LTL

With 2015 officially over, some of our clients are already wondering what to expect in 2016 when it comes to freight rates. There are several factors that lend themselves to a decrease in freight costs which can help shippers to increase their bottom lines. First, the worldwide fleet of containerships that are idle and not sailing as frequently as they could be is at an all time high. Carriers are finally taking action when it comes to rates to address the global circumstances. Between now and the summer peak season, ocean freight rates may decrease.

News broke late last week that Amazon.com has been engaged in conversations to lease cargo airplanes and develop its own freight operation. The Amazon executive team seems to have decided that it wants Amazon to have more direct control over delivery and shipping operations, and other trials (such as the door to door drone delivery program) which seem to suggest the same are already underway.

Last week, rail carrier Norfolk Southern rejected a $28.1 billion acquisition offer by Canadian Pacific Railway. Norfolk did not solicit the offer, and rejected it on the grounds that Canadian Pacific's interest level is “grossly inadequate, creates substantial regulatory risks and uncertainties that are highly likely to be overcome,”. Canadian Pacific feels that an acquisition would make sense for several reasons - including attractive results for shareholders of Norfolk Southern's investors.

Earlier this week, Canadian Pacific released the following statement:

When planning to ship freight from the U.S. to Canada, four over land options exist. Shipments can be moved by Full Truckload, Less than Truckload (LTL), Intermodal (rail) or by a dedicated truck called a "hot shot". Because cross border shipmetns can be more complicated and expensive than domestic shipments, some extra care should be used when obtaining quotes and planning the shipment. Here are some more details about each of the four options:

While you might not hear about cargo theft on the news very often, it's happening all the time. Cargo trucks or trains with branded goods like consumer electronics, are attacked as often as once per week around the world. Many of these events occur in Asia or the Middle East, and separately, in Italy as part of organized crime. In both cases, thieves often use heavy weapons and threats of violence to hijack freight. Cargo theft surged over 300% from 2008 to 2014, raising alarm bells around the global logistics industry.

Consumption of diesel fuel in the United States has leveled off this year, after two consecutive years of strong demand. Experts say that this slowdown in usage mirrors the slowdown we've seen in inland freight movement, and the larger slowdown in shipping worldwide, compared to 2013 and 2014. Reasons for the slowdown include the strong US dollar and the a slowdown in economies like China and Brazil. The number of empty shipping containers which are returning to Asia has been increasing steadily in the last few months.

Over the past decade, Global Forwardig has been building the most innovative platform in the logistics industry. As of the first quarter in 2015, shippers can obtain instant freight quotes on LTL, Full Truckload, International Ocean (both LCL and FCL), Air freight, expedited domesitc shipments and even small parcel shipments online. In addition to our technology and the achievements in efficiency, we've been working on making our amazing rates and service available to even more shippers through our Agent progroam.

Managing your freight costs effectively is one of the keys to increasing your bottom line. One of the most common ways that freight cost can increase unexpecedly is by the reclassification or reweighing of your shipment. LTL carriers have the right to inspect your shipment if choose to, and many carriers inspect the majority of shipments that move through their system.

The Global Forwarding team has put together these few pieces of advice to help increase the chances of your shipments moving smoothly and without any additional charges.

New international and domestic air trade policies are being devised, by many governments, to increase air cargo services at both domestic and international airports. The objective is to attract air cargo carriers that offer various services for the export and import of all types of domestic and international air cargo.