News

Logistics Recap September 3rd – September 9th

Logistics Recap

September 3rd – September 9th

UPS matches FedEx tariff rates

UPS Inc. (NYSE: UPS) said late Thursday that it will raise 2024 tariff rates 5.9% on all air, ground and international services, effective Dec. 26.

The move matches rival FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), which announced a 5.9% increase late last month.

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Purchasing Managers’ Index reports slow manufucturing activity in the industry

U.S. manufacturing activity improved marginally in August, as economists continue to hold out for better industry performance in the months ahead.

The Institute for Supply Management’s Purchasing Managers’ Index registered 47.6% in August, up 1.2 percentage points from 46.4% in July. A reading of 50.0% or lower indicates the industry is in economic contraction.

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Hydrogen-powered tourism ship to be built

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Ulsan’s Foundation for Industry Cooperation (UOUFIC) and the Korea Hydrogen Industry Association (KHIA) to build a small tourism vessel equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell.

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Logistics Recap August 27th – September 2nd

Logistics Recap

August 27th – September 2nd

Water levels are down, barge rates are up

Water levels are continuing to fall on key sections of the Mississippi River, raising fears of another autumn shipping crisis like that of 2022.

The squeeze on barge rates was spelled out Thursday in the Department of Agriculture’s weekly Grain Transportation Report. 

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Restrictions on grain exports to Vietnam lifted

Vietnam will lift restrictions on grain exports from countries where creeping thistle is found, a move expected to allow U.S., Canada and Europe more direct access to the market.

A revised quarantine pest list without creeping thistle will go into effect Sept. 29, according to Cereals Canada. The move, which follows advocacy efforts from Canada’s government and agriculture industry, will allow the country to resume bulk wheat shipments for the first time since 2018, according to the trade group.

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FedEx announces custom fees and shipping rates increase

FedEx announced August 29 that it would be raising its shipping rates and customs clearance service fees on imports starting January 1, 2024.

FedEx shipping rates are expected to grow by an average of 5.9% for U.S. domestic, export and import services, the company said in a statement. The organization will be increasing its shipping rates for its Ground and Home Delivery business units by 5.9% as well, according to Reuters.

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Logistics Recap August 20th – August 26th

Logistics Recap

August 20th – August 26th

Shrinking Scope 3 footprints can create broad-based change across supply chain

The length and complexity of supply chains are among the fundamental difficulties in reducing Scope 3 emissions, which comprise the majority of most companies’ footprints.

At the same time, the size and layers of supply chains mean action around decarbonization can multiply as it moves through the chain. 

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2.2% decline in transportation employment benchmark

Recent data on employment in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ transportation and warehousing sector is likely to be showing an exaggerated level of employment, the specifics of which won’t be known until February.

The BLS said Wednesday that its preliminary estimate of what it calls the “upcoming annual benchmark revision” of employment levels is projecting a decline of 146,400 jobs in the transportation and warehousing sector.

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Gebrüder Weiss and Atinkana aim for sustainability, with sailing ships

Transport and logistics service provider Gebrüder Weiss announced August 18 that it was collaborating with Swiss coffee maker Atinkana to make distribution of its coffee beans more sustainable, while also working to restore virgin forests in Colombia.

In order to reduce carbon emissions, Atinkana will transport the beans from Colombia to Amsterdam on sailing ships, on to Antwerp, Belgium, via trucks, and to Basel, Switzerland, by rail. From there, Gebrüder Weiss will deliver the beans to a roasting plant using hydrogen-powered trucks.

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