Teamsters in heated talks with UPS over new contract

The Teamsters union, never without internal squabbles and internecine power players, is showing some internal rift in its opening weeks of negotiations with UPS, the union’s largest employer. With job preservation and security top of mind for the union, the Teamsters last month submitted an 83-page opening demand in its National Master contract that covers…

Reverse Logistics Association examines the ‘Circular Economy’

“Circular Economy” was the theme addressed by The Reverse Logistics Association’s (RLA) at its annual conference and expo in Las Vegas last week. With the flourishing of e-commerce, product returns have become even more nettlesome for today’s global supply chain managers. At the same time, however, new revenue streams are being created in the 3PL…

Port Tracker report expects decent gain in imports for first half of 2018

A strong wind is expected to continue blowing on the economic seas in the first half of 2018 but could recede for the full year, based on the most recent edition of the Port Tracker report, which was released late last week by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

White House rolls out new infrastructure plan as part of 2019 budget

The long-awaited national infrastructure plan was rolled out today by the White House as part of its fiscal year 2019 budget. Entitled, the “Legislative Outline for Rebuilding Infrastructure in America,” this plan is comprised of various ideas and themes that have been echoed by the White House since Donald Trump took over as President in…

UPS introduces Worldwide Express Freight Midday Service

Earlier this week, UPS reported that it has rolled out UPS Worldwide Express Freight Midday, which, it said, is an extension of its UPS Worldwide Express Freight Service. The UPS Worldwide Express Freight Service service, which functions as an express freight service geared towards urgent, time-sensitive, and high-value international shipments, was initially launched by Big…

U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed in January, says AAR

Despite ongoing Shipping and Packages growth, USPS reports another quarterly loss

In its fiscal first quarter earnings results announced today, the USPS reported controllable income of $353 million, which was down 33% annually compared to $522 million a year ago. USPS said that this decrease was driven by various factors it has cited in the past, including: First-Class and Marketing Mail volume declines, a higher normal…

Report indicates Amazon is prepping for a new delivery service

The most recent example of global e-commerce powerhouse Amazon expanding its logistics portfolio was highlighted in a Wall Street Journal report published today. According to the report, Amazon is taking steps to introduce a delivery service for businesses, entitled “Shipping with Amazon” (SBA), that would position it as a direct competitor with the parcel duopoly…