Insights

East Coast and Gulf Ports Shut Down Threats in the Air

February 24, 2017.
Logistics Publications

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) met in Delray Beach, Florida on February 15 and 16 for an informal conference to provide an opportunity for both sides to share issues of importance to them in advance of the current contract expiring on September 30, 2018. ...

Dashcams Lowering Insurance Cost

February 23, 2017.
Logistics Publications

Trucking companies are considering the installment of on-board cameras to help improve safety; but even better, are now being provided with the incentive of a lower insurance cost. As trucking insurance continues to become more expensive and difficult to obtain an insurance cost reduction is a huge perk. Not to...

Longshoreman Call For Port Shutdowns

February 23, 2017.
Logistics Publications

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) has called for a shutdown of Atlantic and Gulf ports accompanied by a march on Washington aimed at protesting job loss and the impact of decreased port activity. The main targets of these protests are the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor and...

New Economic Sanctions Possible for Iran

February 21, 2017.
Trade Publications

Members of the U.S. Senate’s Armed Services Committee have expressed tightening economic sanctions on Iran on the heels of the 2017 Munich Security Conference. The primary reason of concern include Iran’s ballistic missile tests in early February. Iran’s ballistic missile test in contravention to...

Claiming US Goods Returned (9801) – Is it worth the risk?

February 17, 2017.
Trade Publications

American manufacturers, importers, and other entities are often encouraged to take advantage of the Customs “US Goods Returned” program, also known as 9801 for the HTS heading that is used to claim the duty relief. What many do not realize is the heavy burden of proof that is...

Ocean Shipping Rates To Increase In 2020

February 10, 2017.
Logistics Publications

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) rule requiring the use of low-sulfur bunker fuel will become effective January 1, 2020. This new ruling is predicted to increase the cost of fuel from 40 – 100 percent. In dollar and cents, that’s an increase of 5 - 30 billion dollars. The severity will depend upon the...

Will the New Administration Affect Freight Rates?

February 06, 2017.
Logistics Publications

We find ourselves two weeks into a new presidential administration that has promised radical change and a total departure from how things have operated over the last eight years. One of the most talked about policy areas, and potentially one of the most impactful, has been global trade. How will...

Maneuvering Beyond the Post-Election NAFTA Strategy

February 03, 2017.
Trade Publications

Cited as the “worst trade deal in history” while on the campaign trail, renegotiating NAFTA by the Trump administration is definite. The administration has made the focus and tone of future negotiations clear on the White House website. Additionally, Commerce Secretary Nominee Wilbur Ross has stated that once...

Trump’s Wall: Border Tax Talk

February 01, 2017.
Tax Publications

After just over a week in office, President Donald Trump has been busy issuing executive orders across a number of platforms. One priority as evidenced during his campaign is on building “the wall” between the US and Mexico to reduce the influx of undocumented immigrants. Mexico...

Safer Roads Ahead: Electronic Logging Devices

January 18, 2017.
Logistics Publications

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is adopting a new Electronic Logging Device rule, or ELD mandate, that will require commercial trucks and buses to maintain electronic logs. The new law will go into effect on December 18th, 2017 and will require drivers to replace their existing paper logs...

Five Reasons Your Shipment is Stuck in Customs

January 16, 2017.
Trade Publications

The dreaded message of “Shipment on Customs Hold” or shipment is “Stuck” in Customs is the response all importers want to avoid. A seamless Customs process improves the supply chain and overall transit time. There are several common reasons a shipment can be placed on hold...

The Application of UAV’s in Logistics

December 21, 2016.
Logistics Publications

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s), also known as drones, are aircraft which can be remotely controlled or flown autonomously via software. Recent advances in drone technology have encouraged us to think about how we can apply this technology to our society. The benefit of near-future drone applications has been...