Regional News : MidWest

Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Richard A. Lidinsky has forwarded a wide-ranging set of recommendations for revising the Shipping Act of 1984 to the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. Lidinsky Included in the recommendations to committee Chairman Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, R-Md., are six proposals: • Bring container and chassis lessors within the ambit of...

While export control reform is well underway in the United States, the Obama administration on Tuesday warned exporters that enforcement of the regulations remains a top priority. The reform, announced by the White House on April 20, calls for significant changes to the way the federal government processes export licenses for controlled U.S.-made military and commercial items. The plan al...

The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security wants input from the industry to develop an updated set of proposed best practices for how companies may avoid becoming involved in the illicit transit, transshipment and re-export of items subject to the Export Administration Regulations. BIS said it’s especially interested in receiving industry feedback regarding new transshipmen...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the nation will export $107.5 billion in agricultural commodities in fiscal year 2010, the second-highest year on record. “This a $3 billion increase from the May forecast, and an $11 billion increase over last year. And agriculture is one of the only major sectors of the American economy with a trade surplus -- expected to be $30.5 billion this yea...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday launched a new organizational performance management system. The system, FDA-TRACK, will monitor more than 100 FDA program offices through data from key performance measures established each year. That data will be gathered monthly, analyzed and presented each quarter to FDA’s senior management. The public will also be able to track this da...

Hanjin Shipping said Tuesday it will discontinue providing chassis in Miami and Philadelphia on Oct. 1, and gradually expand the program to other U.S. regions. “In line with what has been in force in the rest of the world, we believe that the implementation of this new policy will immediately improve terminal productivity and cargo transit time at U.S. terminals as well by reducing idle t...

The U.S. Justice Department said Friday it has closed its investigation into the proposed merger of UAL Corp., parent of United Airlines, and Continental Airlines, effectively allowing the merger to proceed. The decision by United, the third-largest U.S. carrier, and Continental, the fourth-largest, to transfer takeoff and landing slots and other assets at Newark Liberty Airport in New Je...

Intermodal volumes hit their highest point ever last week according to the American Association of Railroads. AAR said 236,406 trailers and containers moved on U.S. railroads, a 22.4 percent increase from the same week in 2009 and up 2.6 percent compared with 2008. 2008 may be the more significant comparison considering that the recession had yet to take full hold and freight demand ...

The U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA) on Thursday announced a list of 14 proposals it says would strengthen the administration of the nation’s antidumping and countervailing duty laws. Antidumping (AD) duties are levied on foreign firms that are investigated and found to sell their products in the United States at prices below their home market price or c...

The Greenbrier Cos. said Wednesday it has received orders for more than 1,000 new double-stack intermodal platforms, and will also re-engineer and modify about 1,100 double-stack platforms to carry 53-foot containers. Value of the new railcar orders and refurbishment work is about $130 million. The company also has orders for more than 700 new covered hopper cars, but is in discussion...

Greatwide Logistics Services has named former Con-way executive Tyler Ellison group president of transportation management and sales, the company said last week. Ellison spent the past two years as president of Con-way Multimodal, which continued to increase revenue and profits during the recession, according to Greatwide. Con-way Multimodal provides shippers access to a range of managed ...

Iron ore shipments for U.S.-flag vessel operators on the Great Lakes totaled 6 million net tons in July, a nominal increase compared to June. The Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) said the volume was a 72 percent increase over a year ago, although loadings were down about 6 percent compared to the month’s five-year average. “July loadings at U.S. ports increased 70 percent compared to ...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has finalized interim entry rules for certain softwood lumber products exported from any country into the United States. The final rule implements Title VIII (Softwood Lumber Act of 2008) of the 1930 Tariff Act, which requires the White House to create and maintain an importer declaration program for the import of certain softwood lumber and softwood lum...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has lowered the eligibility age for taking the customs broker license exam from 21 to 18 years old, effective Sept. 27. In the United States, adulthood is considered 18 years old and CBP said it’s consistent with the requirement that an application for an individual broker's license must be submitted within a three-year period after the applicant takes a...

CEVA Logistics, a large global supply chain management company, said last week it is offering an express cross-border transportation service for the oil and gas industry between the U.S. Gulf Coast and Alberta, Canada. The third-party logistics provider already offers project cargo transport from Mexico to Ontario in its role as a freight forwarder that hires specialized trucking companie...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin will host a conference with other agencies and select members of the trade community to discuss ways to ensure the safety of imports, a CBP spokesperson confirmed. The event is billed as a roundtable discussion among agency heads to improve interagency collaboration and communication for the purpose of stopping unsafe imports fro...

The California State Assembly last week passed a resolution urging the federal government to create a national freight policy, adding to the chorus of those seeking such a framework to upgrade and secure the nation’s goods movement network. The resolution, SJR 33, specifically asks U.S. Congress to adopt a uniform federal interest in improving the flow of cargo through California’s airpor...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has significantly increased its license fees under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA), effective Oct. 1. Specifically, annual license fees of $550 will be raised to $995. Fees for branch locations are increased from $200 for branch locations in excess of nine, to $600 for each branch location. The maximum amount a licensee will pay per ye...