This is our latest update on the tightening North American intermodal and drayage market. Because of the importance of this situation, MIQ Logistics has created a dedicated page on our website which can be accessed here. This page will contain carrier updates as well as an archive of industry articles pertaining to the ongoing issues and the contributing factors.
Source: DC Velocity
U.S. intermodal traffic volumes set a record in 2017, and the consensus going into 2018 is for more gains. The global economy ended last year with its best-synchronized recovery since 2010. In the U.S., ocean imports were expected to rise 7 percent over 2016 levels, according to a December survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and consultancy Hackett Associates. Meanwhile, already-solid domestic intermodal demand will likely be goosed if qualified over-the-road drivers remain in short supply and if the trucking industry struggles with transitioning to the federal safety mandate requiring that virtually all trucks built after the year 2000 have electronic logging devices (ELDs) onboard.
Source: National Retail Federation
Imports at the nation’s major retail container ports are expected to grow a healthy 4.9 percent during the first half of 2018 compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in January, and the overall economy grew for the 105th consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®.
For many U.S. importers who are working to bring in merchandise during first quarter, there can be confusion regarding key dates for this holiday. Some confusion pertains to the approximate date for Chinese and Asian suppliers to stop working prior to the Lunar New Year holiday. Other questions are pertain to how the holiday impacts customs offices within these countries.
Winter weather continues to impact supply chain operations from Texas to Georgia. For Wednesday (Jan 17th) our MIQ Global Houston branch will open on a delayed start; opening their doors at 12:00 (noon). Additionally, our MIQ Global Atlanta branch will be closed today due to the storm which has brought about a state of emergency in central and north Georgia.
MIQ Global Houston office is closed for today (Jan 16th) due to inclement winter weather. According to the National Weather Service the Houston area is currently under a Winter Storm Warning for northern portions of the Houston area, while a Winter Storm Advisory is in effect for southern portions of the area. These advisories are in effect until midnight tonight, but may be replaced by a Hard Freeze Warning before this afternoon. Due to the fact that the National Weather Service has advised to avoid traveling, our MIQ Global Houston office will remain closed.
Over the last few weeks operations within MIQ Logistics have been experiencing a tightening of the intermodal drayage market, especially throughout certain regions of the U.S. Drayage demand is currently outpacing capacity, and there are several factors, both new and old that are contributing to increased pricing and equipment shortages.
