Freight

In its fourth quarter earnings report, Fedex explained its 6 percent y-t-d improvement on strong yield improvement in all transportation segments, as well as volume growth of ground and international express shipments.

Despite recent signs of a slackening pace of global economic growth, California exporters turned in another impressive performance in April with shipments totaling $12.88 billion, a gain of 14.4 percent over the same month last year, according to an analysis by Beacon Economics of foreign trade data released this week by the U.S. Commerce Department.

The BTS said that the April Freight TSI at 107.5 is up 14.0 percent from the recent low of 94.3 in April 2009, which was its lowest level since July 1997. April’s Freight TSI is down 5.1 percent from its historic peak of 113.3 in January 2005.

I don’t know what is harder: figuring out what the economy is doing or hitting a curve ball? While I was a decent enough hitter growing up, I did not see too many breaking balls. But given all the noise about which way the economy is moving, I may be heading back to the batting cages.

The value of world merchandise trade rose around 25 percent in the first six months of 2010 up strongly from the same period of 2009.

LM reader survey points to myriad factors for Peak’s return for the first time in five years

But recovery enters a slower phase

The global trading system is experiencing “extraordinary volatility” and this is being reflected in the performance of the freight forwarding industry, said Jon Manners-Bell of Transport Intelligence (Ti), a London-based think tank.

Senate Joint Resolution 33 by State Senator Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Ports and Goods Movement, was passed unanimously by the California State Assembly this week

In an effort to increase network efficiency, full-service freight transportation services provider Estes Express said it has rolled out a new three-day service to Toronto from eight terminals in Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas.

Truck sizes and weights have largely been frozen at the federal level since 1993. Now the industry and a coalition of shipping interests are again testing the waters in Washington to see if now might be the time to take another look at that emotional and politically charged issue.

While over-the-road transportation capacity remains tight, spot market freight availability continues its upward trend, according to the TransCore North American Freight Index.

Moving freight across the U.S./Canadian border can be more problematic than most shippers realize. Our recent research study reveals the myriad complexities of the customs clearance process—and the downfalls of making the trip alone.

Now that the United States Senate has reached a stalemate of sorts regarding a national energy policy, the subsequent effects of this political stalemate from a transportation and logistics perspective remain to be seen, it seems.