Air Freight

Taking another step to address what it labeled “supply chain vulnerabilities and congestion,” in tandem with addressing “the longer-term weakness in our nation’s supply chains,” coupled with decades of underinvestment, outsourcing, and offshoring, the White House announced this week it is rolling out a new initiative geared towards a digital infrastructure to connect the supply chain. Entitled the Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW), the White House described it as an information sharing initiative to pilot key freight information exchange...

The January reading—at 138.9—headed up for the fifth consecutive month, increasing 1.2% over December and posting a 1.7% annual gain. It also was 1.8% above January 2020’s pre-pandemic reading, at 136.5 and 2.3% below the all-time high, of 142.1, recorded in August 2019.

Given the fluidity, uncertainty, and unrest this situation has created, things are anything but predictable, at this point in time, save for a healthy dose of speculation and forecasting, as to how things may play out in the short-term and also how long this conflict could last and continue to foster the unknown in a sense.

Securing capacity for airfreight, ocean, ground, and final mile parcel, as well as meeting labor needs, will be the keys to enable growth and the consumer experience in 2022. That was the word from James Gagne, president and CEO of Chicago-based 3PL and global freight forwarder SEKO Logistics, at the company’s Media Day Market Update earlier this week.

Entitled FedEx International Priority, company officials said that this service provides AMEA shippers with the flexibility to schedule delivery by 10:30 AM to select global destinations. And FedEx added that with FedEx International Priority, the company now provides a wider range of time-definite international shipping options for customers.

In this annual webcast, group editorial director Michael Levans hosts our panel of fuel, trade and logistics experts who share their insights on rate patterns in all the major transport modes in an effort to help shippers prepare their freight transportation budget for the coming year.

Air rates are feeling even more upward pressure than usual from reduced passenger jet capacity—which could be made worse by omicron fears—and congestion due to labor shortages among overwhelmed ground crews.

Quarterly revenue—at $23.5 billion—was up 14% annually, and operating income—at $1.6 billion—rose 9% annually. Diluted earnings per share—at $4.83—were flat, exceeding of Wall Street expectations of $4.28.

Commerce reported that October retail sales came in at $638.2 billion, marking a 1.7% increase over September’s revised $627.5 billion and a 16.3% annual gain. And it added that total retail sales, from August through October, rose 15.4%.

With President Biden set to sign the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (IIJA) into law later today, Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently caught up with two attorneys at Washington, D.C.-based Venable LLP—James H. Burnley IV, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation and one of the nation’s foremost authorities on transportation law and policy, and Fred Wagner, former chief counsel of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)—about the legislation and related things...

Quarterly revenue—at $23.2 billion—saw a 9.2% annual increase, and adjusted earnings per share—at $2.65—was up 9.2%, for the same period. And operating profit—at $3.0 billion—was up 23.4%.

That is not a secret, not when ostensibly everywhere you look there are signs of supply chain disruption just about anywhere. “Anywhere” can be loosely defined along the lines of things like port congestion, truck driver availability, equipment-related challenges (think containers and chassis), among a whole host of others, to be sure.

With the company deep into Peak Season, Mike Short, president of Global Forwarding at C.H. Robinson, provided Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman with an overview of how the company approaches Peak Season and works with shippers to meet their objectives, at a time which may be the most unique and challenging market conditions the sector has ever seen.

As the global supply chain continues to struggle on various fronts, due to issues such as port congestion, equipment shortages, and labor availability, among a whole host of others, the White House today met with United States-based business leaders, port leaders, and union leaders to focus on the challenges U.S.-based ports are facing, in addition to what each stakeholder group can do address various supply chain issues.

Due to a whole host of factors—including, most notably, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, more people staying at and working from home, among others—has led to a spate in e-commerce-based parcel shipping activity, which kicked off, in earnest, in March 2020, and has not subsequently abated since then. That was a key takeaway from the new edition of the Parcel Shipping Index, which was recently released by Stamford, Ct.-based Pitney Bowes, a global technology services provider of...