There is no doubt that the truck freight volume is down, and there is little chance it will be ramping back up to those heady pandemic days any time soon. At least in the United States, inflationary pressures and higher interest rates are taking a toll on American consumerism. Even Americans with good discretionary income… Read more »
Will ocean container rates continue to fall?
Container shippers are enjoying relief from the sky-high container rates of the pandemic. Shipping volume has reduced, and congestion has eased, especially at L.A./Long Beach, all from American consumers keeping their wallets in their pockets more. China to West Coast U.S. rates are now at pre-pandemic levels. The long-asked question of the past several years… Read more »
How many marine cargo claims can you have and not get dropped?
Recently I was discussing cargo losses with someone managing continuous truckload shipments of fresh produce within the United States. For the most part, a good portion of the losses never reach the cargo insurer due to carrier settlements and salvage sales, which are common in the produce transport industry, but the incidents were becoming more… Read more »
‘West Coast Port Congestion, The Sequel’
‘West Coast Port Congestion, The Sequel’ Starring the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach is coming soon to a store shelf near you. I am betting you saw the first movie in this series of blockbuster stories ‘West Coast Port Congestion’ and have been waiting for Part II to come along ever since. Wait… Read more »
Yearly cargo policy, or per shipment, what is best for you?
If you are an importer or exporter, one of the things you must think about is cargo insurance. In some select circumstances cargo insurance is not your worry, but often it is your worry. When is cargo insurance not your worry? Importer The first instance is if you are buying goods from overseas delivered to… Read more »
War Activities, Cargo Risk, and Your Cargo Insurance
As most of you know, there is an ongoing military action in Ukraine due to Russia invading Ukraine February 24, 2022. Along with hoping for the best for the people of Ukraine, I must also address what Russia’s military action means to your logistics risk and cargo insurance for your international shipments. Please review the below four… Read more »
Supply chain congestion soon to be a thing of the past? I think maybe so.
Once upon a time, a long, long, time ago (February 8th, 2021, and then again on May 18th, 2021, to be exact) I wrote two articles forecasting high transportation rates and congestion was not going to recede any time soon. You can find the articles here Why I do not believe LA/LB port congestion will vanish… Read more »