Congestion Improving at Ports But Rail Could Be Problem for Peak Season
From the West Coast to the East Coast, congestion has been a problem at the ports all year. Congestion at the country's busiest ports – the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach – has been [...]
Furniture Importers Can Make Big Money Over Next Few Years If They Can Solve This Problem Part 3
In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the incredible opportunity presented to furniture importers and sellers by spiking demand that is predicted to stay strong over the next few years. In Part [...]
Furniture Importers Can Make Big Money Over Next Few Years If They Can Solve This Problem Part 1
Furniture demand shot up in 2020, and the increase in demand does not look like a momentary spike ready to plummet. Demand for furniture should continue to be high for the next few years. While [...]
How to Avoid Problems Translating Logistics Documentation
This is a guest post by Erica Sunarjo.
There are layers to running every business, and each layer needs to be perfect to make the whole thing work smoothly. The same goes for the [...]
Trucker Shortage Problem For International Shipping & U.S. Economy
Most of us don’t like to be behind big-rig trucks on the road. Okay, maybe I’m projecting. I don’t like being stuck behind a big-rig truck; however, I want to see more truck [...]
Decoding OSRA: Section 17. Federal Maritime Commission Activities
Even though the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA) was passed a couple years ago, I keep saying in these introductions that we're just beginning to see the legislation's results. Case in [...]
Full Text of FMC’s New/Final Demurrage and Detention Billing Requirements
Earlier this week, on the 26th of February, the Federal Maritime Commission issued its final rules for demurrage and detention billing as set up for it to create by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act [...]
Israel Needs More Imports Because of Hamas Terrorist Attacks & Resulting War Effort
By now, everyone should know what's happening in Israel, but there's a heavy propaganda machine muddying it. So before getting into the related international shipping story, I'll make my position [...]
The Impact of Global Supply Chain Disruptions on Imports and Exports
This is a guest post by Emily Sullivan. Whether you are aware of it or not, the impact of global supply chain disruptions on imports and exports will be felt. However, if you learn more about [...]
ILWU Canada Strike Again, Stop, Reissue Strike Notice, Then Cancel – Head Spinning Yet?
Well, that didn't last long. The good feelings that the strike at Canada's ports was over only lasted days. However, a resumed or new strike (depending on your point of view) this week was even [...]
ILWU Disrupts West Coast Ports Friday & Continues Labor Action This Week
International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) labor action shut down port terminals up and down the West Coast on Friday. The labor action actually started on Thursday evening and has [...]
Exploring the Advantages and Disadvantages of Nearshoring
This is a guest post by Angela Murphy. Companies everywhere have been on the lookout for new ways to save expenses, boost productivity, and gain an edge in recent years. One method gaining [...]
Major Air Cargo Disruption at Chicago O’Hare Threat from Pro-Union Mandate
Air freight shippers may want to consider avoiding Chicago O'Hare until a bad and potentially very disruptive situation there is resolved. A Chicago mandate pushed forward by the city's [...]
Top 10 International Shipping News Storylines of 2022
2022 is nearly over, so it's time to look back on the year and digest what happened. Here at Universal Cargo, we like to count down the top international shipping news stories we covered from [...]
Key Opportunities and Risks in Expanding a Business Globally
This is a guest post by Alanna Melton. Expanding globally is a dream that many entrepreneurs hope to see come true. Thankfully, technology and increased connectedness have made it easy to take [...]
Rail Strike Watch: Potential Strike Pushed Back to December
The can keeps getting kicked down the road on the potential rail strike that would cripple U.S. supply chains. The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED) has extended its [...]
7th Union Ratifies Rail Worker Deal, But Strike Threat Still Looms
Twelve is the magic number. All twelve rail worker unions have to ratify agreements with the railroads to ensure a rail strike doesn't screech U.S. supply chains to a halt. The count is now to [...]
Essential Benefits of Outsourced Logistics
This is a guest post by Mark Harper. Logistics has always been a fun and exciting field for us organization nerds. There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of organizing a project from [...]
ILWU Labor Action Occurs as Contract Negotiations Look Bad
Labor action from West Coast dockworkers is looking more and more likely to disrupt supply chains. In fact, local action, including a port security guard strike authorization, have already taken [...]