The Port of Los Angeles reported its busiest January ever, and data from port operations suggests the backup of container ships off the coast may be easing. The port processed 865,595 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in January, a 3.6% increase compared to last year. It was the highest volume in the port’s 115-year history and […]
The Ports of Indiana handled more than 11.2 million tons of cargo in 2021, resulting in a 33.6% increase from 2020. Steel and steelmaking materials made up a big chunk of the increase. Major cargo increases last year for the Ports of Indiana overall included a rebound in coal (213%), salt (141%), steel (40%), grain (39%), minerals (23%), oils […]
BNSF Railway union members have taken steps towards a work stoppage over a new attendance policy introduced during national negotiations by the railroad company. Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation union (SMART-TD) – who collectively represent […]
SSAB Americas will supply the Mobile, Ala.-based shipbuilder Austal USA with steel for the construction of new U.S. Navy ships. The supplier partnership with the Alabama-based steelmaker follows Austal’s award from the U.S. Navy to build steel-hulled Towing, Salvage, and Rescue ships (T-ATS). The Navajo-class ships will be built in new steel shipbuilding facilities that […]
For the fifth year in a row, the driver shortage topped the list of trucking industry concerns, as ranked by the American Transportation Research Institute in its 17th annual Top Industry Issues report released this week. The driver shortage garnered more than four times as many first-place votes as the number two issue, driver retention. Further […]
Tonnage moved across the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway has risen significantly thanks to a strong showing from vessels carrying iron ore and steel. Total cargo stood at 22.8 million tons (20.7 million metric tonnes) through the end of August – the midpoint of the Great Lakes shipping season – up more than 5% from 21.7 […]
A new North American railway network may soon become reality after a months-long saga. Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) initially agreed to a merger agreement in March that would establish the first railway network spanning Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. The deal was put on hold, however, after Canadian National Railway […]
Container ships are stacking up all around the U.S. as the ports are overwhelmed by surging imports of all types of goods. Delays at the ports may further extend the already-long lead times for the growing orders of foreign steel. Imports of all types of products from Asia, for example, increased 32.4% in the first […]
Shipbuilder Austal USA has been awarded a design contract to build a new ship for the U.S. Navy. The agreement, valued at $3.6 million, is for the functional design and construction of the new 80-meter (252.5 foot) Navajo-class Steel Towing, Salvage and Rescue Ship (T-ATS). This follows recent news of Austral USA’s new steel manufacturing […]
American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear gave a blunt and passionate testimony to the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee on May 11, calling for bipartisan support for infrastructure legislation. “Infrastructure is NOT partisan. If anyone in Congress believes that roads and bridges are political, you haven’t been driving on them. But they […]
Port of Montreal dockworkers were back to work on Saturday after the Canadian Parliament passed legislation forcing an end to the five-day strike. Quick passage of Bill C-29 was lauded by the Port Authority, but union officials called it a “shameful day for Canadians.” The back-to-work legislation requires the union and Maritime Employers Association to […]
Longshore workers at the Port of Montreal began on Monday what is hoped to be a short-term strike. All port operations ceased at Canada’s second busiest port except for liquid bulk, Oceanex service and the Vittera grain terminal. Dock workers will continue to handle COVID-19-related medical supplies if the boxes are so marked, said Michel […]
The U.S. trucking industry is straining to keep up with demand as imports and retail shipping vie with construction and manufacturing for limited truck capacity. Imports fell as the coronavirus took hold last March, but surged to 2.1 million TEU (20-foot equivalent units) in August 2020 as global economies reopened. The August record was subsequently […]
Southern steel producers and distributors will have a new customer in 2022. Shipbuilder Austal USA, located in Mobile, Ala., broke ground last week on a steel manufacturing line to build steel ships for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. Austal USA is known for its construction of aluminum vessels, delivering 24 ships to the Navy […]
A railway network spanning Canada, the U.S. and Mexico is in the planning by Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern Railways. The two companies have entered into a merger agreement in which CP will acquire KCS for $29 billion and assume $3.8 billion of KCS debt. If approved by the Surface Transportation Board, it will […]
The Soo Locks will open 12 hours early this year due to safety and economic interests. The official opening is now scheduled for noon on March 24, instead of at midnight. A request for an earlier opening was sent to the Army Corps of Engineers by James H.I. Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers Association. […]
The deep freeze last month across a large swath of the U.S. showed how fragile the U.S. freight system is, said DAT Freight and Analytics. “In 2020, things bent but they didn’t break,” Ken Adamo, chief of analytics at DAT told Logistics Management. “In the last two weeks of February, things very much broke. Shipments […]
Ice coverage on the Great Lakes has been mild this year, but with the cold snap currently hitting the nation, total ice coverage jumped to 37.7%. On this day in 2020, ice coverage was 18.2% and in 2019, 49.3%. The amount of ice on the Great Lakes varies each year depending on winter conditions, but […]
Demand for flatbed trucks was fueled by residential construction in 2020, with nonresidential construction slipping from pre-pandemic rates. The Associated General Contractors trade group expects 2021 to be a difficult year for the construction industry with only three nonresidential market segments, water and sewer, warehouse and healthcare facilities, expanding. The latest report from the U.S. […]
Tonnage on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system dropped just 1.7 percent during one of the most challenging years in recent history. Shipments on the water system, including commodities such as grain, iron ore and coal, totaled 37.7 million metric tons in 2020. “The Seaway’s 62nd navigation season was one of the most remarkable in […]
November was a busy month for ports on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as businesses stockpiled year-end inventory prior to the closure of the 2020 shipping season. The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership reports international trade of agriculture and wind turbine components remained steady last month, while steel shipments increased. “As the 2020 Seaway […]
Trucking spot rates are easing for the first time in nearly 220 days, says DAT Trendlines. Signs of lower rates were seen on some key lanes for all three trucking types—van, reefer and flatbed during the week ending Dec. 6. “Despite load posts hitting a five-year record last week, increasing by 21 percent over the […]
2020 has been one of the most volatile years the freight markets have ever seen, but the issues of most concern to truckers remain largely the same. Retaining drivers and improving cash flow are the top two concerns among trucking companies polled this summer by industry information provider FreightWaves. “The market has experienced wild demand […]
North American freight volumes are almost back to 2019 levels, says Cass Information Systems. The September Cass Freight Index for shipments rose 7.1 percent from August to September and was just 1.8 percent below last year’s levels. The index recovered 27.6 percent since reaching a low in April. Cass expects shipments to remain strong through […]
The former AK Steel site near Kansas City is the location for a new Missouri River intermodal terminal thanks to a $9.88 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to the Kansas City Port Authority. “Kansas City is already a major freight hub for the central United States, and this grant will help us […]
Dry bulk carriers followed a bit behind their container ship counterparts but are now rebounding in a colossal way. Dry bulk shipping jumped to a new high for the year on Monday with rates at $34,293 per day compared to under $5,000 per day through the first and second quarters. Rates were 127 percent higher […]
Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes fell by more than 40 percent in August compared to a year ago, said the Lake Carriers’ Association. Shipments transported by the U.S.-flagged fleet totaled 3.6 million tons and were 37.9 percent below the five year average for August. Year-to-date figures show a 25.9 percent decrease through August, […]
Spot rates continued to rise for all truck categories in September. Spot load posts were up 1.4 percent in the week ending Sept. 6 versus the last week of August, while spot truck posts increased 1.6 percent on the DAT Loadboards. Hurricane Laura-related disruptions added volumes to the market pushing up spot prices, especially for […]
Ports on the West and East coasts were overwhelmed by a surge of imports in July and the trend is expected to continue into September. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach report congestion and full warehouses due to a 40 percent increase in Asian imports from May to July. Chassis shortages are common […]
Shipping on the Great Lakes is feeling the stress of a pandemic-weakened steel industry. Automotive shutdowns this year reduced demand for steel products, which in turn led to the temporary idling of several integrated mills. Less steel production means less demand for taconite pellets that are shipped by lake carriers from the Iron Range. “When […]