Logistics

ARLINGTON, VA, March 24, 2020 (Press Release) -American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 1.8% in February after falling 0.3% in January. In February, the index equaled 119.1 (2015=100) compared with 116.9 in January.

“Before any impacts from COVID-19, truck tonnage had a solid month in February,” saidATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “Last month, solid housing starts, high levels of retail sales, and even a modest improvement in manufacturing activity all helped freight volumes.

“With truck tonnage up nicely from a year earlier in February, the trucking industry was in a fairly good place before economic impacts hit from the health crisis. Trucking volumes, early in the COVID-19 emergency, will be positive for consumer staples and other commodities before we see a slowdown as the economy contracts in the second quarter,” he said.

ATA recently revised January’s index down from the initial reading in our press release on February 18, 2020.

Compared with February 2019, the SA index rose 2.6%, which was preceded by a 0.4% year-over-year gain in January. During the first two months of the year, the index rose 1.5% compared with the same two months last year. In 2019, the index was 3.3% above 2018.

The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 108.2 in February, 5.2% below the January level (114.1). In calculating the index, 100 represents 2015.

Trucking serves as a barometer of the U.S. economy, representing 71.4% of tonnage carried by all modes of domestic freight transportation, including manufactured and retail goods. Trucks hauled 11.49 billion tons of freight in 2018. Motor carriers collected $796.7 billion, or 80.3% of total revenue earned by all transport modes.

ATA calculates the tonnage index based on surveys from its membership and has been doing so since the 1970s. This is a preliminary figure and subject to change in the final report issued around the 5th day of each month. The report includes month-to-month and year-over-year results, relevant economic comparisons, and key financial indicators.

American Trucking Association says Truck Tonnage Index rose 1.8% in February from prior month, 2.6% from year ago

Posted in: Logistics 03/25/2020 - 17:59

ARLINGTON, VA, March 24, 2020 (Press Release) -American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 1.8% in February after falling 0.3% in January. In February, the index equaled 119.1 (2015=100) compared with 116.9 in January.

“Before any impacts from COVID-19, truck tonnage had a solid month in February,” saidATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “Last month, solid housing starts, high levels of retail sales, and even a modest improvement in manufacturing activity all helped freight volumes.

“With truck tonnage up nicely from a year earlier in February, the trucking industry was in a fairly good place before economic impacts hit from the health crisis. Trucking volumes, early in the COVID-19 emergency, will be positive for consumer staples and other commodities before we see a slowdown as the economy contracts in the second quarter,” he said.

ATA recently revised January’s index down from the initial reading in our press release on February 18, 2020.

Compared with February 2019, the SA index rose 2.6%, which was preceded by a 0.4% year-over-year gain in January. During the first two months of the year, the index rose 1.5% compared with the same two months last year. In 2019, the index was 3.3% above 2018.

The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 108.2 in February, 5.2% below the January level (114.1). In calculating the index, 100 represents 2015.

Trucking serves as a barometer of the U.S. economy, representing 71.4% of tonnage carried by all modes of domestic freight transportation, including manufactured and retail goods. Trucks hauled 11.49 billion tons of freight in 2018. Motor carriers collected $796.7 billion, or 80.3% of total revenue earned by all transport modes.

ATA calculates the tonnage index based on surveys from its membership and has been doing so since the 1970s. This is a preliminary figure and subject to change in the final report issued around the 5th day of each month. The report includes month-to-month and year-over-year results, relevant economic comparisons, and key financial indicators.

SAVANNAH, GA, March 23, 2020 (Press Release) -The Port of Savannah achieved its busiest February ever last month, handling 364,405 twenty-foot equivalent container units, an increase of 17 percent over the same month last year. Although March volumes are expected to dip due to the impact of COVID-19 compared to March 2019, all terminals remain open for business, with normal vessel operations, terminal services, and Monday-Friday truck gate hours.

"We are thankful for the confidence our customers continue to show in Georgia's reliable transportation networks, amid such uncertainty in the market," said Griff Lynch, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority. "The strong fundamentals at the deepwater ports of Savannah and Brunswick have fueled powerful expansions in our cargo volumes and market share; they will also help us to weather the current storm related to COVID-19 disruptions."

To help GPA prepare for the future, the Port of Savannah received three additional ship-to-shore cranes this month, bringing Garden City Terminal's total fleet to 36. In addition, other efforts include the Mason Mega Rail project, which will double Savannah's rail capacity; and the recent acquisition of 145 acres contiguous to Garden City Terminal, which will increase the terminal's footprint to more than 1,300 acres and add more than 1 million TEUs in annual capacity.

"The Authority's forward thinking means our ports will be well positioned to take advantage of new opportunities when they arise," said GPA Board Chairman Will McKnight. "Savannah is poised to lead the U.S. East Coast and the nation as we recover from the present downturn."

For the fiscal year to date, 3.1 million TEUs have crossed the docks at Garden City Terminal, up 4 percent. As the nation's third busiest gateway for containerized trade, Savannah now handles more than one in five containers crossing U.S. East Coast docks.

In his report to the board Monday, Lynch described current efforts to keep cargo flowing during the COVID-19 crisis, that include adding new capacity for container storage, allowing some workers to telecommute, and strict observance of CDC and state of Georgia policies to prevent the spread of the virus.

Georgia's deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 439,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $25 billion in income, $106 billion in revenue and $2.9 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia's economy. The Port of Savannah handled 8.5 percent of U.S. containerized cargo volume and 10 percent of all U.S. containerized exports in FY2017.

Port of Savannah up 17% in February, Georgia terminals continue to move cargo amid COVID-19 crisis

Posted in: Logistics 03/23/2020 - 18:50

SAVANNAH, GA, March 23, 2020 (Press Release) -The Port of Savannah achieved its busiest February ever last month, handling 364,405 twenty-foot equivalent container units, an increase of 17 percent over the same month last year. Although March volumes are expected to dip due to the impact of COVID-19 compared to March 2019, all terminals remain open for business, with normal vessel operations, terminal services, and Monday-Friday truck gate hours.

"We are thankful for the confidence our customers continue to show in Georgia's reliable transportation networks, amid such uncertainty in the market," said Griff Lynch, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority. "The strong fundamentals at the deepwater ports of Savannah and Brunswick have fueled powerful expansions in our cargo volumes and market share; they will also help us to weather the current storm related to COVID-19 disruptions."

To help GPA prepare for the future, the Port of Savannah received three additional ship-to-shore cranes this month, bringing Garden City Terminal's total fleet to 36. In addition, other efforts include the Mason Mega Rail project, which will double Savannah's rail capacity; and the recent acquisition of 145 acres contiguous to Garden City Terminal, which will increase the terminal's footprint to more than 1,300 acres and add more than 1 million TEUs in annual capacity.

"The Authority's forward thinking means our ports will be well positioned to take advantage of new opportunities when they arise," said GPA Board Chairman Will McKnight. "Savannah is poised to lead the U.S. East Coast and the nation as we recover from the present downturn."

For the fiscal year to date, 3.1 million TEUs have crossed the docks at Garden City Terminal, up 4 percent. As the nation's third busiest gateway for containerized trade, Savannah now handles more than one in five containers crossing U.S. East Coast docks.

In his report to the board Monday, Lynch described current efforts to keep cargo flowing during the COVID-19 crisis, that include adding new capacity for container storage, allowing some workers to telecommute, and strict observance of CDC and state of Georgia policies to prevent the spread of the virus.

Georgia's deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 439,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $25 billion in income, $106 billion in revenue and $2.9 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia's economy. The Port of Savannah handled 8.5 percent of U.S. containerized cargo volume and 10 percent of all U.S. containerized exports in FY2017.

DB Cargo Logistics has developed a tailor-made transport model to enable cross-laminated timber manufacturer Binderholz to switch its shipments of building products up to 20 m long from road to rail.

This has included reopening a disused private siding at Binderholz’s Burgbernheim factory in Bavaria, Germany, to enable products be sent to customers in Sweden and France using open or covered wagons.

„We are increasing the volume of freight leaving our Austrian and German plants on eco-friendly rail services“, said Martin Sigl, head of Binderholz’s logistics activities. „Using the single wagonload network, we can transport consignments to Sweden, where they arrive on schedule after a journey of over 2 000 kilometers.“

„Tailor-made solutions for our customers are what we need if we want to increase the volume of goods being transported by rail“, said Dr. Sigrid Nikutta, DB board member for freight. „Whether these take the form of a new or reopened private siding, or innovative ideas for simple transhipment processes at our marshalling yards and container terminals, we are ready to work with our customers on increasing rail freight’s importance.“

DB Cargo Logistics has developed a tailor-made transport model for Binderholz

Posted in: Logistics 03/23/2020 - 13:37

DB Cargo Logistics has developed a tailor-made transport model to enable cross-laminated timber manufacturer Binderholz to switch its shipments of building products up to 20 m long from road to rail.

This has included reopening a disused private siding at Binderholz’s Burgbernheim factory in Bavaria, Germany, to enable products be sent to customers in Sweden and France using open or covered wagons.

„We are increasing the volume of freight leaving our Austrian and German plants on eco-friendly rail services“, said Martin Sigl, head of Binderholz’s logistics activities. „Using the single wagonload network, we can transport consignments to Sweden, where they arrive on schedule after a journey of over 2 000 kilometers.“

„Tailor-made solutions for our customers are what we need if we want to increase the volume of goods being transported by rail“, said Dr. Sigrid Nikutta, DB board member for freight. „Whether these take the form of a new or reopened private siding, or innovative ideas for simple transhipment processes at our marshalling yards and container terminals, we are ready to work with our customers on increasing rail freight’s importance.“

The World Container Index assessed by Drewry, a composite of container freight rates on 8 major routes to/from the US, Europe and Asia increased by 6.8% to USD 1,584.77 per 40ft container last week.

Two year sport freight rate trend for the World Container Index Source Drewry

Drewry: World Container Index on the rise

Posted in: Logistics 03/23/2020 - 13:36

The World Container Index assessed by Drewry, a composite of container freight rates on 8 major routes to/from the US, Europe and Asia increased by 6.8% to USD 1,584.77 per 40ft container last week.

The plant has an annual production capacity of 6.3 million liters of biomethanol from forest biomass. The fossil-free biomethanol can be used for applications in the pulp mill itself, or as a substitute for fossil-based methanol in the transport sector (biodiesel) and as a chemical base substance. The A-Recovery+ concept delivers commercial grade biomethanol by using a patented extraction process. It offers next-generation solutions for the chemical recovery cycle of pulp mills, with the target of utilizing the pulp mill side streams to the maximum extent possible. In addition to biomethanol production, A-Recovery+ also produces sulfuric acid from odorous gases and recovers lignin for the production of high-quality lignin to be used in advanced bioproducts.

With this first ever fossil-free biomethanol plant worldwide, Andritz is strongly supporting Södra’s ambitions to make its operations entirely fossil-free and be climate-positive by the end of this decade. To achieve this aim, Södra is aiming at eliminating fossil fuel use throughout its operations and producing innovative products that replace fossil-based raw materials.

World’s first fossil-free biomethanol plant started up at Södra, Sweden

Posted in: Logistics 03/23/2020 - 13:34

The plant has an annual production capacity of 6.3 million liters of biomethanol from forest biomass. The fossil-free biomethanol can be used for applications in the pulp mill itself, or as a substitute for fossil-based methanol in the transport sector (biodiesel) and as a chemical base substance. The A-Recovery+ concept delivers commercial grade biomethanol by using a patented extraction process. It offers next-generation solutions for the chemical recovery cycle of pulp mills, with the target of utilizing the pulp mill side streams to the maximum extent possible. In addition to biomethanol production, A-Recovery+ also produces sulfuric acid from odorous gases and recovers lignin for the production of high-quality lignin to be used in advanced bioproducts.

With this first ever fossil-free biomethanol plant worldwide, Andritz is strongly supporting Södra’s ambitions to make its operations entirely fossil-free and be climate-positive by the end of this decade. To achieve this aim, Södra is aiming at eliminating fossil fuel use throughout its operations and producing innovative products that replace fossil-based raw materials.

Opening the office is part of the company's strategy to strengthen the international presence of AGL and deliver an even better service to its customers. In June 2006 the independent logistics service provider Alexander Global Logistics was founded with five employees.

Today the team consists of more than 60 employees who work to provide the best service possible to customers worldwide. In addition to the new branch in Poland, AGL also has offices in Bremen (headquarter), USA and Brazil. The three new representatives in Poland include the managing director Maciej Budas, senior forwarder Justyna Hendzel and Ewa Martenka, who is responsible for trucking transportations.

Alexander Global Logistics expands into Eastern Europe

Posted in: Logistics 03/23/2020 - 13:32

Opening the office is part of the company's strategy to strengthen the international presence of AGL and deliver an even better service to its customers. In June 2006 the independent logistics service provider Alexander Global Logistics was founded with five employees.

Today the team consists of more than 60 employees who work to provide the best service possible to customers worldwide. In addition to the new branch in Poland, AGL also has offices in Bremen (headquarter), USA and Brazil. The three new representatives in Poland include the managing director Maciej Budas, senior forwarder Justyna Hendzel and Ewa Martenka, who is responsible for trucking transportations.

The demonstration plant will be built at Tofte in Norway and will produce advanced, second generation biofuel based on raw material from the forest.

The demonstration plant is being built to test the technology before making the decision to invest in a larger commercial plant. Advanced second generation biofuels based on renewable forest raw materials can be an important contributor to reducing CO2 emissions from the transport sector, which account for 33% of greenhouse gas emissions in Norway.

Demo plant for second generation biofuels

Posted in: Logistics 03/23/2020 - 13:31

The demonstration plant will be built at Tofte in Norway and will produce advanced, second generation biofuel based on raw material from the forest.

The demonstration plant is being built to test the technology before making the decision to invest in a larger commercial plant. Advanced second generation biofuels based on renewable forest raw materials can be an important contributor to reducing CO2 emissions from the transport sector, which account for 33% of greenhouse gas emissions in Norway.

In Umeå, Sweden, the number of containers increased by 16% compared to 2018. The trend is also positive with a steady growth of more than 10% per year since 2000.

“The result also means all-time-high at the terminal with a handling of more than 35,000 containers/TEU. It is truly nice to summarize the results of our long-term and purposeful investment towards increased container volume”, says Margaretha Gustafsson, SCA Logistc’s terminal manager in Umeå.

“The record obviously requires us to develop safe and efficient solutions in the container process without losing focus on our customers. We do this by working in teams that encompass the entire process from incoming orders to delivery, and it has been a successful concept that has contributed to the fine results we see today”, she continues.

In Sundsvall, there has also been volume increases, SCA Ship Agency set a new record in the number of managed vessel calls in the region in 2019 with 818 managed calls. An increase of 17% compared to the previous year. At the same time, the productivity of the port has also improved significantly. When SCA bought out the stowage business in 2007, productivity was mediocre. At that time, new targets were set for the medium and long term.

“In 2013, we had increased productivity by over 25 percent and achieved our first goals, but the long-term goals still felt very difficult to achieve. However, in December 2019, we were pleased to note that our port operations had improved the productivity with 8 percent during the last year“, says Peter Gyllroth, SCA Logistics terminal manager in Sundsvall. What felt theoretically 10 years ago was now becoming a reality in everyday life.

In the past two years, the level of workplace accidents has come down to SCA Logistics' lowest level so far, but safety is an ongoing work and the end goal is of course zero accidents. Also positive is that the longer sick leave has gone down in recent years and shows a good trend.

“Five years ago, I probably didn't think it was possible with a zero level of accidents in a port business, but I think we all in the organization were greatly affected by SCA's overall safety campaign, which goes by the name of Zero. In retrospect, I have actually begun to believe that with continued work we can get there. The combination of low sickness absence and fewer accidents is something we are happy and proud of”, says Magnus Svensson, President, Sourcing & Logistics at SCA.

SCA Logistics: 2019 was a good year

Posted in: Logistics 03/23/2020 - 13:30

In Umeå, Sweden, the number of containers increased by 16% compared to 2018. The trend is also positive with a steady growth of more than 10% per year since 2000.

“The result also means all-time-high at the terminal with a handling of more than 35,000 containers/TEU. It is truly nice to summarize the results of our long-term and purposeful investment towards increased container volume”, says Margaretha Gustafsson, SCA Logistc’s terminal manager in Umeå.

“The record obviously requires us to develop safe and efficient solutions in the container process without losing focus on our customers. We do this by working in teams that encompass the entire process from incoming orders to delivery, and it has been a successful concept that has contributed to the fine results we see today”, she continues.

In Sundsvall, there has also been volume increases, SCA Ship Agency set a new record in the number of managed vessel calls in the region in 2019 with 818 managed calls. An increase of 17% compared to the previous year. At the same time, the productivity of the port has also improved significantly. When SCA bought out the stowage business in 2007, productivity was mediocre. At that time, new targets were set for the medium and long term.

“In 2013, we had increased productivity by over 25 percent and achieved our first goals, but the long-term goals still felt very difficult to achieve. However, in December 2019, we were pleased to note that our port operations had improved the productivity with 8 percent during the last year“, says Peter Gyllroth, SCA Logistics terminal manager in Sundsvall. What felt theoretically 10 years ago was now becoming a reality in everyday life.

In the past two years, the level of workplace accidents has come down to SCA Logistics' lowest level so far, but safety is an ongoing work and the end goal is of course zero accidents. Also positive is that the longer sick leave has gone down in recent years and shows a good trend.

“Five years ago, I probably didn't think it was possible with a zero level of accidents in a port business, but I think we all in the organization were greatly affected by SCA's overall safety campaign, which goes by the name of Zero. In retrospect, I have actually begun to believe that with continued work we can get there. The combination of low sickness absence and fewer accidents is something we are happy and proud of”, says Magnus Svensson, President, Sourcing & Logistics at SCA.

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