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The day’s most important moves across every mode — air, rail, road, ocean and the trade that ties them together.
| ● On the Wire |
THU · AUG 6 · 2026 |
5 stories |
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Port Houston is investing in infrastructure like expanding the Houston Ship Channel to support larger ships and more efficient flow of cargo. Choose Port Houston for your cargo needs.
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AIR · EARNINGS
BY ERIC KULISCH · AMERICAN SHIPPER · AUG 5, 2026
DHL Group’s second-quarter operating profit jumped 30% to roughly $2.1 billion as revenue climbed 13% to about $25.9 billion, with Express leading the gains on a return to shipment-weight growth and roughly $171 million in benefits from tight international air freight capacity. The company raised its full-year 2026 EBIT guidance to more than $7.5 billion.
| THE TAKE — The real driver here isn’t volume, it’s weight and yield — DHL is carrying fewer but heavier, denser shipments at better rates, a mix shift shippers negotiating express and forwarding contracts should expect to persist as long as Middle East-driven air capacity stays constrained. |
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OCEAN · SECURITY
The Indian-flagged vessel Oliya sank after an explosives-laden boat struck it roughly 13 nautical miles south of the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah, Yemen; all 14 crew members were rescued. It’s the fourth such attack since the start of August as the U.S.-Iran conflict in the Strait of Hormuz spreads into the wider Red Sea shipping corridor.
| THE TAKE — Four attacks in a matter of days is an escalation, not an outlier — carriers and cargo insurers routing anywhere near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait should treat this as a live-risk corridor again, and shippers who quietly drifted back toward Suez this year may want to revisit Cape of Good Hope contingency plans. |
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PORTS · SAFETY
David Deon Smith, 53, a member of International Longshoremen’s Association Local 333, died Aug. 3 after being struck by a piece of cargo-handling equipment while helping unload large crane parts at the Port of Baltimore’s Dundalk Marine Terminal. OSHA and Maryland Transportation Authority Police are investigating.
| THE TAKE — Rare doesn’t mean random — heavy-lift and breakbulk moves like crane-part unloading carry outsized risk precisely because they’re infrequent, and terminal operators handling similar cargo should treat this as a prompt to double-check lashing and spotter protocols on any non-routine lift. |
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MARITIME · POLICY
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Tuesday another temporary Jones Act waiver extension is "quite likely" as the current suspension nears its Aug. 16 expiration, with U.S. gas prices still averaging above $4 a gallon. The waiver lets foreign-flag vessels move crude oil, refined fuel, natural gas liquids and fertilizer between U.S. ports.
| THE TAKE — Domestic maritime operators should watch the scope, not just the yes/no — reporting suggests the administration may narrow the waiver’s geographic or commodity coverage this round under pressure from Jones Act carriers and lawmakers, which would matter far more to coastwise shippers than a simple extension. |
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RAIL · CARLOADS
AAR’s weekly rail traffic report shows metallic ores and metals up about 9% and farm products excluding grain up about 5% for the week ending Aug. 1, even as total carloads dipped slightly on weaker coal, chemicals and motor vehicle shipments. Combined U.S. rail traffic was still up 2.4% year over year on intermodal strength.
| THE TAKE — The metallic ores and metals gain is the one worth tracking — it’s the category most tied to steel production and industrial building activity, and its continued strength is a cleaner read on manufacturing demand than the intermodal headline number, which is being carried by e-commerce and import flows rather than factory output. |
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OCT 27–28, 2026 · THE SIGNAL AT CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO · CHATTANOOGA, TN
FreightWaves’ flagship event blends rapid-fire tech demos and world-class speakers with the most legendary networking in logistics. Join 1,000+ freight and logistics experts, industry leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators for a definitive look at the year ahead. Come for the insights, stay for the celebration and leave with the connections that will define your 2027.
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American Shipper · The Daily — published weekdays
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