3PL/4PL: Page 79

North American Freight Shipments Continue to Struggle

Expenditures for freight fell for the third time in five months, according to the latest Cass Freight Index Report.

The measure for freight shipments rose 1.3 percent from the month before to a reading of 1.091, its highest level since November, but it’s down 5.8 percent from May a year ago. The gap from May 2014 is even larger, 7 percent, when the reading was at 1.173, one of its highest since the Great Recession.

Warehouse Costs Set to Rise; What Operators Can Do

By understanding the factors that will shape costs during the three years to 2019, warehouse operators can develop strategies to save money.

Wages are a key cost for warehousing providers, which require a significant amount of labor to handle and manage inventory.

Ocean Ports & Carriers

Ocean Carriers Support Terminal Weighing Approach For SOLAS Requirement

OCEMA applauded the efforts of the ports and marine terminal operators that have announced that they will provide VGM weighing services on behalf of U.S. exporters and encourages ports and terminals across the country to adopt similar approaches.

Under the OCEMA terminal weighing approach concept, U.S. ports and marine terminal operators could weigh containers moving through their truck gates and provide the gross container weights directly to ocean carrier stowage planners.

Ocean Ports & Carriers

Maersk Line: SOLAS VGM Rule Necessary But Will Be Bumpy

When analyzing root causes for such accidents, it is clear that significant vessel instability has been caused by actual weight exceeding the declared weight by several hundred percent. For a few containers this might not be an issue, he noted, but when it is the case for more of the cargo, the risk of major container stack collapses or a serious vessel accident increases significantly.

FedEx Agrees to Pay Drivers $240 Million for Misclassifying Them as Contractors

The settlement, if approved, would be divided among 12,000 drivers, some of whom would receive tens of thousands of dollars.

Until 2011, FedEx contracted directly with independent contractors, allowing the Memphis, Tennessee-based company to save on taxes, fringe benefits, health care costs, pensions and other workers' costs.

Ocean Ports & Carriers

FMC Commissioner Calls on Ocean Carriers to Allow Terminals to Determine VGM Weights

Federal Maritime Commission (FMC)

Chairman Mario Cordero said the time has come for ocean carriers to embrace the obvious solution to achieving compliance that marine terminal operators can offer.

'Using the weight taken at the terminal gate for the purposes of satisfying the need for a verified weight of a container is a simple and efficient solution for assuring the continued smooth flow of export cargoes,' according to Federal Maritime Commission chairman Mario Cordero.

Ocean Ports & Carriers

Port of Los Angeles Posts Busiest May Ever; Long Beach also Gains

Port of Los Angeles

Cargo volumes at the Port of Los Angeles increased nearly 11 percent in May compared to the same period last year, marking the busiest May in the Port’s 109-year history.

PortofLA 5762c30ed8107

Spot Truckload Freight Jumps 36% for Week

The van load-to-truck ratio was 3.1 loads per truck, up 23%; the reefer ratio climbed 29 percent to 5.9; and the flatbed ratio was 20.3, a 10 percent increase compared to the previous week.

The van load-to-truck ratio was 3.1 loads per truck, up 23%; the reefer ratio climbed 29 percent to 5.9; and the flatbed ratio was 20.3, a 10 percent increase compared to the previous week.

Moran Transportation Corporation Acquires Mats Trucking

Moran Transportation Corporation has purchased the assets of Mats Trucking, a service-driven carrier within the forwarder and airline line haul/delivery network.

The company operates a network of terminals within the Midwest providing service between Chicago (ORD) and points serviced in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and parts of Iowa and Michigan.

Rail And Intermodal Traffic Decline Sharply For Week Ending June 4

Association of American Railroads (AAR)

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 455,346 carloads and intermodal units, down 17.3 percent compared with the same week last year.

For the first 22 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 5,274,449 carloads, down 13.7 percent from the same point last year; and 5,648,851 intermodal units, down 2.1 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 22 weeks of 2016 was 10,923,300 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 8.1 percent compared to last year.

Restored Railroad to Connect Tijuana to U.S. Rail Facilities

The landmark agreement between Pacific Imperial Railroad (PIR) and Baja California Railroad (Baja Rail) provides a huge economic boost to both sides of the border.

The San Diego region and U.S.-Mexico binational economies lose a staggering $6 billion annually due to long delays in getting trucks carrying freight – such as new automobiles – across the U.S. – Mexico land borders in San Diego, according to a study done by the San Diego Association of Governments. An operational Desert Line will ease congestion, reduce air pollution, promote commerce and create jobs.

Feds Order NFI to Reinstate Bottled Water Driver Who Refused to Violate Hours Of Service Rule

The driver and NFI each have 30 days from receipt of OSHA’s findings to file objections and request a hearing before the Labor Department’s Office of Administrative Law Judges.

As a result of its findings, OSHA is ordering NFI Interactive Logistics to make many corrective actions including immediately reinstating the driver to his former position, with all rights, seniority, pay raises and benefits to which he was entitled absent the discharge.

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