Modal shift – to Hyperloop?

Today, we invite you aboard the Cargo Facts time machine (TimeCargoOne™) for a trip back to early January, 1904. We will take you to a posh restaurant in New York City, where a well-dressed railroad executive at a nearby table is about to be joined by a colleague. As the newcomer hands his coat and […]

• David Harris
• March 30, 2017

Freight trains and freighter aircraft on the old Silk Road

Just five years ago, DB Schenker launched the first China-to-Europe rail freight service, with a single train rolling from Chongqing in west-central China to Duisburg, Germany. Schenker touted the service as cheaper than air and faster than sea, but the launch was met with a certain amount of skepticism in the industry. Changing rail gauges, […]

• David Harris
• February 3, 2017

Asia-Europe rail dependent on government subsidies?

During a recent tour through Asia, forwarders told Cargo Facts that their shipments of goods between Asia and Europe by rail was reliant on subsidies from the Chinese Government. They said the choice to select rail transportation over ocean freight was a decision based almost entirely on price. Even with subsidies, rail transport is roughly […]

• Charles Kauffman
• December 16, 2016

Hanjin collapse drives ocean rates up 50% overnight

02 September update: Reports coming in from around the world indicate that the Jebel Ali port in Dubai, the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Seattle on the US west coast are all barring Hanjin ships from docking. Additionally, it has been reported that Hanjin has ordered vessels currently at sea to stay at […]

• David Harris
• September 1, 2016

Will defective airbags inflate air freight demand?

Once again, defective airbags are forcing US automobile dealers to stage a massive recall. What does this imply for air freight demand? Think back almost one year, to the first quarter of 2015. Demand for international air freight in the combined January/February period was up 22% for Asian carriers and 12% for North American carriers, […]

• David Harris
• January 25, 2016

Asian carriers drive strong worldwide air cargo gains

The International Air Transport Association released its air freight market analysis for February 2015, showing an overall 11.7% year-over-year increase in worldwide cargo traffic. The growth was driven by a 22.0% increase in international traffic reported by carriers from the Asia-Pacific region, which underpinned an overall 12.7% growth in international traffic worldwide. Domestic traffic in […]

• David Harris
• April 1, 2015

FedEx reaps the rewards of cost management

A huge jump in profitability, despite a relatively modest gain in revenue, indicates FedEx’s cost-management program is bearing fruit. FedEx reported net income up 53.4% y-o-y in its fiscal third quarter (ended 28 February) to US$580 million, as revenue rose 3.7% to $11.72 billion. Operating income for the quarter was up 50.1% to $962 million. […]

• David Harris
• March 26, 2015

US West Coast port slowdown pushes freight to air

Modal shift from ocean to air as a result of labor strife at the US West Coast ocean ports may be greater than most people thought. At the beginning of this week we reported February and year-to-date results from fifteen of the world’s major cargo carriers and airports. As we always do at this time of […]

• David Harris
• March 19, 2015