Topic: Ports

North American trade tensions between the United States and Canada remain high with President Donald Trump stating on a social media post this week that he sent Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney a letter stating that effective August 1, the U.S. will charge Canada a 35% tariff on products imported into the U.S. from Canada, separate from tariffs on specific sectors.

LM Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Tim Hotze, Senior Vice President Operations Planning, Network Steering and Optimization, for Target, at the SMC3 Connections conference in Salt Lake City last month. Hotze provided a detailed overview of key facets of Target's supply chain and logistics operations, including: sourcing, tariffs, AI, and Peak Season, among other topics.

For May, the most recent month for which data is available, United States imports came in at 1.95 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), marking an 11.8% sequential decline and a 6.4% annual increase, with the latter marking the first annual decline going back to September 2023 and the lowest tally in any month since May 2024’s 1.93 million TEU.

In this podcast, Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman interviews John McCown, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Center for Maritime Strategy, the Navy League’s think tank.

June U.S.-bound container import volume—at 2,217,675 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—was up 1.8% compared to May and down 3.5% annually, following a 9.7% sequential decline from April to May and a 7.2% annual May decline.

While there have not been material changes in United States trade policy going back to the three-month pause of the White House’s reciprocal tariffs implemented on April 9, it stands to reason that will be soon coming to an end, with the pause set to expire on July 9. But it may not be the end that was initially expected, with various reports indicating the pause has been moved back to August 1.

President Donald Trump announced a trade agreement with Vietnam this week, slashing the threatened 46% tariff on Vietnamese imports to 20% and granting duty-free entry for U.S. goods. The deal comes as Washington intensifies efforts to redraw global supply chains and reduce America’s reliance on Chinese manufacturing.

The June Services PMI, at 50.8 (a reading of 50 or higher signals growth), increased 0.9% over May’s 49.9 reading.

The 36th Annual State of Logistics (SoL) Report highlights a logistics market tested by economic and geopolitical uncertainties. Despite ongoing disruptions, including rising tariffs and environmental challenges, the report showcases strategies that logistics professionals are using to adapt and maintain resilience. With e-commerce growth driving demand for faster deliveries and more efficient operations, the report offers a snapshot of the industry's current state and forecasts for 2025.

While it is likely true that not many people thought the soon-to-be-ending three-month pause on the White House’s “Liberation Day, ” or reciprocal, tariffs would be a low-key affair, with just more than a week to go to the July 8 deadline, the global supply chain, once again, is preparing—and very likely about to deal with more—for a hefty amount of uncertainty, coupled with what could be viewed as a continued lack of clarity, relating to next step in...

In a world of fleeting trends and short attention spans, tradition and market commitment still reign supreme. Logistics Management (LM) has invested in research and authoritative content for over six decades, providing actionable insights to the logistics industry. This column introduces the 36th Annual State of Logistics (SoL) Report, which highlights current challenges, including tariff disputes, regional conflicts, labor shortages, and rising costs. The report stresses the need for logistics providers to embrace technology—AI, automation, and integrated systems—to...

The legislation, entitled the “Federal Maritime Commission Act of 2025” was introduced by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and co-sponsored by Mike Ezell (R-MS), John Garamendi (D-CA), and Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA).

As tariffs have continued to dominate many logistics themes over the last several months, it comes as no surprise that that they continue to play a major role at the mid-point of 2025, a time of year, when industry stakeholders are fully immersed in Peak Season activity.

As was widely expected, the Federal Reserve said yesterday that it will not make any changes to its federal funds rate, which comes from the Federal Reserve Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), announcing that it again decided to leave the target range for the federal funds rate at 4.25%-to-4.5%.

Total May volume, at 639,160 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), fell 8.2% annually, reported POLB. Imports, at 299,116, fell 13.4% annually, and exports, at 82,149 TEU, were off 18.6%. Empty containers saw a 3.2% annual increase, to 257,895 TEU.

A combination of factors is having what could be viewed as a negative impact, when it comes to transportation and logistics (T&L) mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity. That was the primary thesis of a new report issued today by business consultancy PwC, entitled “Transportation & Logistics: US Deals 2025 Midyear Outlook.”

The firm reported that May imports, at 2.71 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), fell 5.7% annually

Total volume, at 716,619 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) saw a 5% annual decline, with the port noting that the lower tally reflects the impact of tariffs on imports and exports.

The company explained that this investment comprises its major divisions—DHL Express, DHL Global Forwarding, DHL Supply Chain, and DHL eCommerce, in various ways, including enhancing infrastructure, expanding networks and capacity, and elevating service capabilities.

The Economic Outlook issued earlier this month by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) stated that “global economic prospects are weakening with substantial barriers to trade, tighter financial conditions, diminishing confidence, and heightened policy uncertainty projected to have adverse impacts with growth.