Many logistics professionals have heard the term “Pick and pack”, but many don’t fully understand how it can be added to their supply chains. The GlobalForwarding.com team sat down to put together this informative article to help explain the term, and provide some insight about what role (if any) it can play in your shipping plans.
Each state has certain requirements for obtaining permits when oversized freight is trucked. Understanding the process is crucial to making sure that your FTL shipments deliver on time and without issue. Hefty fines can be assessed to truckers who do not have the proper permits, so understanding the rules is important if you’re operating your own fleet, or hiring a trucking company.
Anyone who has spent much time in the logistics industry knows that small parcel carriers like UPS, DHL and FedEx charge extra for oversized items. When shipping product Internationally, these charges can add up quickly and can become very expensive. Most people also know that very large shipments often make their voyage overseas on airplanes. The parts in between can be confusing and very expensive, if you’re not prepared and experienced.
In the United States, ports on the west coast such as Seattle and Oakland, CA reported double digit increases in freight volumes compared to the same time last year. In the specific case of the west coast ports, these increases seem to mean that the major delays, labor issues and congestion that plagued them are finally in the past. On the east coast of the USA, major Gulf and Atlantic ports including Houston, Charleston and Norfolk also saw meaningful increases in volume when compared to the early Fall of 2014.
Canadian National Railway is building a new hub just west of Toronto, at a cost of over $195 million (USD). Milton seems like a logical location, given it's proximity (about 30 miles) to Toronto, and the existing presence of major roadways around the area. CN believes that the new hub will help the railway and its network better handle the increasing demand for rail and intermodal freight. In addition, the rail network, local economy, and freight industry as a whole stands to benefit from CN's significant investment in infastructure.
Now that the West Coast longshore workers and the port have reached a tentitive agreement, trucking rates are already being affected. Spot market van rates from LA rose 4 cents to $1.92 per mile within the last 8 days. The bottleneck of freight that was caused by the strike severely decreased available loads that would normally pick up freight at nearby facilities and move them throughout the country. The directors of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach estimate that things won't return to normal for approximately 90 days.
The Cass Freight Index reported that domestic shipping increased almost 3% in January, based on data from $22 billion in annual freight transactions, spread over 350 large shippers. A likely downside for the domestic shipping industry this year is having too much business and not enough capacity. The data in the Cass report indicates that the ability to control rates will continue to move in favor of trucking companies, a noticable shift from the industry just a year ago.
Managing your freight costs effectively is one of the keys to increasing your bottom line. One of the most common ways that freight cost can increase unexpecedly is by the reclassification or reweighing of your shipment. LTL carriers have the right to inspect your shipment if choose to, and many carriers inspect the majority of shipments that move through their system.
The Global Forwarding team has put together these few pieces of advice to help increase the chances of your shipments moving smoothly and without any additional charges.
If you're in the shipping business, chances are almost certain that you've come across NMFC numbers. Just as certain is the struggle you've occasionally had on finding an appropriate classification for the freight in question. You scrolled through pages and pages of classes and NFMC numbers, and found that your freight simply doesn't seem to fit into any category. Fortunately, the folks at the NMFTA (National Motor Freight Traffic Association) have thought of this, and the solution is three letters: "NOI". This stands for "Not Otherwise Indicated".
Within days of each other, two Japanese firms have made plays to more firmly establish themselves in the global logistics sector by announcing plans to acquire two logistics giants in the Asia-Pacific region.
