Industry Insights

Cargo Delivery Delays Plague All Hemispheres in May Stevedore strikes worldwide gained headlines last year and caused serious delays in shipments, but cargo delivery delays can result from numerous problems—both natural and man-made. Thick ice on Lake Superior caused shipping delays in late April and early May 2014, with 60% of the lake covered with ice—eight feet thick in some places. During that same time, cargo containers filled with products piled up on the docks in the Philippines due to a rush-hour truck ban. Incoming containers sat at the International Container Terminal Services port for an average of 10 days […]

Value of Cargo Thefts Spikes 38.5% in Q1 The first quarter of 2014 concluded with a decrease in the number of reported cargo theft incidents but a massive spike in the average loss value per incident, according to FreightWatch International’s Supply Chain Intelligence Center’s Q1-2014 Cargo Theft report. A total of 206 full-truckload thefts occurred in the U.S., with an average loss per incident of $207,982. That’s a 38.5% increase in loss value from the same period a year earlier, and FreightWatch believes it’s an indicator that organized cargo criminals are growing in sophistication. Additionally, the firm notes that updated […]

Effective Monday, June 2, 2014, our San Francisco office will have a new address: Roanoke Trade 533 Airport Boulevard Suite 434 Burlingame, CA 94010 The office phone number will remain the same at (415) 421-1381. Please also note that the above address will also be the new pick-up location for Carnets. We anticipate our move will be a smooth transition, however, should an urgent matter arise and you are unable to reach a staff member, please contact Glenn Patton at (562) 628-9330.

Bahrain Implements ATA Carnet System The Kingdom of Bahrain is joining the ATA Carnet system! A much anticipated trading partner of the U.S. will begin operating under the ATA Carnet system on June 1, 2014. This will simplify the temporary export process for U.S. businesses exhibiting at trade shows in Bahrain. Bahrain  is the 74th country and the second Gulf Cooperation Council member state to implement the ATA Carnet system, according to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The ICC’s World Chambers Federation ATA Carnet manager anticipates more countries in the region, notably Saudi Arabia and Qatar, will join in the […]

FMCSA’s Guidance Still Missing on Many MAP-21 Provisions It’s been nearly two years since the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (“MAP-21”) was signed into law. Yet, there is still a great deal of uncertainty as to how those new laws will be interpreted and applied to customs brokers, FMC (Federal Maritime Commission) Ocean Transportation Intermediaries (“OTIs”), and indirect air carriers (“IACs”). Many existing FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) laws were created or modified by MAP-21 in an attempt to improve regulation of the domestic transportation of freight and passengers.  Unfortunately, MAP-21 also created some ambiguity […]