1401 words 4 minute read – Let’s do this!
Oh. My. Gosh! 3 days ago was Port X Logistics’s 6th birthday. I was looking at photos of our day 1 and I have to admit, I got super emotional, all tears of joy. Our story is so fun to tell and it is because we started Port X Logistics with full intentions of growing a company that is based on having fun. We work hard every day, all week and all year, why not have fun? So many milestone events have happened in the past 6 years, both within the Port X Logistics family and in the world. Externally, most notably the Pandemic of course – a world shutdown that didn’t shut us or the industry down and we got to see how unbelievably strong this industry performed over the past 3 years. We are truly grateful for all our customers that have joined the PXL revolution over the past 6 years and we look forward to 65 more years. BK, Pat, Tyler, Tom, Arsh and Adam – We love to say “it’s always Day 1”. Thank you for 6 years of choosing Port X Logistics for drayage, transloading, trucking and expedited Carrier911, with our newest drayage asset and warehouse additions, we are going to blow the roof off this industry!
Labor Union news is abundant this week –
A federal jury in 2019 found that theInternational Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) coordinated work slowdowns and stoppages at the terminal because of a dispute over whether ILWU workers or members of another union would perform work handling refrigerated shipping containers. The International Container Terminals Inc (ICTSI) was initially awarded $93.6 million, a sum that was later reduced to $19 million. ICTSI rejected the reduced amount and the ILWU filed for bankruptcy ahead of a retrial set for next year saying it couldn’t afford legal fees to fight the case or any damages that may be awarded. The union’s only material asset is its $9.5 million in cash on hand, ILWU President Willie Adams said in a bankruptcy-court filing in San Francisco. The ILWU plans to pay most of that cash to ICTSI to resolve their dispute, while retaining a working-capital reserve big enough for the union “to maintain its operations and rebuild,” Adams said.
Still, the Portland case so far hasn’t stopped the union from continuing its tactic of slowing and stopping operations in disputes with employers, according to port employers. During drawn-out negotiations over a new multi year contract for West Coast dockworkers that began in 2022 and ended this summer, terminal operators accused ILWU members of deliberately withholding labor or slowing down operations.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) and Ford Motor are coming to terms with differences on pay increases after a new offer from Ford Motor amid active talks, as the union’s strike against the ‘Detroit Three’ enters its 21st day. UAW President Shawn Fain plans to update the union’s 150,000 members at Ford, General Motors and Chrysler parent Stellantis on Friday October 6th. It is not clear whether Fain will order another round of walkouts or declare sufficient progress has been made to delay strikes at additional plants. The plants supply chains are surely taking a hit during the past 21 days, and there will be a surefire need for expediting cargo via ocean container transloads and domestic hot shots once the automakers and UAW come to agreement terms. Remember the team at Port X Logistics are the pros you need to get your auto plant cargo moving quickly and with full visibility.
Import TEU volumes are down 5.08% this week from last week and we are still in the heart of China’s Golden week (October 1st – 7th). We’ll also see blank sailings following the week after Golden Week, as factories will be closed during the holiday, carriers will announce these blank sailings in order to optimize vessel utilization. Golden Week is similar to Chinese New Year as there is typically a rush from importers to speed up their productions and have products ship out from China before workers go home for the holidays and factories shut down or heavily reduce their manufacturing capacity. With blank sailings could come the need for air freight for rush shipments. Our Carrier911 division is designed for these situations in mind. Cargo vans, straight trucks, dry vans and more available for pickup at all U.S. and Canada airports complete with driver tracking and signed proof of delivery available immediately at time of delivery. Jason, Shane and Jimmy are available 24/7/365 info@carrier911.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
All Canadian Ports and rails as well as the Port X Logistics Canada office will be closed Monday October 10th in observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Ports America Baltimore will be closed and PNCT New Jersey will be open on Monday October 10th from 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Reefer cutoff will be 2:00 PM. Double move cutoff will be 3:00 PM.
Holiday and after hours support for the Canadian team is available at letsgetrolling@portxlogistics.com
Seattle: Terminal T18 will be closed tomorrow and every Friday throughout October, Terminal T5 is closed on Mondays throughout October. Our Seattle/Tacoma drayage capacity is abundant and we have over 360,000 square feet of warehouse space for transloading and storage – strategically located just two and a half miles from the Port of Seattle. For immediate capacity and competitive rates contact letsgetrolling@portxlogistics.com
Vessels currently in Port Seattle: 432 Expected Arrivals: 27
Vessels currently in Port Tacoma: 78 Expected Arrivals: 24
Savannah: The Port of Savannah is working its way through a backlog of 16 vessels that have been stacking up in recent weeks amid a string of closures. While shippers say the situation — which could linger through mid-November — is less than ideal, many noted there has been no significant impact yet. The domino effect leading up to the delays began in late August when crane equipment arrived at Savannah’s Garden City Terminal, temporarily shutting down two berths. Arrival of the four ship-to-shore cranes required the closures of Berths 1 and 9 at the terminal so the equipment could be discharged from the specialized vessel that carried them. A week later, the US Coast Guard shut Savannah’s shipping channels for two days out of caution due to Hurricane Idalia. While the port didn’t suffer any damage in the storm, the aftermath of the unexpected closures days before Labor Day. Port operations are expected to be back to “normal” by mid-November. The Port X Logistics Atlantic Division has Drayage capacity and drivers ready to roll! We have immediate capacity available for all your import and export containers in Savannah, Charleston and Jacksonville. We offer competitive rates and proactive updates from overseas to final delivery. We also have a Savannah transload warehouse with 24/7 operations for all your hot transloads. We can pull off same day drayage, transload and outbound loading and all our drivers will be on our shareable tracking app helping to provide ease and peace of mind for you and your customers. Contact our Port X Logistics Atlantic Division team members Tyler, Kyle, and Tristan at SAV@portxlogistics.com
Vessels currently in Port Savannah: 48 Expected Arrivals: 30
Vessels currently in Port Charleston: 145 Expected Arrivals: 19
Vessels currently in Port Jacksonville: 70 Expected Arrivals: 16
Denver: There is currently a chassis overflow and not accepting 40’ TRAC chassis in Denver that is impacting empty chassis returns. We have a pretty cool transload warehouse in Denver and an even cooler team of operations and drivers. We have private chassis and can help move overweight containers out of the UP too! Contact the team at Denver@portxlogistics.com
Did you know? We have a warehouse in Laredo that specializes in transloading containers from the Laredo rail, and for cross border as well as all rail intermodal service into Mexico. Contact letsgetrolling@portxlogistics.com to hear more about our Laredo location.
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