Navigating the intricate landscape of shipping fees and surcharges within the freight industry can be an overwhelming endeavor, leaving many feeling lost in its complexities. Fear not, though, for you are not alone. We're here to explain the complexities of freight charges and freight fees, equipping you with the knowledge and confidence to traverse the realm of shipping costs with adeptness and precision. Digging into freight charges, we unravel the intricacies of the various fees, from the more obvious to the lesser known. And we discuss how overall economic conditions impact freight r ..read more

The word "port" typically evokes the ocean (unless "air" precedes it), but seaports are joined by another type when it comes to freight and logistics. Inland ports represent key transport hubs as well, typically combining rail, trucking, storage and even some of the wet stuff - sans salt. An inland port is a large-scale shipping and trade center located a distance from the coast which can serve as a distribution facility for products to move to their final destination - largely thanks to the shipping container ..read more

Entering a new field can be daunting, especially for women and other diverse groups. But fostering supply chain opportunities for everyone is vital to carry the industry forward, according to Michelle Livingstone, the guest on Episode 33 of InTek Freight & Logistics: The Podcast. Michelle is a worthy example to follow, as during her more than 30-year career, she served in leadership roles with notable companies including Kraft Foods, JC Penney and, most recently, Home Depot. We talk with Michelle about her career, and the work she continues to do to cultivate future leaders, particularly ..read more

Less than truckload vs full truckload is a choice shippers have to make every day in their operation. Choosing the right (or wrong) shipping method can significantly impact a business's efficiency, customer growth and bottom line.  In this article we'll compare Less Than Truckload vs Full Truckload and provide shipping tips on best practices. Both shipping methods present two fundamentally different approaches to transporting goods, each with its own set of freight shipment advantages.  ..read more

With so much talk about shipping cross border between the U.S. and Mexico in recent months - including on this podcast - we turn our focus to a storied class 1 railroad and its operations in both countries. For the latest episode of InTek Freight & Logistics: The Podcast, we welcome Beto Vargas, VP of Mexico Sales and Marketing for Union Pacific Railroad to discuss UP's 30-plus year history with Mexico freight rail, the services it offers today and what to expect from nearshoring moving forward. Beto goes over the intermodal opportunity between the two countries with UP's Falcon and ..read more

Intermodal savings is a big part of why shippers in the know often choose the mode over truck options. But those hesitant to use the road-rail combination cite concerns about service compared to strictly over-the-road solutions. To get a complete picture of both the savings and service landscape for intermodal, we welcome Ari Ashe with the Journal of Commerce to the latest episode of InTek Freight & Logistics: The Podcast.  Ari discusses two offerings he provides through JOC that put numbers to both - the Intermodal Savings Index (ISI) and the Intermodal Service Scorecard. He tells u ..read more

Bourbon shipping is a delicate process, as is any form of liquor freight movement due to the fragility of both the bottles and their contents. But producers in Kentucky's Bourbon Country and beyond must move their precious cargo across the U.S. - and around the world - to eager consumers in a reliable, cost-effective manor. In other words, a solution is needed to get American whiskey and other spirits from distilleries to bottlers (sometimes one in the same) to drinkers ..read more

Rail intermodal utilizes both rail and truck freight transportation modes to complete a door-to-door shipment for a shipper's surface transportation requirements. By merging the efficiency of railroad transport with the flexibility of trucking, products can move vast distances at reduced freight costs and with a more favorable carbon footprint than trucking.  ..read more

When shippers are deciding on the right freight mode, intermodal tends to come up only when the trip is long haul. But in the southeast U.S., the Florida East Coast Railway, also known as FEC, offers an on-rail alternative that can cover shorter distances - often faster than truck. It's an option many dealing with Florida shipping don't consider, but from Miami to Jacksonville, intra-Florida intermodal is a real, competitive solution for plenty of scenarios. And connections with other railroads - or trucks - can take loads to locations like Atlanta, Charlotte or even points beyond - with subs ..read more

The leap month of February continued a guardedly positive trend for the Logistics Managers' Index (LMI), as all eight sub-metrics remained in expansion territory for the second straight month. The overall index rose 0.9 to 56.5 last month, so the growth was less pronounced than the five point margin from December to January. But still, growth is growth. Transportation Prices stayed in the black, up 1.8 to 57.6 - marking that metric's fastest growth rate in nearly two years. Transportation Utilization was basically in lockstep, up 1.5 to 56.5. However, Transportation Capacity bounced back up a ..read more