The Soo Locks are scheduled to reopen on March 25 to begin the new shipping season on the Great Lakes. The last vessel through the locks was the Canadian bulk-carrier Manitoulin headed for Essar Steel on Jan. 15. The locks are currently closed for maintenance prior to the start of the 2019-20 season. During the […]
U.S. ports reported a record year for cargo volume in 2018. The Port of Los Angeles broke its all-time cargo record for the third time in a row, moving 9,458,749 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units the size of a container), a 1.2 percent increase from 2017. The Port of New Orleans reported a new record and a […]
Truckload capacity eased following the holidays, reducing average rates for dry van, reefers and flatbed trucks. DAT Trendlines reports the national load-to-truck ratio fell from 33.7 to 25.1 loads per truck in the week Jan. 6 through Jan. 12. Flatbed rates came down four cents to a national average rate of $2.42 per mile during […]
The Christmas holidays slowed freight movement last week, as expected, but shippers still scrambled to find available trucks. A capacity crunch set load-to-truck ratios soaring and increased rates for dry van, refrigerated and flatbed freight. DAT Trendlines reports the flatbed ratio rose to 26.1 loads-per-truck from 19.5 the previous week. National flatbed rates increased by […]
Tariffs are turning out to be a boon for U.S. ports, at least temporarily, as retailers and manufacturers rush to get products to the U.S. before new tariffs on China go into effect in January. Ports reported record cargo volumes in the past few months. The Port of Los Angeles set a cargo handling record […]
The first major winter storm of the 2018-2019 season is currently making its way up the East Coast, which means it is time to start thinking about the navigation on the Great Lakes. Right now, iron ore and coal ships are busy supplying steel mills in the Great Lakes region with enough inventory for the […]
Class 8 truck orders rose in October, reaching 43,000 units for the 10th best month ever. Orders were up 2 percent from September and 19 percent from a year ago. Robust freight volumes have kept truck capacity utilization tight, driving stronger build rates for new vehicles. “October is traditionally the start of the next year’s […]
Damage from Hurricane Michael will result in trucking delays in the Southeast, at least for the short-term. Emergency declarations are in effect for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Some regulations will be suspended for trucks assisting with emergency relief, including hours of service restrictions while providing assistance in the […]
Hurricane Florence is expected to take a toll on shipments from the Carolinas and Virginia. In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, trucks were in short supply for regular freight shipments as many were diverted to the storm-affected areas to help with recovery efforts. If Florence causes similar damage, that scenario could be repeated. Truckload spot […]
The American Trucking Association forecasts that total freight volumes will increase by 4.2 percent to nearly 16 billion tons in 2018. Over the next decade, freight volumes will jump by 35.6 percent to 21.7 billion tons. The newly released ATA Freight Forecast 2018 to 2029 also anticipates that truck volumes will grow 2.3 percent per […]
A new report by the American Trucking Association highlights America’s dependence on the trucking industry, revealing that 70.2 percent of all domestic freight tonnage is moved by trucks. “Information, when presented properly and accurately, tells a story,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “The information in these pages highlights exactly what I tell elected officials, […]
Two of the nation’s busiest cargo ports reported record months in July. The South Carolina Ports Authority handled 200,594 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) during the first month of fiscal year 2019, marking the strongest July on record and second-highest monthly container volume in the port’s history. The Georgia Ports Authority recorded its second busiest […]
Orders for Class 8 trucks set a record in July. FTR Transportation Intelligence reports orders jumped 25 percent to over 52,250 units last month in what is normally the weakest month of the year for order intake. Five of the highest order months ever occurred in 2018, said FTR. Tight capacity in the face of […]
The industries that move the nations’ freight are scrambling to find ways to mitigate risks from U.S.-imposed tariffs and foreign-imposed retaliatory tariffs that will impact supply lines and trade flow. Volatility seems to be the new normal as industries face uncertainty over international trade conflicts. Ports Prepare for Tariff Disruptions The Trump administration’s addition of […]
The Port of New Orleans is one of the top three U.S. ports for steel imports, taking in 2.48 million tons of steel in 2017. Steel imports represented 80 percent of the port’s breakbulk tonnage and 30 percent of its total cargo tonnage. Turkey was the largest importer of steel at the Port NOLA last […]
Truck capacity continued to tighten and rates to escalate in June. Spot market demand increased last week across all truck types, said DAT Trendlines. Van rates were up 10 percent and average reefer rates 14 percent. Rates for flatbed trucks, commonly used to transport steel and building materials, jumped another 6 cents to average $2.81 […]
Shortage of truck availability and drivers is putting the squeeze on freight shipments in May. Anecdotal comments in steel earnings reports indicate mills and distribution centers are having difficulty finding trucks to move their products and higher freight costs are increasing operating costs. Steel Market Update looks at some of the current issues facing freight […]
A lot is going on in shipping markets as uncertainty regarding the U.S. trade situation takes hold. Tariffs are expected to affect import volumes at coastal and inland ports. Truck availability continues to be an issue with the flatbed load-to-truck ratio soaring past 100 last week and prices on the increase. Barges are frustrated by […]
Orders for heavy-duty trucks are at their highest level since 2000, according to industry research firm FTR Transportation. Orders for the heavy-weight Class 8 trucks increased 98.4 percent year over year to 133,900 vehicles during the first quarter of 2018. Increased demand caused FTR to increase its forecast for 2018 North American Class 8 truck […]
The Georgia Ports Authority broke ground on the $126.7 million Mason Mega Rail Terminal on Monday. The new terminal will increase the Port of Savannah’s rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year. “Today is a great day for Georgia and the nation,” said Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal. “Not only will this new intermodal […]
Shipping in the freight market was significantly better in the first quarter than it was during the same period last year, said MID-SHIP Group in its March 8 report. New ships are on order that will not hit the market until the end of 2109 or 2020 and for now the freight market remains bullish. […]
Trucking companies are stepping up their orders for big rigs to keep up with what they hope will continue to be strong demand for shipping in the U.S. market. Fleet owners in February ordered 40,200 Class 8 heavy-duty long-haul trucks, 65 percent more than ordered in February 2017. Truck orders neared a 12-month high in […]
February shipping is fraught with higher rates, low capacity and shipping delays. The trucking industry is battling a dwindling labor pool and ELD disruptions that are making rail disruptions more difficult and even causing ocean carriers to take notice. Seaborne freight Vessel freight rates are expected to rise for contracts priced for March and April, […]
The trucking industry’s leading trade group is calling on policymakers to back a new 20-cent tax on all transportation fuels, including diesel, gasoline and natural gas, to fund repairs to the nation’s deteriorating roads and bridges. The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is seeking support for its Build America Fund, which would be funded by a […]
The year is beginning with numerous weather-related disruptions to shipping. Ice in the Great Lakes region has made loading of iron ore difficult, freezing port equipment and the ore itself. Sources report carriers on the Great Lakes will be expediting ore shipments to the steel mills that were shorted, once the Soo Locks reopen in […]
Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes jumped nearly 11 percent in 2017 to 60,321,712 tons and the highest total since 2012, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association. Iron ore loadings at U.S. ports increased 13.4 percent to 55.75 million tons. Shipments from Canadian ports in the St. Lawrence Seaway fell 12.4 percent to 4.6 […]
With less than two weeks left in the Great Lakes shipping season, the deep freeze hitting the U.S. has caused havoc for lake freighters trying to load and unload iron ore at ports. The shipping season is scheduled to end with the closing of the Soo Locks on Jan. 15 at Sault Ste. Marie, but […]
The Georgia Port Authority is expanding the Port of Savannah to handle increased cargo demand. “A strong Southeast U.S. economy, on-terminal expansion, and investment by private logistics firms throughout the region have resulted in phenomenal growth for Georgia,” said Executive Director Griff Lynch. Total tonnage for fiscal year 2017 grew 23 percent to 33,397,357 tons […]
As the year winds down, shipping in the United States is moving along with minor complications in December. River traffic has encountered reoccurring problems with aging infrastructure as record grain harvests put pressure on capacity. Ocean freight volume is improving and rates are strong. Truckers are rushing to meet electronic logging device mandates, and the […]
In theory, the nation’s highways should be safer come Monday. Dec. 18 is the deadline for trucking companies to equip their vehicles with electronic logging devices. The ELDs are meant to reduce fatigue-related accidents by preventing drivers from fudging their time behind the wheel in violation of hours-of-service restrictions. As a practical matter, there will […]