1168 words 4 minute read – Let’s do this!
Has anyone else been following Fat Bear week? As someone who has been thrown into hardcore hiking (with zero experience) and is also a huge animal lover, this ritual caught my eye. Although I am DEATHLY afraid of encountering a Grizzly bear in real life, looking at these photos of these chubby furry cuties still warms my heart. When I am in the middle of hiking I often overthink. And I always think about what if I encounter a furry little baby grizzly that lost his mother in the woods? Will I be dumb enough to fall for that trap, and it is a huge trap because that momma bear is probably still lurking and she is extra angry! Maybe one day I will get to test this theory. Anyways.. a little fun to start the week off – congratulations to the winner Grazer, from the looks of it he definitely will have a restful winter.
A quick update on the United Auto Workers (UAW) strikes, Ford Motor said late on Wednesday it is laying off another 150 workers in Michigan because of the ongoing United Auto Workers strike, bringing the total to 2,730 workers furloughed. Ford said the UAW’s walkout last week at its Kentucky Truck Plant prompted the new layoffs at a Michigan axle plant. Another 16,600 Ford employees are on strike at three assembly plants, including Kentucky Truck, the company’s largest plant worldwide. How many layoffs has this month-long strike caused? It’s difficult to directly pinpoint since the auto sector touches so many other industries. The disruption of the supply chain has also hindered parts and components companies not directly connected to Ford, GM, and Stellantis. As for direct layoffs, the figure lands at around 6,000 layoffs. Those figures do not include union members – of which 34,000 are now picketing.
The ripple effects from the UAW’s strike continue to spread through the auto sector, further hurting the industry, and it could put some suppliers out of business completely. According to one economic forecaster, the UAW strike has reached the “danger zone” with production lines are still at standstill and not building vehicles, the smaller firms that contribute to the supply chain could be on the chopping block. The auto industry has been compromised now that the length of the UAW strike has entered its second month. Smaller businesses that have 30 employees or less that contribute to the assembly plants that build the vehicles, could be forced to go out of business. They don’t generate a whole lot of revenue on an annual basis, but they generate enough to sustain that number of workers and provide good living wages for people. According to some surveys a third of the suppliers are having some financial difficulty and supplier wages and earnings are down nearly $2.7 billion.
Import TEU volumes are up 10.56% this week from last week. A ten percent uptick in volumes is a pretty substantial increase, however carriers are increasing the pace of blank sailings from China and Southeast Asia due the anticipation of a backlog of cargo that they thought would build up over the Golden Week holiday that never materialized. Blank sailings between Asia and North America are the highest since April at 23% according to Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis.
The bulk of 2023 focused on cost cutting, and it caused the success of good service to suffer. Port X Logistics’ main focus is pristine customer service, that includes real people handling your freight and real people to talk to. In a time when the world is all about digital conversations, urgency has been pushed to the wayside, and in this industry time is critical.
How real are your carriers and what sets them apart from the others? Choosing Port X Logistics delivers a team of experts that focus on customer service and real asset trucks that can perform. Welcome to the Revolution. www.portxlogistics.com
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
Vancouver : Rail dwell times at Vancouver Deltaport are currently 5-7 days for CN and over 7 days for CP. These delays can greatly affect the transit time of your rail shipments and we can help mitigate those transit times and get your hot shipments moving. By having your containers diverted to the port prior to hitting rail status, we can pull your containers out of Vancouver, transload into dry vans and have them on the road in 1-2 days, and we can even truck them cross-border into the U.S. Contact our team Rachel, Erin, Katie – these ladies know how to get it done! Canada@portxlogistics.com
Vessels currently in Vancouver: 220 Expected Arrivals: 37
Seattle/Tacoma: Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 22 held an informational picket outside the Port of Tacoma offices on Tuesday morning, immediately prior to the regularly scheduled commissioner meeting. Bargaining sessions resumed Wednesday, no further updates reported and no slowdowns or congestion reported. Here is what is reported! We now have a warehouse in Seattle with 240k square feet and operates 24/7 – we have competitive rates and unmatchable service in the area, 40 trucks and drivers, 110 x 40′ private chassis and 18 super chassis/tri axles for overweight containers and more – and we have full capacity to pull containers as early as your containers become available. Our Pacific Northwest dream team can get any job done. Letsgetrolling@portxlogistics.com
Vessels currently in Port Seattle: 440 Expected Arrivals: 177
Vessels currently in Port Tacoma: 88 Expected Arrivals: 45
Boston: Boston terminals are experiencing a severe chassis shortage, and private owned chassis capacity is very limited. If you need to get your containers moving, contact our team today to get your orders on board prior vessel arrival to ensure chassis capacity. Letsgetrolling@portxlogistics.com
Vessels currently in Port: 84 Expected Arrivals: 83
Did you know? Tomorrow (October 20th) also marks National Sasquatch Awareness Day. Did you also know the Bigfoot Capital of the World resides in the small town of Willow Creek, California, and Sasquatches love Norfolk pine and fir trees with large cones when they are green? Most importantly, did you know that our Carrier911 division can pull off more miracles than a Sasquatch sighting? We have a network of cargo vans, straight trucks, dry vans and specialized equipment for all your expedited needs – in most cases our drivers can be at the pickup location within the hour of dispatch. Shareable tracking links offer real time visibility and Jason, Shane and Jimmy are here to attend to your needs 24/7/365 – You won’t believe it until you see it yourself! info@carrier911.com
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