Hurricane season officially starts June 1, but trucking and logistics groups are already making calls and posting on social media to make sure they’re ready to respond efficiently to any impacted areas.
Author Archive
Port Houston sees $75B in trade in first half of 2021
Port Houston’s trade increased 17% during the first half of the year, boosted by exports of gasoline, liquefied natural gas and oil, according to WorldCity analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Trade at Port Houston increased from $64 billion to $75 billion through the first six months of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020.
Beware ‘nasty side effects’ if government targets ocean carriers
As skyrocketing rates squeeze importers and exporters scramble for containers, the push for government intervention is accelerating. What if the U.S. government does move to rein in foreign carriers? What if carrier alliances are broken up, detention and demurrage charges are curtailed, export service is mandatory and — most hypothetically — spot rates are capped? […]
FreightWaves Classics: Port of Mobile is a key Gulf Coast port
The ports of the United States are our nation’s windows to the rest of the world. Imports and exports flow through them daily, helping maintain the world’s largest economy. A key Gulf Coast port is located in Mobile, Alabama. It is one of the top 20 U.S. ports by volume. Located along the Mobile River […]
COVID threatens Chinese exports as US struggles to restock inventories
U.S. import demand is stronger than ever as inventory-to-sales ratios remain painfully low. Yet there’s rising risk to shipping volumes on the supply side of the equation: Most American containerized imports come from China and elsewhere in Asia, where the delta variant is spreading. There were two big plunges in trans-Pacific volume last year: one […]
Hot Shots: Mudslides, floods, wildfires and more
Every Friday, FreightWaves takes a look at the past week or so in social media, highlighting trucking, transportation and weather. This week features a Colorado highway washed out by a major mudslide, a trucker who misjudged floodwaters, a wildfire that leveled a California town and more.
Is intermodal going off the rails?
Intermodal rejection rates peaked near all-time highs over the past month as volumes fell. Looking over the past few months, volumes, measured by FreightWaves Outbound Loaded Container Volume Index (ORAILL), were actually higher in March and April while rejection rates fell below 2%. With trucking capacity extremely tight, are intermodal providers losing market share? It […]
Rough seas, not enough sailors — Freightonomics
The West Coast ports are full, according to Port of LA Executive Director Gene Seroka, but the import flood is just starting as we move into the end of summer. What does the coming flood of goods mean for ocean freight still dealing with rough seas thanks to pandemic influences? Anthony Smith and Zach Strickland […]
Truck transportation jobs continue solid growth in July
Truck transportation jobs continued a steady rise in July, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with the not-seasonally adjusted figure again growing at a faster rate than the seasonally adjusted number. Economists generally look to seasonally adjusted data as being more indicative of trends, as it seeks to smooth out short-term anomalies […]
What will the reopening of the Canadian border mean for freight?
Canada is beginning to reopen its borders for nonessential travel after a 16-month shutdown in response to COVID-19. Starting Aug. 9, fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents can enter the country. Even though trade has been exempt from the restrictions — allowing trucks to move freely between Canada and the U.S. — the reopening of the border […]