), following a 2.1% decline from July to August.

While a ten-week stretch of declines was snapped with an increase last week, the national average price per gallon for diesel gasoline fell again this week, according to data issued by the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Entitled, Convoy Connect, company officials said that this TMS enables shippers to manage all of their existing carriers and also provide them with instant access to Convoy’s capacity with guaranteed, real-time pricing.