The U.S. Commerce Department recently solicited insights on strengthening supply chain resilience through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). Diverse stakeholders, including trade associations and companies, have offered varying perspectives, such as restoring and trade liberalization, on achieving this critical objective. Federal Register: Request for Comments on Commerce Supply Chain Risk [...]
The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) are currently entrenched in contract negotiations revolving around the coast-wide Master Contract. The ILA is the largest union of maritime workers in North America, representing 85,000 longshore workers along the East Coast, Gulf Coast, Puerto Rico, Great Lakes, and [...]
Manzanillo and Lazaro Cardenas, two Mexican ports, saw significant increases in cargo last year, which suggests that Asia's inputs are driving up export production for the U.S. and other markets. Both ports also moved up in the rankings of the busiest North American gateways based on laden volumes. MEXICAN PORTS RISE [...]
President Biden and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) recently announced Section 301 tariff hikes on key imports to address strategic trade concerns with China. These tariffs impact a wide range of products including electric vehicles (EVs), critical minerals, and other key sectors. New tariffs are set to take effect [...]
"To encourage China to eliminate its unfair trade practices regarding technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation, the President is directing increases in tariffs across strategic sectors such as steel and aluminum, semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries, critical minerals, solar cells, ship-to-shore cranes, and medical products." White House Fact Sheet | May [...]
A surge in Asian imports to the Pacific Southwest is driving an increase in eastbound intermodal train movement, adding to the chronic deficit in rail cars returning west. ASIAN IMPORTS SURGE AT PACIFIC PORTS The Port of Los Angeles reports that local dockworkers moved 2,380,503 TEUs in the first quarter [...]
PARIS OLYMPICS UPCOMING IMPACT ON GROUND TRANSPORTATION The 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are coming to Paris this summer, and with the excitement of the competition also comes the challenge of logistics in and around the capital city. Both the Olympic and Paralympic Games will have prolonged impacts on traffic [...]
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act) aims to tackle unfair foreign practices that impact U.S. commerce. It serves as a means to address unjustifiable, unreasonable, or discriminatory actions by foreign governments that hinder or limit U.S. trade. Under the Section 301 provisions of the Trade Act, [...]
BRIDGE COLLAPSE Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency for the city of Baltimore after a container ship collided with a support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing a total collapse early in the morning of March 26, 2024. The Francis Scott Key Bridge stretched 1.6 [...]
Implementation of the Strengthening Organics Enforcement (SOE) Rule goes into effect today, March 19, 2024. The new rule updates the USDA’s organic regulations, oversight, and enforcement for organic products including production, handling, and sales. The new rule also implements 2018 Farm Bill requirements, addresses industry requests for regulation updates and National [...]
