A slight year-over-year decline in imports from Asia in November from near-record volumes a year ago appears to be the result of thousands of containers idled on vessels sitting outside congested US ports.
Archive for the ‘Featured’ Category
Are outdated communication tools to blame for supply chain bottlenecks?
How Flexport and Convoy leverage APIs and automation to create a more efficient supply chain
Trans-Pac shippers forced out of ocean transport dig deep for air option
The growth in air freight on the trans-Pacific to move auto parts, footwear, and apparel has been significant this year as US shippers try to circumvent the ocean congestion that is delaying imports from Asia.
Cass: High rates drive record freight costs
Freight costs reach a record, according to November data from Cass Information Systems.
LA port expects imports to surge further in Q2
The current surge in imports from Asia is expected to continue for at least the next six months as retailers will use the second quarter for inventory replenishment prior to another early peak shipping season in 2022.
Shippers must evolve to overcome market challenges
Rates have remained high throughout 2021, and shippers have been anticipating the market to rebalance. They may be waiting a bit longer, as seasonal slowdowns after the holiday season may not be as dramatic as most shippers are accustomed to — and hoping for — during the first quarter of 2022.
Traditional RFPs are dying
The conventional request for proposal (RFP) process is notoriously tedious, expensive and antiquated. After a year characterized by strained capacity, sky-high rates and surging e-commerce sales, it is also dying.
Inventory gain, exports raise US GDP forecast
IHS Markit expects US GDP to expand 7.1 percent in the fourth quarter, based on a $130 billion jump in inventory investment in October that represents goods “pulled forward” from 2022.
US House passes ocean shipping reform legislation
The House voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which if passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Joe Biden would herald the first rewriting of US shipping law since 1998.
Plummeting truck orders dampen hopes for new capacity
Several factors are diminishing shipper expectations for new truck capacity in 2022, as Class 8 truck production and delivery dates are pushed out more than a year and backlogs build.