Welcome to Freight Forward, where each Monday, I’ll recap what happened in supply chains the previous week through JOC.com articles and additional sources and also what to expect for the week ahead.
I’m Cathy Roberson, a supply chain writer and researcher. For this weekly series, I serve as a research analyst for the Journal of Commerce (JOC), for whom I identify trends, provide thoughts and input into stories, and assist with express and parcel last-mile queries.
- Shippers growing accustomed to “permanent volatility” are rethinking and redesigning their distribution networks both globally and within North America, according to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ (CSCMP’s) annual State of Logistics report writes Bill Cassidy.
- Citing global and domestic concerns and crises, US importers are pulling orders forward to bring containerized freight into the US as early as possible, writes Bill Cassidy. “The situation in the Red Sea?is getting worse every day, we have worries about crewing ships, and we have concerns about labor?at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports,” Ron Marotta, vice president of the international division of Yusen Logistics, said, adding “I don’t think the rest of the year will be without challenges.”?
- Greg Knowler writes that according to Drewry, the 1 million TEUs of ship capacity delivered into global container shipping in the first four months of 2024 has made almost no difference to the monthly effective capacity provided to the market.
- MSC is launching its sixth container service between Asia and Mexico, writes Michael Angell. Other ocean carriers have also been introducing services between Asia and Mexico, including Cosco Shipping and OOCL, CMA CGM, and the Gemini Cooperation will also offer services.
- Vessel delays are easing at key gateways in North and Southeast Asia, and equipment availability is also improving overall in China, but ocean carriers and forwarders say congestion is spreading to India, writes Keith Wallis and Bency Matthew. India’s largest container gateway, Mundra is straining under rising transshipment volumes. According to trade updates, container dwell times have considerably lengthened at Mundra over the past few weeks due to a deteriorating slowdown in import clearance out of heavily congested container yards.?
- The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) said that more than 19% of all containers entering or exiting the Garden City Terminal in Savannah now travel on trains, up from about 16% one year ago, writes Ari Ashe.
- The US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is investigating allegations that chassis providers may not be complying with a February ruling by the agency?that ocean carriers and their contractors cannot mandate which chassis a cargo owner uses on so-called merchant haulage business writes Ari Ashe.
The seasonally adjusted ATA for-hire truck tonnage index rose 3.6% from April to May after a 1% drop in April. The increase was the first seasonally adjusted gain for the ATA’s measure of trucking demand since February 2023.?The strong uptick suggests that large truckload carriers, as well as less-than-truckload carriers, saw a substantial increase in shipments, writes Bill Cassidy.
- Bill Cassidy writes that DAT’s national average spot truckload dry-van linehaul rate national average rate increased slightly on a year-over-year basis for the first time in 27 months, according to DAT Freight & Analytics. DAT Principal Analyst Dean Croke said he expects the truckload pricing measure to remain in positive year-over-year territory through the Fourth of July holiday.?
For readers interested in reading more Journal of Commerce stories, click here to subscribe. Enter code FFNL20 at checkout to receive a 20% discount on any subscription option. (Note that this is only for first-time subscribers or for upgrading a current subscription). What did I miss? Have a question? Let me know in the comments. I’ll be checking back throughout the week to answer questions, address comments, and share additional insights. In the meantime, here’s wishing everyone a good freight week ahead.
Supply chain must be viewed like the stock market. If there were no change & volatility, few would enter the market & make a real profit. The degree and why these deltas exist is essential to know and should be logged, tracked and managed. Someone has to steer, plan the course & decide to change rapidly. Situational awareness radars must always be on. Not easy but necessary.