When it comes to shipping, having a trusted 3PL partner makes all the difference in times of increased demand. Companies with access to the Port of Charleston’s deep harbor can transport their goods more quickly and efficiently than ever before. With new, man-made depths up to fifty-two feet, the Port of Charleston is now the… Read more »
Congress, Rail Strikes, & Cargo Chaos
It’s been a tumultuous several months for the nation’s railroads, with union workers threatening to stop work if their demands aren’t met. The mixed approval and disapproval of the settlement brokered by the Administration and narrow failures of ratification from several unions with large memberships have placed the issue in Congress and President Biden’s laps… Read more »
Impasse at the Crossing: Railroad Strike
A strike on the railroad has become possible as the thirty-day cooling-off ends Friday, and there are still two unions holding out for quality-of-life benefits, including vacation time, sick time, and the attendance policy. Due to the possibility of a work stoppage, many Class 1 railroads are initiating embargoes and service alterations to slowly wind… Read more »
Charleston: Status of the Port
East Coast ports are seeing record numbers of container volume, mostly from shippers looking to avoid the congestion snarls on the West Coast. However, at some East Coast ports we’re seeing the same issues as these ports don’t have the infrastructure to handle the increased activity. Others, like the Port of Charleston, have been watching… Read more »
SCPA: Strategies & Foresight Prior to Peak
The South Carolina Port Authority (SCPA) is making moves to get ahead of the game. They’ve announced several key strategies they’ll be implementing to mitigate peak season disruptions and avoid the debilitating congestion the ports suffered in the early part of the year. The SCPA reports: “SC Ports has moved roughly 2.7 million TEUs thus… Read more »
A Recession, the Supply Chain, & The Bullwhip Effect
In the past, when making policy, Federal Reserve officials didn’t give too much consideration to supply chain challenges. The consensus was that supply chain issues would manage themselves and the Fed would manage the economy, independent of those issues. However, that strategy could soon be changing. With a possible impending recession (though, the ATL Fed… Read more »
Airfreight Angst
While we don’t often open our news with a joke, because it’s not funny and we understand that, this week, we want to inject a little levity. When the pandemic started, there was some internal buzz by industry experts regarding the delays and costs impacting the ocean freight industry. We remarked that a group of… Read more »
Intermodal supply chain off the tracks?
Try transloading instead. Earlier this year, the Union Pacific Railroad elected to impose an embargo on ocean containers for a week from Southern California to Chicago to regain fluidity and clear out their overcrowded ramp. Chicago’s Intermodal rail congestion has been a much written-about topic throughout the year. That embargo only further backed up ocean… Read more »
Cargo Congestion. What Gives?
Cargo Congestion brings Continual Crunch Ocean cargo congestion & disruption reached critical levels in 2020 and then got worse. Where we once had a plethora of containers waiting for transportation off ships anchored in San Pedro Bay, we’re now looking at a dumpster fire of delays and fees. It would be a comedy of errors… Read more »