Industry Insights

PMA Announces Temporary Suspension of West Coast Terminals, Impact on Exporter & Importers   On Wednesday, we issued a news alert sent by Peter Friedman of FBB Relations of a projected lockout on the West Coast. Today, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) announced its member terminals would be halting all vessel loading and unloading operations this weekend, with ports scheduled to operate again on Monday, February 9. Yard, rail and gate operations may continue operating at terminals at the terminal operators’ discretion, according to the PMA.   “In light of ongoing union slowdowns up and down the coast which have […]

News Alert Update: PMA Seeks to Break Deadlock on West Coast Port Negotiations, Avert Lockdown The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) in a press release today announced that in an effort to break the deadlock in stalled West Coast longshore negotiations, it has made an “all-in” contract offer that significantly increases compensation to members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). According to the press release, full-time ILWU workers  earn an average of $147,000 per year, and would see their wages rise roughly 3%  per year, along with fully paid health care that costs employers $35,000 per worker per year. […]

It is with mixed emotions that we announce Kathryn Sheffield’s retirement from Roanoke Trade. Kathryn began her career at Roanoke in 1999 and has been in the industry for over 25 years. In addition to managing the Property and Casualty department in Roanoke’s Houston office, she also played a key role in the Marine Cargo Department. Kathryn exceeded her clients’ and colleagues’ expectations by sharing her wealth of knowledge and her experience. There is no doubt that she was an asset to the company and leaves us with big shoes to fill! We are thrilled that Kathryn has reached this […]

News Alert: Reports of Lockout on the West Coast This Week, Over the Weekend A news alert was released today by Peter Friedman of FBB Relations indicating plans for a gradual lockout by dockworkers this week, expanding over the weekend, and fully implemented next week on the West Coast. Mr. Friedman, indicated that it’s possible the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) will take some action to be the “first” to act, but the result will be the same – shut-down of West Coast ports. The reported West Coast lock-out comes after a six-month-long contract dispute between dockworkers and their […]

TSA Freighter Security Plan Deadline Looms The new U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rules on freighter security, published Dec. 29, 2014, are set to be implemented Feb. 16. That time frame puts the freight industry under pressure to digest and comply with the large-scale changes. The updated security guidelines will affect all U.S. and non-U.S. freighter aircraft operations into, out of and within the United States. Forwarders, regulated agents and passenger carriers who tender cargo to freight operators will likely be impacted by operators’ compliance with the rules. Forwarders and handlers that deal with several airlines could find especially complex […]

AmericanShipper.com reports that ports, airports and railways are implementing winter contingency plans.  BY ERIC KULISCH |MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 Another round of bad winter weather is beginning to snarl freight transportation throughout the Northeast, putting the public and private sectors to the test again after massive storms last winter that damaged infrastructure and caused cargo delays that lasted for weeks. Marine terminals at the Port of New York-New Jersey shut down Monday at 3 p.m. and are not expected to reopen until Wednesday morning at the earliest. A massive nor’easter could dump more than two feet of snow in the […]