This January marked the official start date of China’s ban on yang laji: foreign garbage. Last July, China informed the World Trade Organization that it would no longer accept imports of 24 types of recycled materials, including scrap paper and the low-grade plastic used in grocery bags and soda bottles. China’s decision has profound environmental […]
When people around the world tune in to the Pyeongchang Olympics this February, they will be witnessing not just a triumph of athleticism, but logistics. Every two years, a new city attempts to do the seemingly impossible in hosting the Olympics: building infrastructure, transporting tons of goods, and navigating inevitable crises. As we prepare for […]
Shippers trying to secure air freight in recent weeks have found themselves caught in an unexpected rate hike and capacity crunch, as rates doubled and even tripled, particularly for cargo passing through Europe or Asia. The holidays are over, but industry leaders are confident that higher rates are here to stay, fueled by the demands […]
The United States is in the middle of a reckoning about workplace sexual harassment and assault, and from Hollywood to Washington D.C., women in trucking are speaking up about the experiences that traumatized them and the working conditions that stunted their careers. This national conversation is as painful as it is overdue, but there are […]
On December 18, the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate will go into effect nationwide, forcing truckers to account for their hours of service with unprecedented rigor. That start date is only weeks away, yet many in the industry seem to be in a state of denial about the realities of ELD implementation. There are concerning […]
No single issue is poised to disrupt logistics like the coming driverless truck revolution. It’s been on the horizon for years, and yet the trucking industry is only just beginning to consider the ethical, legal, and moral implications of automation. Now trucking stands on the brink of a new era, as the first wave of […]
The fate of America’s infrastructure is once again in doubt, following a September 26 meeting in which President Trump appeared to abandon the concept of public-private partnerships, which he had previously claimed would be the primary source of funding for the $1 trillion in infrastructure spending that had been a key promise of his campaign. […]
In recent months, China has taken an unexpectedly hard line in enforcing its anti-pollution policies, shuttering thousands of factories and sending shockwaves through the global supply chain. According to JOC, over 18,000 factories have already been ordered to close since the start of the crackdown, and that number could grow much larger as inspectors begin […]
2017’s punishing (and still unfinished) hurricane season is tightening freight capacity and driving up spot rates throughout the US, altering the shipping landscape in ways that are likely to last as long as the massive rebuilding effort from Harvey and Irma. The far-ranging impact of the storms, combined with the looming ELD mandate and high […]
Wal-Mart is launching its “On-Time, In-Full” (OTIF) initiative this month, putting the squeeze on shippers and truckers and likely starting an industry-wide push towards tighter delivery windows. OTIF demands that truckload deliveries arrive with 100 percent of the promised cargo, and be delivered on the “must-arrive-by” date 75 percent of the time (95 percent by […]