Retail imports surged to historic highs in 2021, bringing port congestion too

A forecast by Hackett Associates suggests U.S. ports will have to process 4 million more TEUs in 2021 than they did in 2020.

By Edwin Lopez • Oct. 8, 2021

Union Pacific to test robotic cranes at Chicago intermodal hub

The cranes will semi-autonomously load and unload containers at the Joliet terminal, which has been struggling to keep up with a flood of shipments.

By Sarah Zimmerman • Oct. 7, 2021

Coca-Cola thinks 'outside the box,' books bulk vessels to ship supplies

Using three bulk vessels, Coca-Cola is moving 2,800 TEUs of material to keep production lines running across the world. 

By Alejandra Carranza • Oct. 6, 2021

The rise of LTL: How e-commerce changed the middle mile

Businesses are shipping smaller quantities of freight more frequently, giving logistics professionals more to manage in increasingly complex networks.

By S.L. Fuller • Oct. 6, 2021

Air cargo industry leaders target 10% sustainable aviation fuels by 2030

Scaling an alternative to crude oil has been highlighted as a critical piece in reducing emissions as shipper interest in sustainability grows.

By Max Garland • Oct. 4, 2021

Home Depot gives shippers visibility into cheaper flatbed capacity

The retailer is partnering with Loadsmart's Flatbed Messenger marketplace to provide access to trucks with room on their backhauls.

By S.L. Fuller • Oct. 1, 2021

The old- and new-school ways fleets validate freight

Multiple KPIs hinge on the accuracy of the weight and size of shipments, including route efficiency and truck turnaround times for delivery and return.

By Amanda Loudin • Sept. 30, 2021

Costco to charter 7 vessels for Transpacific routes

The vessels will provide Costco with about a quarter of its annual needs on the trade lane.

By Alejandra Carranza • Updated March 15, 2022

FedEx partners with Paccar and Aurora on autonomous linehauls

FedEx is looking to AVs to improve safety, efficiency and productivity.

By S.L. Fuller • Sept. 28, 2021

Nike warns of shortages as ocean congestion, Vietnam shutdowns hurt inventory

Pre-pandemic, it took Nike about 40 days to move product from Asia to North America, said CFO Matt Friend. That has since doubled.

By Max Garland • Sept. 27, 2021

Shanghai terminal closure further strained air cargo capacity in August

COVID-19-related disruptions have sparked noticeable swings in availability and spot rates, even as capacity recovers.

By Max Garland • Sept. 24, 2021

Toymakers worry congestion will lead to holiday inventory troubles

The time it takes to ship products from China to the U.S. increased by 83% in September compared to before the pandemic, according to Freightos.

By Alejandra Carranza • Sept. 23, 2021

Los Angeles, Long Beach ports extend truck hours amid cargo deluge

The ports' latest tweaks to their hours come after months of congestion and surging consumer demand.

By Jim Stinson • Sept. 23, 2021

Retail's new fad? Charter ships to ensure sales, even if it's costly.

Companies are willing to spend money on chartering ships because the alternative of not having inventory in for peak season is worse, said Sea-Intelligence CEO and Founder Alan Murphy.

By Max Garland • Sept. 22, 2021

Supply chain challenges aren't going away anytime soon

Businesses and consumers should prepare for continued disruption and increased costs, writes a supply chain expert at CBRE.

By Joe Dunlap • Sept. 21, 2021

LTLs become selective about freight as demand booms

Carriers have to make tough decisions to preserve quality of customer service.

By Jim Stinson • Sept. 17, 2021

FMC mulls rules to enforce detention, demurrage

The regulator is seeking input on whether subjecting ocean carriers and marine terminals to additional regulations would ease fee disputes.

By Alejandra Carranza • Updated Feb. 10, 2022

Maersk buys omnichannel tech startup, furthering end-to-end ambitions

The ocean carrier invested in Huub back in 2019, and is now acquiring the cloud-based logistics startup with hopes of scaling it.

By Edwin Lopez • Sept. 15, 2021

Tight capacity, high rates leave Joann looking for cargo space

The crafts company is among retailers paying higher prices to guarantee space on ocean vessels. 

By Alejandra Carranza • Sept. 14, 2021

Long Beach port offers drivers traffic alerts via text to fight congestion

The free Truck Alert system aims to assuage some frustrations resulting from a deluge of imports.

By Shefali Kapadia , S.L. Fuller • Sept. 13, 2021

LA, Long Beach port congestion could disrupt $90B in trade: Russell

Solutions for a congested freight environment include shippers booking in advance even it means paying extra, carriers doubling orders for container ships and 3PLs adding drayage surcharges.

By Alejandra Carranza • Sept. 9, 2021

Aircraft emissions present a roadblock to supply chain sustainability goals

FedEx's Chief Sustainability Officer says true aviation sustainability "is an intractable problem." Will environmentally conscious shippers move away from airfreight?

By Max Garland • Sept. 8, 2021

Canadian National clears way for KCS, CP deal

Canadian National said it would not pursue an acquisition with Kansas City Southern "any further" after the U.S. railroad said it preferred to be acquired by Canadian Pacific.

By Edwin Lopez • Updated Sept. 15, 2021

Truck makers struggle to fill backlog of orders as supply chain issues continue

Unproduced orders are getting pushed into next year, potentially creating "even more headaches for the industry," according to one freight analyst. 

By Jim Stinson • Sept. 2, 2021

CH Robinson introduces drayage congestion surcharge for major US ports

Ports and the drayage providers that serve them have been walloped by a spike in volume and a lack of labor and equipment to quickly handle it.

By Max Garland • Sept. 2, 2021