Cargo

POLA reported that October volume, at 848,431 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), fell 6.25% annually, and POLB reported that October volume, at 839,671 TEU, fell 14.9% annually, compared to October 2024, the port’s strongest month on record in its 114 years of operations.

October imports, at 2.71 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) fell 3.4% annually, again seeing a sequential decline compared to September’s 2.72 million TEU, August’s 2.9 million TEU, and July’s 3.01 million TEU.

Service adjustments, evolving alliances, and fluctuating import volumes highlight the key challenges and opportunities shippers face in the year ahead.

While the potential East and Gulf Coast ports’ work stoppage will not come to fruition later this month, as was widely expected, the other major supply chain issue heading into 2025, potential tariff hikes, are continuing to drive an ongoing surge of United States-bound imports, according to the new edition of the  Port Tracker report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

The decision to ship products via air or ocean requires more information than just a cost analysis of the two modes—it involves using inventory carrying cost and inventory investment data to make a sound choice.

In advance of a potential East and Gulf Coast ports strike at the end of September, United States-bound import volumes are expected to remain elevated, according to the Port Tracker report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

With rates soaring and import growth robust, the current market appears favorable for carriers. However, our panel indicates that mixed economic indicators—the threat of a labor strike and an unstable geopolitical climate—could challenge this outlook in the coming months.

This funding will enhance the digital platform's capabilities, including cargo visibility, data security, and operational efficiency

Total POLA volume, at 770,337 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), rose 12% annually, marking the ninth straight month of annual volume growth. The Port of Long Beach reported that total April volume, at 750,524 TEU, headed up 14.4% annually.  

When a construction materials company realized that transporting a massive rock crusher for repairs would put them between a rock and a hard place, it knew who to call.

Technological solutions and platforms are being rapidly developed and are catapulting the freight forwarding industry into a new era. Today, the forwarding industry is undergoing a digital revolution, and analysts surmise that companies that fail to keep pace with these advancements risk falling behind—and fast.

In light of the current political and economic developments, the mood in the European transport and logistics branch remains somewhat subdued. However, the crises have taught the logistics industry the importance of resilient supply chains—and thus the need for diversification of logistics services.

Landstar Executive Vice President of Specialized Freight Services Al Reisman

From December to January, Descartes reported that U.S.-bound container import volumes rose 7.9%, to 2,273,125 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units). And on an annual basis, it found that January volumes were up 9.9%, while posting a 9.6% increase compared to pre-pandemic 2019’s 2,036,393 TEU tally. What’s more, the report noted that the 7.9% sequential increase, from December to January, marked its biggest gain for that period over the last seven years.

EpGroup is now xpd global. More than a rebrand, they redefined their purpose to better serve specialized and global manufacturing industries as their strategic partner in logistics.