Transportation giant could become dominant player if it forces union drivers to strike, says Jindel
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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 |
WED · AUG 12 · 2026 |
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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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ROAD · LABOR
BY ERIC KULISCH · AMERICAN SHIPPER · AUG 11, 2026
Analyst Satish Jindel says UPS’s 2028 contract talks with the Teamsters will reshape the parcel market, warning the union’s current roughly $65-an-hour compensation package is unsustainable against FedEx’s $35–$39 and regional rivals paying as little as $15.
| THE TAKE — Whichever way UPS leans — hardlining wages and expanding its Roadie gig platform, or capitulating on pay — the fallout ripples to FedEx, Amazon and USPS; shippers negotiating parcel contracts two years out should watch for early signals of which path UPS takes with its roughly 330,000 Teamsters. |
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OCEAN · CONTAINER SHIPPING
Trans-Pacific container rates keep climbing on stronger-than-expected demand, with Asia-U.S. East Coast rates reaching a fresh 2026 high near $9,400 per FEU and West Coast rates up 11% to about $7,400 per FEU.
| THE TAKE — The National Retail Federation just revised its outlook away from an expected fall pullback — shippers banking on rates easing into September should build in more cushion, especially on West Coast lanes where prices have jumped $1,300/FEU since the start of the month. |
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OCEAN · PORTS
New Long Beach Harbor Commission President Steven Neal is backing the port’s push to double container throughput to 20 million TEUs by 2050 and go zero-emissions, including the Pier B rail project meant to cut rail dwell time from four days to 24 hours.
| THE TAKE — The Pier B on-dock rail buildout is the piece to watch for import planning — cutting rail dwell from days to hours could meaningfully shift how shippers route West Coast cargo once it’s online. |
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OCEAN · POLICY
President Trump extended the Jones Act waiver another 90 days, but analysts say the move shaves only pennies per gallon off gas prices given high international tanker rates and limited volumes — about 54 million barrels have moved under the waiver so far.
| THE TAKE — The real signal here isn’t the price relief, which is minimal, but the gaps the waiver exposed in bulk propane and asphalt capacity under the Jones Act fleet — shippers in those niches should treat the extension as a stopgap, not a fix. |
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TRADE · CROSS-BORDER
CBP officers at Laredo’s World Trade Bridge and Juarez-Lincoln Bridge intercepted two separate smuggling attempts in July — one hidden in a bell-pepper hauler’s cab, the other in a passenger vehicle — totaling nearly 88 pounds of cocaine worth roughly $1.18 million.
| THE TAKE — Produce loads crossing at Laredo are drawing extra secondary-inspection scrutiny after these back-to-back seizures — carriers and brokers moving perishables through that crossing should expect slower dwell times at the bridge in the near term. |
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OCT 27–28, 2026 · THE SIGNAL · CHATTANOOGA, TN
FreightWaves’ flagship event blends the latest FreightTech with rapid-fire demos and world-class speakers with the most legendary networking in logistics. Register by Aug. 24 and enjoy a Buy One, Get One special to bring yourself and a colleague.
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American Shipper · The Daily — published weekdays
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