1166 words 4 minute read – Let’s do this!
Happy May! Did you know there are only 50 days left until it is summer? How is summer shaping up for the market – any thoughts or discussions are welcome, send us your theories, we would love them marketing@portxlogistics.com
Top news – The reconciliation period for the has officially ended On May 1st – About 6,000 employees at Canadian National Railway Co. (CN) and 3,300 at Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd (CPKC). voted more than 97 per cent in favor of a strike mandate this week. The unions have been authorized to strike as soon as May 22nd, after a mandated cooling off period. It is required for the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) to issue a 72-hour strike notice as early as May 19th . “After six months of negotiations with both companies, we are no closer to reaching a settlement than when we first began. Both companies are trying to strip our collective agreements of safety-critical rest provisions,” said union president Paul Boucher. “We are at an impasse.”
The contract negotiating revolves around disputing salaries, work-life balance and rest periods that provide greater safety to employees. The Canadian Pacific-Kansas City (CPKC) has put together 2 proposals claiming they will increase pay and improve work-life balance by replacing per-mile wages for conductors and engineers with an hourly wage and the other proposal would maintain the status quo for work rules for rest. A CN spokesman said the company remains focused on finding a deal that would benefit both workers and the country’s largest railroad operator, in part by “addressing work-life balance and productivity.” CN workers in a separate union did manage to find a middle ground with the railway Wednesday. The company announced a new three-year collective agreement with 2,500 track and bridge employees who handle railroad maintenance. They make up a small slice of the United Steelworkers’ Canadian membership.
A work stoppage will impact all Canadians – It will halt freight traffic on CPKC’s Canadian rail network. It would disrupt essential supply chains throughout North America and significantly constrain trade between Canada and the U.S. and Mexico. How can you avoid a pending rail strike? Diverting your cargo away from the rail and choosing Drayage, transloading and trucking. Port X Logistics is the Gold Standard in drayage, transloading and trucking. We track your containers from the time they leave overseas, dray your containers from all port locations and transload with plenty of photos provided and load to outbound trucks for the fastest over the road delivery with a shareable tracking app to track drivers all the way to final destination. Transload orders have been piling up as many shippers have been taking the early initiative to speed up deliveries whether it was an ocean delay or to avoid the rails, but we have all the capacity in the world for you! If you want more information on how you can get your cargo diverted at the port and on the road for a speedy delivery with full visibility contact Letsgetrolling@portxlogistics.com
Import TEUs are down this week 14.2% this week from last, the heaviest volume this week arriving to Long Beach 17.1% of incoming TEU volume, Los Angeles 17% of incoming TEU volume and Newark NJ 14.6% of incoming TEU volume. The first container ship arrived at the Port of Baltimore since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed more than a month ago. The MSC Cargo Passion III made it through the 35-foot temporary channel on Sunday carrying nearly 1,000 containers. The Port of Baltimore is preparing to handle the return of cargo at the end of May as container lines begin accepting loads on Asian services. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is leading the salvage effort for the bridge remains – The branch said its priority is to clear the main channel through the river to reopen access to the Port of Baltimore. Massive floating cranes are being used as wreckage and debris removal continues. Engineers have to break the mangled bridge into smaller pieces to lift them away, and Navy sonar images revealed wreckage in the deepest part of the channel.
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 on our website – click on the link below
https://portxlogistics.com/port-rail-updates/
Oakland: Port congestion and longer driver wait times are still looming, especially after the port closure on Wednesday. If you are looking for capacity, we encourage you to get your orders in early for the most guaranteed capacity. Send all orders and requests to our Oakland team at Oakland@portxlogistics.com
LA/LGB: The US DOT is awarding $148 million in grants to lower truck pollution and the U.S. ports – The Long Beach Container Terminal received the largest single grant, $34.8 million, which it will use to replace 149 diesel- and gas-powered trucks and six shuttle buses and to install 155 electric charging stations. We are sure to see an uptick in shipping to the west coast ports to avoid potential East Coast and Gulf Port labor disputes and contract negotiations. We have 66 trucks and a huge amount of yard space to take on your LA and Long Beach drayage moves – Contact CA@portxlogistics.com for capacity and rates.
Vancouver: Rail dwell times are already increasing at the Vancouver ports with Centerm having rail dwell in excess of 7 days. These days could continue to increase throughout May as the likeliness of a rail strike pends. If you have containers arriving to any Canadian ports – even if they are destined for U.S. railheads, we urge you start exploring the options of drayage, transloading and trucking via port diversions. Rachel, Erin and the team have a wealth of experience and knowledge of cross border deliveries and are ready to help answer your questions and support your needs. Contact
Did you know? Port X Logistics uses Cargosnap for visibility for all your transloads – interested in learning about the Port X x Cargosnap integration? Mark your calendar and make sure to join us for our next Webinar, “The power of tech integrations in logistics.” Marcel Merkx of Cargosnap together with our own Tom Zeis will share insights on how you can keep everyone informed in your supply chain with less work and more visibility.
Date: May 28, 2024 Time: 15:30-16:30 GMT+1 Location: Online
Key topics that will be covered include:
➡️ How to prioritize? How do you effectively align tech with your organization’s goals and objectives?
➡️ Is tech worth the investment?
➡️ Real-life examples of businesses embracing tech.
Secure your spot today by clicking on the link below 👇
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