Archive for the ‘INDUSTRIAL’ Category

Regulators gear up for rule setting minimum train crew size

The nation’s top rail regulator confirmed that the Federal Railroad Administration is on track to issue a proposed rulemaking this fall on one-person train crews, including minimum requirements depending on the type of rail operation. Testifying on Wednesday at his nomination hearing to fill the vacant FRA administrator post, Amit Bose, currently deputy administrator, told […]

Maritime booking surge suggests capacity could get tighter this fall

Maritime bookings represented by the Inbound Ocean TEUs Volume Index (IOTI) show a 40% increase over the past two weeks, the strongest spike in activity since early spring. This movement breaks the slow downward trend that had been in place since late April and could mean this cycle of tightened transportation capacity may have yet […]

Upward move for DOE/EIA diesel price after three down weeks

After three weeks of declines, the Department of Energy/Energy Information Administration weekly diesel price turned upward. The price came in at $3.339/gallon, an increase of 1.5 cents. It’s just the second increase in the last six weeks. Commodity diesel prices were on a significant upturn last week, though they were coming off a few days […]

How long does it take to build a shipping container?

How long does it take to build a container? The short answer is: The time is insignificant, a matter of hours including the automated process of putting the steel walls together and drying the paint. Containers are built at highly efficient and highly automated factories, virtually all of which are in China. Eight out of every […]

July container volumes boom at South Carolina ports

South Carolina ports moved a record volume of containers in July, the first month of its 2021-2022 fiscal year. The flagship Port of Charleston handled a record 244,831 TEUs in July at the Wando Welch, North Charleston and the Hugh K. Leatherman terminals. That is 38% higher than a year ago and is a record […]

Port Houston sees $75B in trade in first half of 2021

Port Houston’s trade increased 17% during the first half of the year, boosted by exports of gasoline, liquefied natural gas and oil, according to WorldCity analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Trade at Port Houston increased from $64 billion to $75 billion through the first six months of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020.

Beware ‘nasty side effects’ if government targets ocean carriers

As skyrocketing rates squeeze importers and exporters scramble for containers, the push for government intervention is accelerating. What if the U.S. government does move to rein in foreign carriers? What if carrier alliances are broken up, detention and demurrage charges are curtailed, export service is mandatory and — most hypothetically — spot rates are capped? […]

Is intermodal going off the rails?

Intermodal rejection rates peaked near all-time highs over the past month as volumes fell. Looking over the past few months, volumes, measured by FreightWaves Outbound Loaded Container Volume Index (ORAILL), were actually higher in March and April while rejection rates fell below 2%. With trucking capacity extremely tight, are intermodal providers losing market share? It […]

Mudslides Close 46 Miles of I-70 in Colorado

DENVER, Colo. — Mudslides from heavy rains caused “extreme damage” to Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon, Colo., Aug. 1, and transportation officials closed the road and advised long-distance truckers to detour north onto Interstate 80 through Wyoming. I-70 is a major transportation corridor between the Rocky Mountains and the West Coast. An approximately 46-mile stretch […]

Top stories of 2020: Inside ocean shipping’s wild ride

A year ago, shipping experts unveiled their projections for 2020. Little did they know how short their forecasts’ shelf lives would be. Pre-COVID outlooks were practically worthless by February. The pandemic reshaped cargo demand across all shipping segments, but for two in particular: container shipping and tanker shipping. In both cases, COVID had a violent […]