June 7, 2017

Has the Panama Canal expansion lived up to the hype?

FleetOwner

As the expanded Panama Canal nears its first anniversary, more East Coast ports are receiving record-breaking containerships. However, there are concerns a lack of resources in Panama has resulted in fewer of the larger Neopanamex ships moving through than initially projected.


June 5, 2017

Port of Oakland seeks to move more cargo via rail

Dry Bulk

 Port of Oakland Executive Director Chris Lytle has said that he wants more rail business at the port. He told a meeting of railroad executives in San Francisco in May that the port is poised to make it happen.


May 16, 2017

Port of Oakland begins project to raise height of four cranes

PortNews

Work has begun at the Port of Oakland to heighten four massive ship-to-shore cranes. The Port said that the 366-foot giants will be raised 27-feet in a 9-month project. The cranes are used to load and unload container vessels. The Port said taller cranes will be better able to reach containers stacked high above decks on modern-day megaships.

View Terminal Status and Download Application

Port of Oakland

After nearly two months of being offline due to technical issues, DrayQ Oakland is back online.


April 6, 2017

West Oakland Air Pollution Concerns Prompt Civil Rights Complaint       

CBS SF Bay Area

A civil rights complaint filed this week on behalf of West Oakland residents alleges air pollution from diesel emissions at the Port of Oakland disproportionately impacts communities of color. The residents, the complaint alleges, experience more asthma attacks, higher rates of heart failure and strokes, and can expect to live nine years less than other Californians due to reduced air quality near the Port of Oakland.

Port of Oakland import volume spiked 19 percent in March

American Journal of Transportation

Port of Oakland import cargo volume increased 19 percent in March over 2016 totals, according to figures released today. The Port said the results contrast sharply with a 9.2 percent decline in February shipments to Oakland. It added that total loaded container volume – imports and exports – was up 9.3 percent last month.

California Legislature votes to raise gas taxes, vehicle fees by $5.2 billion a year for road repairs and transit

Los Angeles Times

After a week of fierce debate between opposing interests, the state Legislature on Thursday approved a plan to raise gas taxes and vehicle fees by $5.2 billion a year to pay for the repair of California’s pothole-ridden, decaying system of roads, highways and bridges. The bill squeaked through the Senate on a 27-11 vote and cleared the Assembly with 54 votes, the bare minimum required in both houses.


March 29, 2017

KCS to make aggressive push into U.S.-Mexican intermodal market

DC Velocity

Kansas City Southern Inc. (KCS), the Kansas City, Mo.-based railroad, is poised to significantly expand its presence in the U.S.-Mexico intermodal market, a move that could not only strengthen the railroad’s already-bright future but could also reshape how freight gets moved in one of the world’s most important corridors of commerce.


March 27, 2017

Hapag-Lloyd expects rising freight rates this year

Hellenic Shipping News

German container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd expects freight rates to be several percentage points higher this year than in 2016, one of a number of factors that should help the company improve its profitability, it said on Monday. “Freight rates are still unstable in early 2017,” Chief Executive Rolf Habben Jansen told a news conference. “But we need higher freight rates to be successful.”

Ports, Truck Drivers Testing Appointment Systems 2.0 for Shipping Container Pickups

TRUCKS.COM

Truck drivers are on the fence about new appointment systems meant to eliminate congestion outside terminal gates that are popping up in ports from Long Beach, Calif., to Newark, N.J. That’s because they remember early appointment systems intended to allow drivers to pick up and drop off shipping containers that fell short of their intended outcome. Some were designed without input from the truckers that used them.


March 22, 2017

Container shipping lines ordered to testify in U.S. sector probe

Reuters

The U.S. Justice Department has ordered top executives from several container shipping lines to testify in an antitrust investigation over practices by an industry that is the backbone of world trade, the companies said on Wednesday. The world’s biggest container group, Denmark’s A.P. Moller-Maersk (MAERSKb.CO), together with second largest line MSC of Switzerland, Germany’s Hapag Lloyd (HLAG.DE), Taiwan-based Evergreen and Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) said their executives were among those who had been subpoenaed.


March 17, 2017

California-based motor carriers receiving a notice from US DOT

Western States Trucking Association

As part of reforming California’s BASIC Inspection of Terminal (BIT) program (effective 1/1/2016) every California-based motor carrier that only operated within the state was assigned an “intrastate only” U.S. DOT number (the assignment of this number does not allow you to operate across state lines). When the U.S. DOT numbers were assigned certain data elements were omitted from each motor carrier’s profile (e.g. previous year’s fleet mileage and whether drivers typically operate within a 100 air-mile radius). A letter motor carriers are receiving from U.S. DOT (see image below) was triggered because none of the U.S. DOT numbers assigned included needed information in a specific data field such as the number of drivers with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) within a fleet. You need to file this update and we have step-by-step instructions on how to do the filing. The association can also make the filing for a nominal fee.


March 10, 2017

Cargo volume off at Port of Oakland in February

Port of Oakland

Containerized export volume at the Port of Oakland declined 1.2 percent last month from February 2016 totals. The Port said it was only the second export decrease in the past 14 months. Overall loaded container volume – imports and exports – declined 5.1 percent last month, according to figures released today. Import volume was off 9.3 percent.


March 8, 2017

Uncovering what you need in an intermodal and logistics partner – 10 things to consider 

American Journal of Commerce

On-time delivery: You want to work with a drayage provider that is committed to reliability and the resources that keep your supply chain running smoothly.

Safety: Commitment to environmental, health and safety standards. READ MORE.


Friday – February 24, 2017

US West Coast Ports Increase Market Share in 2016

American Journal of Transportation

U.S. West Coast ports increased their market share in 2016 indicating losses to East Coast and Gulf ports are being reversed.


Wednesday – February 22, 2017

Port  of Oakland: Big-rig smog checks reflect change in trucking industry

The Mercury News

For trucking companies at the Port of Oakland, the hardest part is mostly over — if they’re still in business, that is.

A significant push that started in 2009 to transform smog-spewing diesel engines to ones that burn cleaner and capture pollutants before they enter the atmosphere has largely been completed. The costly effort forced trucking companies to change the way they do business, sometimes opting to upgrade or sell their entire fleet and lease trucks instead. Although regulatory agencies helped with early grants, it’s also forced smaller, owner-operator companies to retrofit their rigs or buy new ones, work for someone else or go out of business, several truck operators said.


Monday – February 13, 2017

Uncertain times cloud zero-emission dreams for ports of LA, Long Beach

Press-Telegram

Over more than a decade, taxpayers have forked out millions of dollars to pay for environmentally friendly equipment to help improve the air quality around the nation’s busiest ports. Can the ports reduce pollution further? Experts say it’s like a dieter trying to lose the last stubborn five pounds — now comes the hardest part. Officials are working on an update to their decade-old anti-pollution strategy, which they credit with helping to cut harmful diesel particulate matter linked to respiratory ailments by 85 percent.

Port of Oakland sees container volumes rise in January

American Shipper

Throughput of loaded containers at the Northern California port grew 6.1 percent in January 2017 compared with the same month a year ago, while overall volumes including empties grew 3 percent from 2016 levels.


Tuesday – February 7, 2017

Top US domestic intermodal providers raising rates

Journal of Commerce

The two largest US intermodal marketing companies are promising to increase domestic intermodal rates this year, after their volume rebounded in the fourth quarter, they gained a larger share of 53-foot container moves, and a pricing index ticked up. While market dominator J.B. Hunt already started increasing prices last year on improved demand, it’s a reversal of course for No. 2 Hub Group. The Chicago area-based IMC reported last year that low freight demand was weighing down rates and tightening margins. After better-than-expected year-end results, however, Hub and Hunt are preparing to hike rates this contract season.

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Monday – February 5, 2017

Port of Oakland, partners spending $600 million on future growth 

Port News

A Port of Oakland executive outlined a $600 million spending plan for growth at his West Coast trade gateway. Maritime Director John Driscoll told a maritime audience that Oakland would increase trade volume by investing in new facilities and better infrastructure.


Wednesday – February 1, 2017

Trump appoints Republican to chair Federal Maritime Commission

Seatrade Maritime News

US President Donald Trump has replaced Democrat Mario Codero as chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) with Republican Michael Khouri.

According to the FMC Khouri was appointed as acting chairman by Trump on 23 January.  Codero remains as a commissioner with his term expiring in 2019. Codero was appointed to the commission in 2011 by Obama and became chairman in 2013.


Saturday – January 28, 2017

Buoyed by Tesla, Port of Oakland wants to be ships’ first stop

San Francisco Chronicle

On any given day, large cargo ships from Asia pass under the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco Bay and dock at the Port of Oakland. Many of these vessels carry a lot of empty space, having already unloaded their cargo in Long Beach. It has been nearly a decade since a ship traveled directly from East Asia to the East Bay. That may be about to change.


Friday – January 20, 2017

Port of Oakland Disrupted By Trump Sickout

California Patch

Several union workers did not show up for work today at the Port of Oakland, effectively closing one marine terminal and suspending vessel operations temporarily, according to port officials. Communications Director Mike Zampa said only about ten percent of the longshore labor requests were filled this morning, impacting shipping and receiving throughout the port.


Saturday – January 14, 2017

Federal Court Dismisses CTA Lawsuit

US District Court – Southern District of California

16cv1866 order granting motion to dismiss

The complaint alleges that CTA members sometimes contract with drivers that own or lease their own trucks. These drivers are referred to as “owner-operators.” The complaint seeks a declaration that the Labor Commissioner’s application of these Borello factors is pre-empted by the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (the “FAAAA”) and asks for injunctive relief preventing the Labor Commissioner from enforcing California’s definition of employee using the Borello factors when a motor carrier has a contract with an owner-operator. The Borello factors used by the Labor Commissioner to determine whether a truck driver is an employee or independent contractor are not preempted by the FAAAA. Accordingly, the motion to dismiss is GRANTED.


Friday – January 13, 2017

Port of Oakland’s Chris Lytle: What a difference a year makes

American Journal of Transportation

What a difference a year makes. Last January the Port of Oakland faced the bankruptcy of its second-largest marine terminal tenant. Today it faces a new year fortified by record earnings and cargo volume over the last 12 months. “I have to tell you, this feels a whole lot better,” said Port of Oakland Executive Director Chris Lytle yesterday. “We’re on a bit of a roll.”

Analysts project OOCL takeover, lines dismiss the rumors

SupplyChainDIVE

Hundreds of carriers may crowd the container shipping industry, but the world of the elite lines is quite small. While publicly traded companies are subject to the scrutiny of investors, they may also benefit from a public rumor and analyst speculation.


Monday – January 09, 2017

Port of Oakland set all-time record for loaded containers in ‘16

Port of Oakland – Jan. 2016

Loaded shipping container volume reached an all-time high at the Port of Oakland in 2016. The Port reported today that it handled the equivalent of 1.83 million loaded 20-foot containers last year.  That was up 7.6 percent from 2015, topping the previous record of 1.82 million 20-footers set in 2013.


Tuesday – January 03, 2017

Long list of issues awaits US maritime regulators

Wall Street Journal

As US shippers grapple with one of the most volatile container shipping markets in years and as the specter of port congestion haunts beneficial cargo owners, federal maritime regulators are on the forefront of monitoring the market for anti-competitive practices while nudging stakeholders to make containerized supply chains more efficient and reliable.

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Tuesday – December 27, 2016

New fight brews at FMC over detention and demurrage

Journal of Commerce

A diverse group of shippers is challenging fees that container lines and marine terminals impose for delays at US ports. But first the shippers need approval from federal maritime regulators. If the generally cautious Federal Maritime Commission moves forward, a 25-member coalition led by the National Retail Federation could have an opening to deflect tens of millions of dollars of detention and demurrage fees that carriers and terminals levy annually for late pickup or return of containers and chassis.

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Wednesday – December 21, 2016

Federal Maritime Commission seeking comments on Petition related to demurrage, detention, and per diem charges

Federal Maritime Commission – Dec. 20, 2016

Notice  is  hereby  given  that  the  Coalition  for  Fair  Port  Practices  (hereinafter  Petitioner), has petitioned  the  Commission  pursuant  to  46  C.F.R.  502.51 of  the  Commission’s  Rules  of  Practice and Procedure, to initiate a rulemaking “to clarify what constitutes ‘just and reasonable rules  and  practices’  with  respect  to  the  assessment  of  demurrage,  detention,  and  per  diem  charges by ocean common carriers and marine terminal operators when ports are congested or otherwise inaccessible.”

Follow this link to read petition – PETITION


Friday – December 16, 2016

Shippers, truckers would rally for LA-LB night gates if more efficient

Journal of Commerce

Truckers and beneficial cargo owners in Southern California say they would support night gates more in Los Angeles-Long Beach if the gates were more efficient and terminal operators always devoted sufficient resources to processing trucks in and out of their facilities.

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Tuesday – December 13, 2016

EPA Awards $6.3 Million to Reduce Diesel Emissions at Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Elsewhere

Long Beach Patch

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded more than $6 million in Diesel Emission Reduction Act funds to public and private partners at the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and elsewhere, it was announced Monday.

Port of Oakland: Price of American goods isn’t slowing overseas demand

East Bay Times

 Despite a strong dollar that makes American products more expensive overseas, exports leaving the Port of Oakland continue to experience double-digit growth. The port said containerized export volume increased 11.5 percent in November from the same period in 2015, marking the 10th time this year that exports have risen and the third consecutive month of double-digit growth.


Friday – December  9, 2016

Oakland: Coal terminal developer Phil Tagami sues city

East Bay Times

After months of silence, Oakland developer Phil Tagami sued the city Wednesday over its vote in June to ban the local storage and shipment of coal through town. Tagami is seeking to overturn the ban on exporting fossil fuels and allow his company, Oakland Bulk Oversized Terminal, to ship coal and petroleum coke in the city, according to court documents.


Wednesday – December 7, 2016

Local earnings from Port of Oakland projects top $6.5 million

American Journal of Transportation

Local workers made $6.5 million in earnings while working on Port of Oakland construction projects in 2016. More than 60 percent of those who worked on Port projects live within Alameda and Contra Costa counties. According to figures released today, the result exceeded the Port’s annual local hiring goal of 50 percent.


Friday – December 2, 2016

Inside the Numbers: A Close Look at IANA’s Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics

Intermodal Association of North America – Nov. 8, 2016

Every quarter IANA delivers a comprehensive review of the intermodal freight industry’s business volumes in its Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics Report. Coupled with IMC loads and revenue numbers, as well as trucking industry results, this report offers invaluable insights into current intermodal market performance and examines key long term-trends. Pat Casey, Vice President, Fleet Management at TTX Company, and Peter Wolff, Director of Market Development at TTX Company, discuss financial results from the 2016 third quarter, what the numbers mean, where the data comes from, and how you can use the Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics Report in your business.    •View a video recording of the webinar


Thursday – December 1, 2016

Maersk Line snaps up Hamburg Süd 

Journal of Commerce

Maersk Line Thursday announced it is buying German carrier Hamburg Süd from the Oetker Group and aims to close on the deal by the end of 2017. The acquisition, the subject of speculation for the past few weeks, will cement Maersk’s position as the world’s biggest container shipping line. Following the takeover, Maersk plans to operate joint north-south services with Hamburg Süd, which will increase frequencies, spread the line’s geographical coverage, and cut transit times.

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Third Oakland container terminal to require truck appointments

Journal of Commerce

The TraPac terminal in Oakland beginning Tuesday will become the third operator in the port that requires truckers picking up inbound containers to make appointments. Beneficial cargo owners must therefore get used to the fact that delivery of more than 90 percent of the laden import containers at the Northern California port will require appointments.

If you are taken to a subscription page to read this article, use this link instead TRAPAC


Monday – November 28, 2016

Key US legislator rattles shippers, truckers with PierPass praise

Journal of Commerce

The chairman of the US House subcommittee overseeing marine transportation rattled shippers and truckers after telling a PierPass working group that the federal government shouldn’t get involved despite calls to reform the nation’s oldest extended-gates program at the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex.

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Wednesday – November 16, 2016

Port of Oakland: What’s behind the 2016 export rally

American Journal of Commerce

Growth in high-value agricultural shipments is driving a containerized export boom at the Port of Oakland. The Port released new figures today showing sizable increases in fruit, nut and meat exports destined primarily for Asia. The agricultural surge has lifted Oakland total export volume 10 percent over 2015 levels through October.


Wednesday – November 9, 2016

Shipping industry in crisis: Los Angeles and Long Beach ports on uncertain ground

Press-Telegram

With analysts estimating that oceangoing shippers could lose up to $10 billion worldwide this year, the industry that made globalization possible is sinking into crisis. To survive, shippers are merging, signing swiftly assembled alliances and slashing costs. The pain isn’t felt on foreign shores alone. Los Angeles and Long Beach, home to the nation’s busiest port complex, are fighting for an increasingly smaller piece of a shrinking shipping market.


Monday – November 7, 2016

Port of Oakland export boom reaches a three-year high

American Journal of Transportation

Container volume soars 20 percent in October to fourth-largest total ever. Port of Oakland export volume reached a three-year high in October, soaring 20 percent over 2015 totals. The Port reported today that it shipped the equivalent of 89,473 export containers last month. That was the most since Oct. 2013, the Port said, and the fourth-largest monthly total in its history.

Container freight rates are going to have to rise at some point: FMC chairman Cordero

Seatrade Maritime News

As the container shipping industry goes through “generational changes” US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) chairman Mario Cordero says shippers will have to accept that “rates will rise at some point.” Speaking at the World Shipping Summit in Shanghai on Friday Cordero noted the multiple mergers of CMA CGM and APL, Hapag-Lloyd and United Arab Shipping Co (UASC), Cosco and China Shipping, the bankruptcy of top 10 carrier Hanjin Shipping, and most recently the plans by NYK, K Line and Mitsui OSK Lines to form a joint venture of their container lines.


Tuesday – November 1, 2016

Japan’s Largest Shipping Firms to Merge Container Operations

Wall Street Journal

Japan’s three largest shipping companies said Monday they would merge their container-shipping operations to create the world’s sixth-largest competitor in an effort to cope with a global decline in the container business. Nippon Yusen K.K.,  Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. and  Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd., Japan’s top three shipping companies in terms of revenue, said they agreed to form a joint venture that they estimated would save them a combined total of ¥110 billion, or $1.05 billion, annually through synergies.


Friday – October 28, 2016

Port of Oakland terminal OK to expand, could start in November

American Journal of Transportation

Work could begin next month to nearly double the size of the Port of Oakland’s second-largest marine terminal. TraPac LLC said today it’s ready to begin construction on a 57-acre expansion at the Port’s Outer Harbor. The Board of Port Commissioners approved the project at a meeting Oct. 27.

Port Of Oakland Touts Reduction Of Diesel Emissions

CBS SF Bay Area

Diesel emissions at the Port of Oakland have declined dramatically since 2005, the result of a concerted effort by the port to improve air quality in neighboring communities, port officials said Friday. From 2005 to 2015, diesel emissions from trucks, ships, tugboats, trains and cargo handling equipment declined 76 percent, from 261 tons to 63 tons annually, according to the port’s 2015 Emissions Inventory report released Friday.


Saturday – October 22, 2016

NWSA to launch mobile apps to speed up cargo flow, reduce idling-related air emissions, save fuel

The Northwest Seaport Alliance

The Northwest Seaport Alliance will launch two new mobile applications early November to help speed the flow of containers through port facilities and along local freight corridors, reduce idling-related air emissions and save fuel. DrayQTM aims to give truck drivers real-time information about wait times in and around marine cargo terminals, and DrayLinkTM will interconnect the drayage community to better dispatch, track and record container moves from pickup to delivery. The apps were designed specifically for, and in partnership with, the port industry to align with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Connected Vehicle Freight Advanced Traveler Information System (FRATIS) architecture and StrongPorts initiative.

Three potential directions chartered for changes of LA-LB ports’ PierPass

Journal of Commerce

A working group that was formed to consider potential changes to the 10-year-old PierPass extended-gates model in Los Angeles-Long Beach will focus on three proposals that could reduce congestion for cargo interests and truckers: dynamic and variable pricing, a flat traffic mitigation fee coupled with a trucker appointment system and a port-wide peel off program.

About 70 beneficial cargo owners, truckers, logistics providers and government representatives Thursday discussed the pros and cons of those operational measures at a meeting in Long Beach sponsored by the West Coast Marine Terminal Operators Agreement. A PierPass advisory committee will analyze the measures in the coming months and will issue a final draft of its recommendations in April 2017.

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Thursday – October 20, 2016

FMC chairman not satisfied with PierPass transparency

Journal of Commerce

Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Mario Cordero Wednesday received a staff briefing on the progress being made in a third-party analysis of the PierPass extended-gates program in Los Angeles-Long Beach, but he doesn’t believe the transparency that beneficial cargo owners demand from PierPass Inc. is at hand.

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Saturday – October 15, 2016

Food Transportation Enforcement in California

California Department of Public Health – Food Safety Section 

A little known new program that does target trucks hauling food within California began this past summer. The CDPH has been handing out the attached notice to truck operators they have been encountering during inspections. If you haul food-stuffs you need to read this notice since CDPH is advising, “Enforcement action may include, but is not limited to: embargo of adulterated food; seizure of the violative products, issuance of a Notice of Violation and/or Notice to Appear; assessment of a civil penalty; and/or referral of the matter to a prosecuting attorney for civil and/or criminal prosecution,” for violating food safety laws.


Friday – October 14, 2016

TraPac to nearly double size of its terminal at Port of Oakland

American Journal of Transportation

TraPac, LLC has reached agreement to nearly double its marine terminal size at the Port of Oakland. Wilmington, Ca-based TraPac said today it plans to lease an additional 57 acres and two vessel berths on the Port’s Outer Harbor. If the deal is approved, it would greatly strengthen TraPac’s position as the second-largest terminal operator in Oakland.


Tuesday – October 11, 2016

More cooperation at Port of Oakland instead of confrontation

KTVU

The Port of Oakland has a big blue steel mountain rising and it deals with the fallout of the bankruptcy of Hanjin, one of the world’s largest ocean cargo carriers. It turns out that those boxes are creating new cooperation with the powerful interest that often fight over them.

Webinar – Inside the Numbers: A Close Look at IANA’s Intermodal Trends & Statistics

Intermodal Association of North America

Every quarter IANA delivers a comprehensive review of the intermodal freight industry’s business volumes in its Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics Report. Join TTX Company representatives as they discuss the financial results from the third quarter of 2016, examine what the numbers mean, identify where the data comes from, and explain how you can use the Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics Report in your business today.

Date: November 8, 2016

Time 2:00 PM (Eastern)

Register and receive a copy of the Q3 Intermodal Markets Trends & Statistics at no cost.

REGISTER NOW


Friday – October 07, 2016

Hanjin details when some but not all stranded ships will call US ports

Journal of Commerce

Hanjin Shipping on Thursday gave US importers awaiting the discharge of their stranded goods a better idea of when some ships will call but wasn’t able to give a timeline for two ships under arrest near the Panama Canal and another off the coast of Savannah.

If you are taken to a subscription page to read this article, try this link instead HANJIN in order to read the article

Autonomous Trucks: A Future Truckers Should Embrace

TRUCKS.COM

Self-driving trucks. Just say those three words in trucking circles and you are likely to get an earful about how this technology should never replace having a human driver behind the wheel.


Monday – October 03, 2016

Hanjin containers clog Southern California ports

American Shipper

Thousands of chassis in and around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have containers mounted on them that are either owned or leased by the now insolvent ocean carrier Hanjin Shipping. The Hanjin bankruptcy has created a shortage of chassis in Southern California at the busiest time of year for many shippers and their truckers. Thousands of chassis in and around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach – the two largest container ports in the U.S. – have containers mounted on them that are either owned by Hanjin or leased by the Korean carrier.


Friday – September 30, 2016

Hanjin could cost US truckers thousands of dollars

Journal of Commerce – Sep. 28, 2016

Trucking companies that regularly hauled containers for Hanjin Shipping may end up losing tens of thousands of dollars as Hanjin’s bankruptcy unfolds unless they can get beneficial cargo owners to pay for the shipments they carried from the port of entry to the customers’ warehouses.


Thursday – September 23, 2016

EPA Says Ports Can Do More on Air Pollution

The Maritime Executive

A U.S. EPA report has found that air pollution at the nation’s ports can be reduced significantly at all port types and sizes through a variety of strategies and cleaner technologies. Implementing these approaches, the report finds, would reduce greenhouse gas and other harmful emissions from diesel-powered ships, trucks and other port equipment.


Wednesday – September 22, 2016

Port of Oakland eases worry over bankrupt shipping line boxes

Port of Oakland

Truckers allowed to return empty Hanjin-owned containers, will free up chassis. A potential supply chain meltdown resulting from Hanjin Shipping’s bankruptcy has been averted at the Port of Oakland.  The Port said today it will receive empty containers owned by the ocean carrier, which filed for bankruptcy protection Aug. 31.

Hanjin Collapse May Push West Coast Trucking Rates Higher

TRUCKS.COM

The collapse of Hanjin Shipping Co. has been a focus for supply chain executives in recent weeks, but the impact on trucking in the United States is only beginning now. Truckers can expect rates to go up, putting more money in their pockets. This is the result of a domino effect caused by the bankruptcy of Hanjin, one of the world’s largest container shipping companies.


Tuesday – September 21, 2016

Oakland terminal operator makes extended gate hours permanent

Journal of Commerce

The largest terminal operator at the Port of Oakland announced Tuesday it will make extended gate hours permanent, a move that shows beneficial cargo owners will pay extra for greater access.

If you cannot read this article because you are taken to a subscription page, click on this link to read article – OAKLAND


Wednesday – September 14, 2016

Others could follow Hanjin before container shipping rebound

 Journal of Commerce

Container shipping overcapacity that pushed Hanjin Shipping into bankruptcy protection will likely claim another carrier before the market rebounds, industry executives said at a major shipping conference in New York Tuesday. The executives added that market improvement could be a year away.

Links to some articles are browser specific. If you are being taken to a subscription page click on this link HANJIN to read the article.


Tuesday – September 13, 2016

Port of Oakland added to Vietnam-China-U.S. shipping route

Port of Oakland

A Transpacific shipping route linking Asia and the U.S. will add weekly Port of Oakland stops beginning in November.  The Port said today Oakland will become the sixth stop in the service operated by three Asian shipping lines.


Thursday – September 8, 2016

South Korea to send 20 ships to rescue Hanjin boxes

Journal of Commerce

As the logistical chaos resulting from Hanjin Shipping’s descent into receivership widens, South Korea’s finance ministry has requested more of the country’s domestic shipping lines to deploy vessels to replace the stricken liner operator’s tonnage. A total of 20 ships would be dispatched, including the 13 ships that Hyundai Merchant Marine, the country’s second-largest liner operator, is sending to trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe routes.

If you are being taken to a subscriber page to read this article, click on this key word – HANJIN to read the article.

 

Hanjin vessels moving again amid chaotic global supply chain scenes

Splash 24/7

Splash has been given exclusive access by BigOceanData to its proprietary system allowing readers to see where all Hanjin Shipping vessels are around the world. The access shows that most previously stranded ships in international waters are now moving again, with many heading towards South Korea.


Tuesday – September 6, 2016

Port of Oakland ‘shack’ to close; will hungry truckers drive through neighborhoods?

East Bay Times

A small weighing station and mini-mart catering to truck drivers and longshore workers at the Port of Oakland will close this month, and customers say that without it, they’ll be forced to haul their big-rigs through West Oakland to find a place to eat and grab supplies.

Hanjin bankruptcy widens port disruption

Port Strategy

The bankruptcy of the Hanjin Shipping line is already causing turmoil at ports in the US and beyond; cargo continues to be delayed at the point of origin and cargo-laden Hanjin ships are unable to get into ports.


Thursday – September 1, 2016

Shipping giant Hanjin, majority owner of biggest Long Beach terminal, files for bankruptcy protection

Los Angeles Times

Hanjin Shipping Co., one of the world’s largest shipping lines, filed for court receivership in South Korea on Wednesday. Hanjin also owns a majority stake in Total Terminals International, the operator of Long Beach’s largest terminal at Pier T. Port spokesman Michael Gold said he didn’t know if Hanjin ships would continue to call at the port. The Total Terminals website says that “until further notice” the terminal will “discontinue delivery of all Hanjin import containers.” It also said it would no longer accept Hanjin containers for export.


Wednesday – August 31, 2016

NLRB Memo Lays Out Misclassification Theory

Bloomberg BNA

The National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel released a legal memorandum explaining his theory that an employer committed an unfair labor practice by misclassifying employee drivers as independent contractors ( Pac. 9 Transp., Inc. , NLRB Div. of Advice, No. 21-CA-150875, 12/18/15 [released 8/26/16]). The unfair labor practice theory involving worker misclassification hasn’t previously been tested before the NLRB or the courts, but the memorandum shows that’s the approach the general counsel will likely follow in other independent contractor disputes.

Hanjin Shipping to Seek Receivership After Losing Bank’s Support

Fortune

As some ports denied access to its vessels on Wednesday, Hanjin Shipping said it would seek court receivership after losing the support of its banks, as ports from China to Spain denied access to its vessels and a rival eyed some of the South Korean container liners’ assets.


 

Tuesday – August 30, 2016

DOC Says 40% Tariffs Due on Truck Tires From China

HDT – Truckinginfo.com

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) says truck and bus tire manufacturers in China are dumping tires in the U.S. at less than fair market value, and those tires should be subject to tariffs of at least 20%. The tariffs are retroactive.


Thursday – August 25, 2016

How the Port of Oakland is rebounding from a few rough years

San Francisco Business Times

Top officials argue that Its airport business is soaring, its port business is holding its own despite a major bankruptcy filing by a terminal operator, and roughly $1 billion in major port improvements are in the works. Financial results for fiscal 2016 aren’t available until early September, but the Port’s top officials say operations are going swimmingly, especially considering the volatile state of the international shipping business.


Tuesday – August 23, 2016

West Coast Terminals Shelve Chassis Fee but Affirm Right to Compensation for Services

West Coast MTO Agreement

 The West Coast MTO Agreement (WCMTOA) today announced it has shelved plans to introduce a chassis services fee, as individual marine terminals negotiate directly with chassis leasing companies over hosting agreements.


Wednesday – August 17, 2016

Equipment lessors ask FMC to reject new LA-LB chassis fee

Journal of Commerce

Equipment-leasing companies, in a show-cause petition to the Federal Maritime Commission, are asking regulators to direct terminal operators in Los Angeles-Long Beach to “cease and desist” from imposition of a $5 chassis services fee scheduled to take effect on Sept. 1. The leasing companies charge the proposed fee violates the Shipping Act of 1984.


Thursday – August 11, 2016

Paying The Freight: Accessorial Charges – What’s fair?

American Journal of Transportation

The British International Freight Association (BIFA) recently supported the latest challenge by UK shippers against ocean freight surcharges. For years the Global Shippers Forum (GSF), National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) and the ESC (European Shippers Council) have also been complaining about carrier surcharges on behalf of their members. Let’s examine some of these charges, consider why they were enacted and see if they have any merit.

Is Port of Oakland’s July Shipping Surge Just Empty Numbers?

Universal Cargo

The Port of Oakland reported big numbers for the month of July. The numbers were so high, in fact, that they made headlines.


Monday – August 8, 2016

Port of Oakland Reports Record Container Volumes in July

Wall Street Journal

The Port of Oakland, Calif., reported record container volumes in July, driven by a surge in empty containers on both the export and import side.

Dockworkers handled nearly 30% more empty containers—48,521 20-foot equivalent units for export and 17,017 import TEUs—in July. Empty containers are usually moved, in anticipation of trade growth, to places where they’re expected to be filled with goods before shipping back.

Tougher smog rules could have sweeping impact on the way goods move around the state

Los Angeles Daily News

The men and women who make Los Angeles and Long Beach ports hum are keeping close watch on proposed legislation that would further tighten the state’s already restrictive greenhouse gas-emissions rules.

 The sweeping legislation, which would set aggressive goals to cut climate-warming pollution by 2030, faces an uphill battle and a tight deadline in Sacramento. But Gov. Jerry Brown made it clear last week the fight wouldn’t end should the bill stumble in the Legislature: He aims to put it on the statewide ballot in 2017.


Wednesday – August 3, 2016

BNSF to Appeal Ruling Blocking California Rail Yard

Freight railroad says it may abandon $500 million investment if court decision on environmental review stands

Wall Street Journal

BNSF Railway Co. is appealing a judge’s ruling against the freight railroad’s plan to build a rail yard near the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.


Tuesday – August 2, 2016

Shippers incur demurrage as Oakland port wrestles with trucker appointments

Journal of Commerce

Oakland’s largest terminal operator is struggling to find the right formula for its newly-mandated trucker appointment system. 

 Some truckers and beneficial cargo owners say conditions have improved, although others complain about rising demurrage costs owing to insufficient slots each day for making appointments.


Monday – July 18, 2016

Ports America exploring US$1bn sale

Container Management

Ports America is reportedly exploring a sale which would value the company at US$1bn.


Thursday – July 14, 2016

What to do with empty terminals in Oakland? Nothing, port says

San Francisco Chronicle

The half-dozen giant cranes that once lifted huge containers of goods on 160 acres of East Bay waterfront now lie dormant.

 And the Port of Oakland is pretty OK with that. In fact, the agency, which also operates Oakland International Airport, seems almost eager to not do anything with the vast tract of essentially vacant land.


Tuesday – July 12, 2016

FMC chairman concerned over PierPass fee increase

Journal of Commerce

Following shipper complaints about a lack of transparency when marine terminal operators in Los Angeles-Long Beach announced on the weekend that the PierPass traffic mitigation fee will increase by 1.9 percent, Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Mario Cordero said the commission is responding.


Friday – July 8, 2016

Oakland port’s new rail yard likely to boost local economy

East Bay Times

While public uproar over a proposal to export coal may have slowed down one redevelopment project at the former Oakland Army Base, another one has been quietly under construction.

And on Thursday, a 100-car train rolled in from the Midwest, carrying animal feed that was unloaded and repacked on-site for distribution overseas — the first of what the Port of Oakland hopes will be many such shipments at its new rail yard.


Wednesday – June 22, 2016

Trucker-terminal cooperation cuts LA-LB truck turn times

Journal of Commerce

The average truck visit time at the 13 container terminals in Los Angeles-Long Beach in May plunged to 78 minutes from 85 minutes in April, proving that cooperation between truckers and terminal operators can produce results, the Harbor Trucking Association said Tuesday.

The Panama Canal Expands

The Wall Street Journal

The giant Panama Canal expansion opens June 26 amid much fanfare and one of the worst shipping industry slumps ever. While it won’t do anything to help the dire state of the industry near-term, the changes are critical to Western trade in the long run.


Thursday – June 16, 2016

Cordero Urges Ocean Carriers to Accept Obvious Path to VGM Compliance

The Federal Maritime Commission Newsroom

With the implementation date for new container weighing requirements 14-days away, Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission Mario Cordero said the time has come for ocean carriers to embrace the obvious solution to achieving compliance that Marine Terminal Operators can offer.

 Specifically, Cordero asserted the weight of export containers, as determined by terminal operators, can and should be classified as the Verified Gross Mass (VGM) of the container.

Carrier group to accept container weights from ports, terminals

OCEMA move lifts burden of verification from exporters.

DC Velocity

A group of 19 large U.S. and foreign-flag carriers said late Friday its members will accept container-weight data from all U.S. ports and terminal operators that weigh the boxes at their facilities beforehand. The move helps lift the onus of box weighing from U.S. exporters less than two weeks before they must comply with international rules requiring that each box’s “gross mass” be verified before it is placed aboard ship.


 

Monday – June 6, 2016

Port of Oakland night gates will stay open after subsidy ends

American Journal of Transportation

Port of Oakland night gates appear here to stay. Oakland’s largest marine terminal said today it will continue night operations even after a Port subsidy expires this month. What’s more, Oakland International Container Terminal said it will offer full – not partial – operations at night.


 

Tuesday – May 31, 2016

NY-NJ port truckers buy chassis to cut costs, secure equipment

JOC

Aiming to cuts costs and squeezed by chassis shortages and the need to take them in and out of congested New York and New Jersey marine terminals, some truckers are buying their own chassis, and turning away from the leasing system that dominates the industry.


 

Friday – May 27, 2016

Port of Oakland terminal: appointments mandatory for imports

Port of Oakland Press Release

Picking up an import load at the Port of Oakland’s largest marine terminal? You’ll likely need an appointment.

Oakland International Container Terminal (OICT) said today it’s making appointments mandatory for most containerized import pick-ups beginning June 6. It means harbor truckers usually won’t be able to drive off loaded boxes without a reservation. The terminal said its goal is to shorten lines at terminal gates while speeding up cargo delivery to customers.


Monday – May 23, 2016

California creates self-inflicted barriers to trade

The Sacramento Bee

Exports of agricultural produce and food products represented nearly 70 percent of the $17.95 billion in exports through the Port of Oakland last year. Yet the cost of shipping goods out of that port has risen sharply in recent years.


 

 

Friday – May 20, 2016

California’s New Clean Air Program Leans on Trucking Industry

Trucks.com

California air quality regulators have outlined plans for the trucking industry to bear a large share of the burden for cleaning up the dirtiest air in the nation.


 

Wednesday – May 18, 2016

Port of Oakland phone app tells truckers about waits at port

The Mercury News

An old-line business, the Port of Oakland, is using one of the world’s newest technologies, an app that helps truckers cope with the busy cargo gates at the shipping hub, the port said Wednesday. “This could definitely be helpful and would be worth it,” said Bruce Gill, owner of Union City-based Bay City Express, a trucking firm.


 

Wednesday – May 11, 2016

Port-Trucking Firms Run Into Labor Dispute

Wall Street Journal

Short-haul trucking industry weighs into legal debate over how to classify workers. The nation’s busiest ports are emerging as a key battleground in the legal fight over whether truck drivers should be counted as employees or independent contractors.


 

 

Tuesday – May 10, 2016

Record-Breaking Container Ship Ends Brief U.S. Service

Wall Street Journal

CMA CGM’s  Benjamin Franklin was the largest container ship to call at a U.S. port when it stopped in Los Angeles in December. But a weak market quickly led the shipping line to stop running such large ships across the Pacific.


 

Sunday – May 8, 2016

Exports surge through Port of Oakland

Logistics Management

An export rebound continues to build steam at the Port of Oakland, as it also continues to ease drayage congestion with innovative logistics management strategies.


 

Thursday – April 21, 2016

CMA CGM Postpones Mega-Ship Deployment

The six giant container ships were expected to carry cargo between Asia and the U.S., a route plagued with overcapacity and falling freight rates

Wall Street Journal

 CMA CGM SA is backing away from plans to deploy a fleet of super-sized container ships to carry goods between Asia and the U.S., as a glut of shipping capacity has driven freight rates along that route to record lows.


 

Tuesday – April 19, 2016

California Ports – The rebound is well underway

American Journal of Transportation

The Port of Oakland is hoping to build container volumes on a three-month surge in exports. The Port of Oakland announced the 2016 containerized export volume is up 19.9% over the same period in 2015. March exports were up 9.9%, the third-straight monthly increase in Oakland.

U.S. House members urge union, ports to cooperate

Capital Press

Nine members of Congress, led by Washington Reps. Dan Newhouse and Dave Reichert, are urging the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association to find ways to prevent port disruptions.


 

Thursday – April 14, 2016

Oakland ‘Incapable’ of Container Weighing

Port Technology

The Oakland MTO Agreement (OAKMTOA) has stated that all three member terminals at the Port of Oakland are incapable of providing verified gross mass (VGM) weighing services that adhere to the SOLAS guidelines scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2016.

Major carrier to start charging California compliance surcharge

Commercial Carrier Journal

ABF Freight System has instituted a $5.92 surcharge for each shipment going to or from California.


 

Wednesday – April 6, 2016

Chinese Goods Bypass California

Wall Street Journal

More Chinese exporters are sending their goods directly to customers in the U.S. Southeast, home to new manufacturing hubs

Chinese exporters are sending more of their goods to the U.S. Southeast, bypassing the California ports that have long served as the gateway for Asian imports.

The reason: the Southeast is home to a growing number of factories that import parts from China, and it’s cheaper to bring them into the country via Savannah, Houston and other ports in the region, said Jock O’Connell, an international-trade economist at Beacon Economics.


 

Tuesday – April 5, 2016

West Coast MTO Agreement Releases Statement on VGM Weighing Procedures

Logistics Management

The West Coast MTO Agreement (WCMTOA) announced today that all 13 member terminals are incapable of providing verified gross mass (VGM) weighing services that adhere to the SOLAS guidelines scheduled to go into effect on July 1.

 

Port of Oakland launches smart phone apps for harbor truckers

Logistics Management

Innovation uses Bluetooth, GPS to measure how long drivers wait for cargo

The Port of Oakland today introduced two smart phone applications that could transform containerized cargo handling at seaports. The apps provide a highly anticipated tech-based calculation of harbor trucker turn times – an elusive industry metric.

 


 

Tuesday – March 29, 2016

Supersize Ships Prompt More Automation at Ports

Wall Street Journal

Proponents of automated cargo handling at U.S. ports have a rule: where megaships call, robots soon follow.

So far, Southern California appears to be the destination of choice for both. Over the next decade, marine terminals at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are expected to lead the way in adopting robotic cargo-handling capabilities in response to the arrival of more supersize ships.


Monday – March 28, 2016

Port of Oakland cargo operations snarled by labor-management dispute

San Jose Mercury News

A labor dispute linked to a group of dismissed dock workers disrupted cargo handling at the Port of Oakland on Monday, and completely halted operations at one of the terminals at the East Bay cargo hub, port officials said.

The turmoil involved Stevedore Services of America, commonly known as SSA Marine Terminals.

 

Thursday – March 17, 2016

Port Trucking Company Files for Bankruptcy Protection

Wall Street Journal

One of Southern California’s largest port trucking companies has filed for bankruptcy after losing several legal battles with independent-contractor drivers who claimed they should be treated as full-time employees.

Premium Transportation Services Inc., which is known locally as Total Transportation Services Inc., or TTSI, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday in federal court in Delaware. The company said in a court filing that “downward pricing pressure from some of its major clients over the past year” along with mounting costs of litigation with independent drivers had proven more than it could manage.


 

Wednesday – March 16, 2016

Business Groups Seek Extension of West Coast Port Labor Deal

Wall Street Journal

Business groups that depend on shipping goods through the U.S. West Coast are calling on dockworkers and employers to extend terms of their labor contract to avoid a repeat of the congestion that plagued supply chains during the most recent negotiations.


 

Friday – March 11, 2016

Do truck appointment systems decrease turn times?  Preliminary data shows no correlation

American Journal of Transportation

Truck appointment systems are one of the “innovations” port and industry leaders tout will help optimize the supply chain. The hope is that such systems would decrease truck congestion and turn times by creating a more orderly process for trucks arriving at terminal gates. If port drivers had an appointment, the theory goes, they would not cue outside the terminal hours before the gates open, jockeying to get through the gates first in hopes of getting their container and back out more quickly. Recent data made available by the Harbor Trucking Association does not support this theory, at least in their execution to date. Preliminary results from the five terminals that implemented an appointment system in 2015 were mixed, failing to show a correlation between an appointment system and improving turn times.


 

Tuesday – March 8, 2016

CCJ

Federal committee says ports need on-demand trucking systems, reduction in truck turn-around times

A federal advisory committee says U.S. ports could increase efficiency by implementing on-demand trucking systems, improving chassis supply and decreasing truck turn times.

This month, the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness presented ways to cut congestion at seaports and connecting inland infrastructure to Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. Formed in 2011, up to 45 private sector stakeholders and additional ex officio federal agency representatives serve on the committee.


 

Tuesday – February 24, 2016

Major Firm Leaves Port of Oakland—Union Won’t Allow Members to Work

California Political Review (op-ed)

The Port of Oakland is in serious financial trouble. The trouble is that the Administrators have allowed the unions to decide if the Port will be open, on a day to day basis and at what level of activity. That means ships and ground transportation companies never know if they get to work on any given day. Fro instance, “As an example last week part of the terminal was closed by the ILWU in a sympathy strike for an action of the radical Occupy Oakland political group.  Ports of America is pulling out because their Oakland operation was losing money with no improvement on the labor front in sight.


 

Friday – February 12, 2016

Terminal Gates to Be Open Longer at Port of Oakland

Patch

OAKLAND, CA – Port of Oakland commissioners have authorized spending $1.5 million to keep terminal gates open on nights and weekends to compensate for the pending closure of one of the port’s five terminals. Port commissioners approved the spending plan, called the “Transition Assistance Program,” at their meeting on Thursday night.


 

Tuesday – February 09. 2016

Misclassification Battle Continues at Ports

Heavy Duty Trucking

In the fall of 2014, Hub Group announced it would change its operations at the Southern California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to an employee, rather than owner-operator, model, following lawsuits as well as increasing state regulator scrutiny of the “misclassification” of employees as independent contractors.


 

Monday – February 01. 2016

Oakland Port Terminal Files for Bankruptcy

The Maritime Executive

The U.S. Port of Oakland’s Outer Harbor Terminal filed for Chapter 11 protection on Monday, two weeks after one of its biggest tenants said it was terminating a 50-year lease with the northern California port.


 

Thursday – January 28, 2016

New performance guidelines proposed for Port of Oakland – Task force wants trucks in and out with less wait time

Port of Oakland

Port of Oakland users want trucks to get in and out of its marine terminals in less time. That was the message from an Efficiency Task Force that met here this week. The group of cargo owners, terminal operators, labor representatives and others called for a 90-minute maximum wait time for harbor drivers.


 

Thursday – January 21, 2016

Port of Oakland boss: ‘We can handle the business’

Port of Oakland

Executive Director Chris Lytle said today that the Port of Oakland will maintain cargo volumes and improve performance as one of its marine terminals closes.


 

Tuesday – January 19, 2016

Outer Harbor Terminal, LLC today announced it will wind down container operations and transition out of the Port of Oakland

PR Newswire

Outer Harbor Terminal (OHT) is developing a cooperative 60-day transition with the Port of Oakland to wind down operations and return the leased terminal property to the Port.


 

Wednesday – December 23, 2015

Port drivers win millions in back pay from trucking firm

LA Times

A port trucking firm in Carson has been ordered to turn over nearly $7 million in back pay to 38 drivers, the latest in a series of recent wins for port drivers and the Teamsters union that has been trying to organize them.

 

Most US Ports Are Still Woefully Unprepared to Welcome the New Generation of Megaships

Gawker Media

On the day after Christmas, the largest container ship to call at a US port will stop by the Port of Los Angeles, the largest port in the US. But it’s largely just a PR event: Like many US ports, the Port of LA is not completely ready to welcome this size megaship, which will soon be standard on the high seas.

That’s a big problem. Larger, newer, more emissions-friendly ships are good news for many environmental reasons, and could vastly improve economic prospects for global trade-but not unless cities are prepared to handle them.


 

Monday – December 21, 2015

FMC’s Cordero ready to seek PierPass shutdown if changes don’t come

JOC.com (subscription)

WASHINGTON — U.S. Federal Maritime Chairman Mario Cordero said he’s prepared to try to shut down the PierPass program at the Southern California ports via a federal injunction if an agency review of the program finds it to be in violation of the Shipping Act and terminal operators don’t move fast enough to address his concerns.


 

Tuesday – December 15, 2015

Merger with COSCO Would Mean Container Shipping Exit for CSCL

gCaptain

Cosco and China Shipping have released details of their forthcoming merger, which is likely to see the latter quit container shipping.

The plan is for China Shipping to manage the tanker operations, financing activities, shipowning and leasing arm of the merged company, while Cosco operates the vessel and service network and container terminal portfolio.

 

Tuesday – December 15, 2015

Largest Container Ship To Ever Dock In North America To Arrive At Port Of LA

CBS Los Angeles

The biggest ship to ever call at a North American port is scheduled to arrive later this month at the Port of Los Angeles. The CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, which is expected to call at the Port of Los Angeles on Dec. 26, is one-third bigger than the largest ships now operating at the San Pedro Bay’s twin ports complex.


 

Tuesday – November 24, 2015

Litigation continues over West Coast detention, demurrage claims

JOC Online

Beneficial cargo owners and truckers continue to challenge fees they incurred for the late pick-up or return of containers during the West Coast congestion problem this past year, but with decidedly mixed results.

 


 

Monday – November 02, 2015

Port of Oakland’s “task force” focuses on efficiency

Logistics Management

In the wake of a summer-long labor shortage hampering dockside operations, the Port of Oakland now maintains that its “efficiency task force” is ready to establish new benchmarks for cargo throughput.

“There has been a lot of improvement at the port over the last three-to-six months,” a major manufacturer told the group of 30 shippers, ocean carriers, marine terminal operators and labor leaders at a recent meeting here. “But the pressure is on to make sure products flow.”


 

Tuesday – October 20, 2015

U.S. Releases National Freight Strategic Plan

The Maritime Executive

The U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has released the nation’s first Draft National Freight Strategic Plan. The 143-page document identifies six key trends and challenges including expected growth in freight traffic; governance-related barriers to planning and implementing freight projects; safety and security problems related to the movement of freight; increased global economic competition; application and deployment of new technologies; and underinvestment in the nation’s freight system. The draft NFSP also outlines a number of strategies to address the three types of bottlenecks: infrastructure, institutional and financial.


 

Thursday – October 15, 2015

Ikea assembles zero-emissions drayage plan

DC Velocity

Ikea and its third-party logistics service provider, National Retail Systems Inc. (NRS), announced that they will begin using nonpolluting electric vehicles to pull shipping containers packed with the retailer’s unassembled furniture and other goods from the Port of Los Angeles to a nearby yard. According to NRS, the “ElecTruck” drayage tractors—Navistar International Class 8 tractors converted to battery-electric propulsion systems—will run solely on battery charge, eliminating the use of fuel. When their batteries run low, the vehicles will “refuel” by plugging into special charging stations built by NRS.

 

CA owner-operator income exceeds company driver pay

CCJ

Among California truckers, average owner-operator net income exceeds that of company drivers by more than $17,000, according to a study released today.


 

Tuesday – October 13, 2015

At U.S. Ports, Exports Are Coming Up Empty

Wall Street Journal

One of the fastest-growing U.S. exports right now is air.

Shipments of empty containers out of the U.S. are surging this year, highlighting the impact the economic slowdown in China is having on U.S. exporters. The U.S. imports more from China than it sends back, but certain American industries—including those that supply scrap metal and wastepaper—feed China’s industrial production.


 

Monday – October 12, 2015

Import volume up for seventh straight month at Port of Oakland

Logistics Management

Containerized import volume was up for a seventh-straight month at the Port of Oakland in September.

The strong inbound trend mirrored recent numbers reported by the Ports of LA/Long Beach. While Oakland is still the leading gateway for Pacific Rim exports, those volumes continue to decline, reflecting the current trade imbalance.


 

Friday – October 02, 2015

Coal-shipping plan divides Oakland over health, jobs issues

San Francisco Chronicle

Oakland’s City Council has until early December to make a costly choice: agree to move millions of tons of potentially lung-damaging coal through the city each year for export, or ban the coal and disrupt — potentially derailing — a major development that promises nearly 12,000 jobs.


 

Friday – September 25, 2015

Jones Act taught Matson how to compete in the trans-Pacific

Journal of Commerce

Matson learned years ago in its mainland to Hawaii service the importance of on-time performance, and it’s a lesson that has served the carrier well in operating its weekly express service from China to Long Beach.

 

Port of Oakland operating revenue at all-time high in FY 2015

American Journal of Transportation

Operating revenue at the Port of Oakland reached an all-time high in Fiscal Year 2015. The Port today reported $336.6 million in revenue for the year ended June 30. That was up 4.2 percent from the previous year.


 

Wednesday – September 23, 2015

Unlocking Gridlock

Furniture Today

While the business community is happy to lay blame for problems importers faced with West Coast port gridlock squarely on the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the situation was more the landfall of a “perfect storm” that was years in the making.


 

Friday – August 28, 2015

Southern California Ports to try Trucking Appointment System

The Wall Street Journal

Beginning next year, appointments will become mandatory for import container pick-up at 10 of the 13 container terminals at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, a group representing the terminal operators said Thursday. The companies said a schedule system adds predictability to the supply chain, ensuring that truck lines don’t get too long at busy times of the day. The ports are the busiest in the U.S. by container volumes.


 

Tuesday – August 25, 2015

Port of Oakland guarded on congestion scheme

HIS Maritime 360

Limiting a congestion mitigation scheme to an initial one-year term may be the best way to assess its benefits for carriers and shippers, according to the Port of Oakland.


 

Thursday – August 20, 2015

Oakland Port Proposes Cargo Fees to Fight Congestion

The Wall Street Journal

The Port of Oakland, facing worsening traffic, wants to charge to move containers during peak hours and introduce Saturday service. Retailers and other large importers and exporters say they’re concerned about the plan.

 

Shippers balk at Oakland off-peak scheme

HIS Maritime 360

 Requiring shippers to pay extra for off-peak gate hours may not solve congestion problems at the Port of Oakland, a shipper advocacy group contends.


 

Thursday – August 13, 2015

Port of Oakland global trade in first half of 2015: $21.29 billion

American Journal of Transportation

Global trade through the Port of Oakland totaled $21.29 billion in the first half of 2015. That placed Oakland 26th among the nation’s 450 top seaports, airports and border crossings, researchers at TradeNumbers reported.

Officials hope port problems clear up after slowdown

Appealdemocrat.com

Last spring’s massive work slowdown at West Coast ocean ports left some growers, as expected, with a backlog of product and the loss of some markets. But officials this week said that hit apparently wasn’t as severe as anticipated, though at least one local rice grower was still shipping rice overseas long after dryers would have been empty.


 

Thursday – August 06, 2015

Report: U.S. Container Port Congestion & Related International Supply Chain Issues

Federal Maritime Commission

Maintaining the efficiency and effectiveness of America’s global supply chains is exceptionally important to the nation’s continued economic vitality. Unfortunately, congestion at ports and other points in the nation’s intermodal system has become a serious risk factor to the relatively robust growth of the American economy and to its competitive position in the world economy.


Friday – July 24, 2015

California ports call for support

The Packer

Officials from the port of Oakland visited state officials in Sacramento in late July to ask lawmakers to help stem a decline in share of containerized imports and exports, according to a news release from the port. Port officials said they want state government to help in providing infrastructure funding to Oakland, Long Beach and Los Angeles along priority trade corridors, according to the release.


 

Wednesday – July 29, 2015

Port Truckers Testify Before Tidelands and
Harbor Committee Over Misclassification, Wage Theft

Long Beach Post

In what was hailed as a “historic” hearing by labor advocates, stakeholders from the Port of Long Beach (POLB), trucking companies and drivers testified before the Tidelands and Harbor Committee last night to address the misclassification of workers and the wage theft that led to some port truck drivers going on strike earlier this month.


Friday – July 17, 2015

Gov. Brown Signs Executive Order to Move
Trucking Industry to Zero-Emissions Vehicles

Office of Governor

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency, the Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, and the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency lead other relevant state departments including the California Air Resources Board, the California Department of Transportation, the California Energy Commission, and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development to develop an integrated action plan by July 2016 that establishes clear targets to improve freight efficiency, transition to zero-emission technologies, and increase competitiveness of California’s freight system.


Tuesday – July 14, 2015

An Added 400 Dockworkers to Handle Port of Oakland Cargo

Port of Oakland

The first of 400 new dockworkers arrive this week to meet the Port of Oakland’s need for more labor. Additional hires will be phased into the workforce through September, the Port said, to handle a buildup of ships and cargo. The Port’s aim: accelerate cargo operations and clear out a backlog of vessels anchored in San Francisco Bay.

California bill would protect carriers from
misclassification claims — if they settle with drivers

CCJ

California lawmakers are considering a misclassification amnesty program for drayage companies that would relieve port drayage companies from liability for penalties associated with misclassification of drivers as independent contractors if the company enters into a settlement agreement with the state before 2017.


 

Monday – June 22, 2015

Is Your Company On The Independent Contractor Hit List?

Forbes

The U.S. Department of Labor, the IRS and state workforce agencies have been cracking down on businesses that are believed to be misclassifying employees as independent contractors. The Labor Department has a Misclassification Initiative website and has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with 21 state workforce agencies to detect and deter misclassification.


 

Tuesday – June 16, 2015

Fresno law firm’s win against Wal-Mart could cost retailer $100 million

The Fresno Bee

A Fresno law firm says it has scored a major legal ruling against Wal-Mart that could cost the retail giant more than $100 million in connection with a federal class-action lawsuit that affects hundreds of truckers in California.

FedEx Settles Independent Contractor Mislabeling Case For $228 Million

Forbes

FedEx has settled a long-running dispute with FedEx Ground California drivers. The class settlement will create a $228 million fund to resolve claims by over 2,000 FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery pickup and delivery drivers. Some claims date back to 2000 and some extend through 2007. The settlement must still be approved by the Ninth Circuit, but assuming court approval, will end one chapter in a bitter dispute.


 

Thursday – June 4, 2015

Port of Oakland hit by fresh work stoppage accusation

Fresh Fruit Portal.com

Just days after the U.S. West Coast port operator and the workers’ union ratified a new contract following protracted negotiations, fresh accusations of an isolated work stoppage have emerged.

The Six-Year Itch: Are subpar transport numbers foreshadowing first downturn since ’09?

DC Velocity

The nation’s first quarter gross domestic product contracted by 0.7 percent. But the downturn was explained away by such anomalies as bad weather, slowdowns at West Coast ports, the impact of declining oil prices on the industry’s capital spending patterns, and a strong U.S. dollar that weighed on exports.


 

Wednesday June 3, 2015

L.A., Long Beach ports losing to rivals amid struggle with giant ships

Los Angeles Times

C.J. Nord spends her days tracking shipments of metal parts from China, Taiwan and Italy, which her Huntington Beach company assembles into high-end bathroom fixtures for customers demanding quick delivery. The congestion at Southern California ports, sometimes delaying her shipments for weeks, has sparked a radical new strategy. She now pays a premium to send some parts though East Coast ports and truck them across the nation — rather than directly from ports 20 miles away.


 

Wednesday June 3, 2015

Trade report highlights gains, challenges facing Southern California’s ports

San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Southern California’s twin ports posted their third best year on record in 2014, despite port congestion and the West Coast labor dispute that affected commerce from the coast to the Inland Empire and beyond.