1365 words 4 minute read – Let’s do this!
Here it is – Fall is officially in 2 more days. It has been a fun week for Port X Logistics, our very own founder BK hosted a podcast with JOC yesterday on the topic: Take Collaboration to the Bank: Enhancing Drayage to Save Costs. Thank you to all that joined in the conversation and asked questions and you can still catch the recording here https://loom.ly/x8zITNE
2023 has been the big year of Union contract negotiations, and it is getting crazier…
The United Auto Workers (UAW) strike is getting ugly. Nearly 13,000 GM, Ford and Stellantis workers are currently on strike at the Wentzville Missouri, Toledo Ohio and Wayne Michigan plants. UAW-represented workers walked out of these 3 plants on September 15th, after the three automakers failed to reach a deal on a new contract with the union. UAW President Shawn Fain said the union would announce more strikes will hit on Friday unless there is “serious progress” in negotiations.
As of yesterday, GM has halted production at its assembly plant in Fairfax, Kansas, due to a “shortage of critical stampings” that would have been supplied by its factory in Wentzville, Missouri, where workers went on strike last week. About 2,000 workers are affected. GM’s Fairfax Assembly plant builds the Chevrolet Malibu sedan and Cadillac XT4 crossover. GM said that because of the strike, the 2,000 workers laid off from Fairfax will not be eligible for the supplemental unemployment benefits that its laid-off employees would normally receive. Stellantis also said they are laying off about 370 employees at three parts factories in Ohio and Indiana immediately due to “storage constraints,” also related to the strike. The plants make parts for Jeep vehicles built at the automaker’s Toledo Assembly Complex, where workers are also on strike.
Auto plants closing for any amount of time affected by supply and parts shortages hit the supply chain industry real hard. The Port X Logistics Team is primed for situations – we train hard for them! Our expertise in expedited drayage, transloading and trucking is just what is needed for any line down situation. We are able to track containers from the moment they leave the overseas port all the way into arrival into the U.S. and Canada and once the container is in our possession and in our warehouse we take photos of the cargo for added visibility and once cargo is on the road to final destination we provide a tracking link so our customers can track our drivers in real time. If your supply chain has the possibility of being affected by the UAW strike, Port X Logistics is waiting to help you formulate an expedited plan to get these shipments prioritized letsgetrolling@portxlogistics.com
And if you need to expedite parts even faster via airfreight, our Carrier911 team is by your side to get your cargo delivered quickly from airport to door, with a variety of equipment offerings from cargo van, straight truck and dry van and we can get most drivers to the airport for pickup within the hour. Jason, Shane and Jimmy are available to assist 24/7 with 24/7 tracking and a POD at your fingertips at the time of delivery. info@carrier911.com
Import TEU volumes are down 19.89% this week from last week. We are in a very volatile market, so many ups and downs. According to the latest forecast from the National Retail Federation, and an article in JOC, U.S. imports will break a nine-month streak of year-over-year declines in October, rising 0.1% for the month before jumping 10.4% in November and 12% in December as retailers stock up for what they believe will be a strong holiday shopping season. I am looking forward to both the holiday season and a fresh start in 2024.
TEU Volumes may have gone down but fuel most certainly has not. Diesel Fuel prices have been on a steady weekly incline since mid July and diesel fuel in California is over six dollars per gallon. Drivers are most definitely feeling it and so are we all in the trucking industry!
What’s happening at the ports and rails?:
You can find all the information on the below link where we cover port congestion, chassis issues and capacity lead times weekly at all U.S. and Canada Ports and rail heads
Port & Rail Updates
LA/LGB: Do you have automotive cargo arriving to LA/LGB ports that could potentially be affected by the UAW strikes? Our LA team can get your containers on the expedited list and ready for transload – Contact Cristina and the EV is EZ team to get on this list! ca@portxlogistics.com
Vessels currently in Port LA: 138 Expected Arrivals: 49
Vessels currently in Port LGB: 75 Expected Arrivals: 55
Oakland: Since mid August truckers and draymen that had yards that bordered port property were forced to relocate causing both a shortage in yard space and a hike in yard space charges. Port X Logistics Oakland has moved out of the area, but we are already set up and ready to roll – and we even have a transload dock too! If you need the best drayage services in all of Oakland – that include driver tracking at no additional cost contact JPOakland@portxlogistics.com and yes we still have the much coveted yard space to hold your containers
Vessels currently in Port: 64 Expected Arrivals: 12
Seattle/Tacoma: The Seattle Tacoma ports are getting busier – and one of the few ports to show higher import volumes this year compared to 2022. Port X Logistics has the ability to make magic happen by expediting import containers and we have helped out numerous customers by creating “Peel piles” that allow for containers to be put on priority status for transload. Keep in mind that many shippers use Sea/Tac ports to ship automotive and automotive plant parts, and our priority container capabilities will come in handy for any hot automotive shipments arriving at these ports. Contact letgetrolling@portxlogistics.com
Vessels currently in Port Seattle: 471 Expected Arrivals: 38
Vessels currently in Port Tacoma: 77 Expected Arrivals: 21
Denver: Denver Rails are running at a good pace, no major issues and plenty of capacity on our end – Did you know that we also have a transload warehouse as well as a dry van fleet that can assist with your entire dray/transload/delivery for Denver containerized freight? We also offer dry van deliveries in Denver if you are looking to move cargo within a 100 mile radius of Denver. Whether you need drayage or a dry van Charlie, Tim, and Nick have trucks ready for you. Denver@portxlogistics.com
Did you know? Next week Port X Logistics will have a presence in 3 conferences, if you will be in attendance in any of these please contact us we would love to say hi! You can set up meetings for any of the 3 conferences by contacting marketing@portxlogistics.com or directly contacting the Port X Logistics team members that will be in attendance at each – we are very excited to meet you!
Port X Logistics will be at the 2023 Automotive Logistics & Supply Chain Global returns September 26th through 28th in Dearborn, Michigan. Contact Pat Morrison, Steve Oneil, and Tom Zeis to set up a meeting or to chat about the current state of the UAW.
Catch Danny and Adam S September 25th through the 27th at the JOC Inland Distribution conference in Chicago – are you also waiting on a trucking rebound? These guys want to talk about it!
Ryan and I will be repping Port X Logistics at Breakbulk Americas 2023 in Houston, September 26th through the 28th. We have seen more and more project planning taking place since Q3 and moving into Q4 – are you overwhelmed with the upcoming boost of project cargo? Join us next week to help you find a better way, we can help you manage your project workflow from start to finish.
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