Pandemic induced disruptions will remain a challenge for shippers well into 2021. Unpredictable delays and logistical bottlenecks are driving container shortages and port congestion. Factory production delays in Asia add to shippers’ strain to meeting surging demand. Carrier reliability continues to drag at all time lows while shipping costs continue…
As millions struggle physically, emotionally, and financially due to the COVID pandemic, higher living costs may be on the horizon. This is partly due to elevated rates for the importation of intermediate and finished goods. Longer delays and big price hikes for supply deliveries could ultimately be footed by the…
That could largely depend on a large metal box. Or, more accurately, the mobility of tens of millions of them. It’s 2021, and delivery delays and soaring freight rates are still a global issue as trade in the time of COVID enters its second year. On top of increased delays…
Raise your hand if the US import situation is driving you up the wall. Skyrocketing freight rates and unreliable carrier service is just the beginning. Congestion at all levels continues to cause headaches. Labor shortages are slowing things down (COVID is ravaging ports and trucking fleets alike), and containers are…
Congestion, COVID and lack of capacity. When is my container going to arrive? Industry experts say that there is no end in sight to the current crisis at West Coast ports. An import surge continues to cause supply chain delays all the way downstream. CargoTrans is navigating these murky waters…
Remember a thousand years ago, back in September 2019, when we talked about The Low Sulphur Surcharge? It was all part of the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) 2018 strategy to switch to low-sulfur fuels and more efficient ship designs to reduce the shipping industry’s greenhouse gases by 40% before 2030…
Mark your calendars. On February 12, we’ll be entering the year of the Ox. Did somebody say bull market? It’s been said a million times by a thousand different people, but we’re going to repeat it, ‘2020 has been a year like no other’. So why should the run up…
Port congestion is an unavoidable part of the global shipping industry. There’s always going to be some level of logjams getting shipments in, out, and around but what we see now ain’t pretty. So who/what do we have to thank for this? If you guessed any mix of COVID-19, blank…
Last time we told you about the Asian container shortage and how over 280,000 ’empties’ were sent back from the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in September alone. Now the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is investigating. “Investigating what?” you might ask. Well… have we got some news for…
It’s not just PPE that’s in short supply. The shipping containers themselves are a scarce commodity across the Asian continent and have been causing headaches for people and businesses trying to manage the global supply chain. It’s an issue with an elusive answer as consumers spend less on service and…
Welcome to the holiday rush! We typically do not equate the holiday season to the circus. Still, with international shipping this season, you could make some fair comparisons, especially on shipments out of Asia, where getting space is similar to jumping through flaming hoops or swinging on a high trapeze….
It’s not just federal elections that are under threat. All four major shipping companies have been hit with cyber-attacks in the past four years. The entire industry is disrupted and rattled with every attack. From billion-dollar businesses to mom-and-pop stores, the ripples are felt across continents and on the other…
If 20 billion doses of totally safe and effective ‘one time’ COVID vaccine was created today, how long do you think it would be before you and your loved ones were able to get it? Spoiler: it’s much, much longer than you think. If/when a COVID vaccine is created, cleared,…
It turns out Benjamin Franklin was wrong. Death and taxes are not the only two certainties in life. There’s a third: Ship lines will always, always drive up rates when it suits them. In a time where the 99% of businesses and consumers are struggling to make ends meet, 2M,…
This isn’t exactly breaking news, but it bears repeating. The COVID pandemic is not just a health and humanitarian crisis, but an economic shock in strange and interesting ways. Over the past few months, countries worldwide, including the US, have imposed travel restrictions in an attempt to curb the spread…
Who’s truck is it anyway? You might have heard that California waged war on companies exploiting ‘gig workers’ and made it the law to treat them as employees with access to benefits including maternity/paternity leave, sick pay, healthcare options and holidays. Sounds human right? West coast, best coast? Not for…
Your CUSTOMS HOUSE BROKER (CHB) is more important than your CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT (CPA). Time is money and money is crazy important! Making sure goods clear customs in a timely and efficient manner is every importer/exporter’s main concern. When shipments get stuck on the wrong side of the border, you…
CYBERSECURITY. DON’T LET YOUR BUSINESS GET CORRUPTED. Your network and all your company’s data is at risk of being breached. Like, it might have already happened. The fact is, the only 100% safe network is one that’s turned off, disconnected and holds absolutely no valuable information. Oh, and don’t let…
Chassis Need A Home Too Chassis, the overlooked workhorse of the cargo and shipping industry. Without them, all those shipping containers, full of helpful items and imported materials would languish with nothing but the sight of the sea to ease the pain of their inability to make you money. Which…