Executive applied lessons from KLM Cargo to grow US carrier’s cargo business
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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 |
MON · AUG 17 · 2026 |
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Register today for the Houston International Maritime Conference (HIMC26) happening this November in Downtown Houston. Our agenda is out now! Buy your early bird ticket by August 31.
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AIR · LEADERSHIP
BY ERIC KULISCH · AMERICAN SHIPPER · AUG 14, 2026
United Airlines Cargo President Jan Krems, who spent 12 years leading the division after 27 years at KLM Cargo, is retiring at the end of September; managing director Chris Busch will succeed him.
| THE TAKE — Krems built United Cargo into a $1.78 billion business on freight-forwarder relationships and a pandemic-era freighter-conversion push, all without a dedicated freighter fleet — shippers should watch whether Busch keeps leaning on belly capacity and charters or pushes United toward owning more dedicated freight assets. |
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AIR · CARGO CAPACITY
DHL Express has completed a $204 million expansion of its Shenzhen Bao’an gateway, tripling daily capacity to 992 tons and adding a new Boeing 767 freighter route linking Shanghai, Bangkok, Bahrain and Brussels.
| THE TAKE — The buildout targets semiconductor, life-sciences and energy shipments moving between China, the Middle East and Europe — shippers routing time-sensitive freight through South China should expect faster transit options as the automated terminal ramps toward its 286,000-ton annual throughput target. |
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OCEAN · CONTAINER SHIPPING
Yang Ming’s Q2 results significantly outpaced Q1 and last year on tariff front-loading, early peak-season demand and higher rates, pushing first-half consolidated revenue to $2.62 billion, even as the carrier warned that trade protectionism and geopolitical risk could make the second half more volatile.
| THE TAKE — Red Sea diversions and slower sailing speeds are quietly absorbing capacity that would otherwise pressure rates lower — shippers locking in ocean contracts should factor in that this capacity drag, not just demand, is propping up pricing heading into peak season. |
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RAIL · CARGO THEFT
Five men were arrested after one suspect allegedly fired a handgun at a BNSF police officer during an attempted cargo burglary on a moving freight train near Devore, California; all five face cargo theft and conspiracy charges.
| THE TAKE — The shooting escalates an already costly problem for rail shippers — task forces are increasingly finding armed crews willing to board moving trains, reinforcing the case for tamper-evident seals and real-time load tracking on Southern California intermodal corridors. |
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RAIL · M&A
Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern enlisted four former federal antitrust officials to rebut a letter from seven Republican state attorneys general opposing their transcontinental merger, arguing the objections are "conjecture — not proof."
| THE TAKE — STB Chairman Patrick Fuchs says the merger will be judged on its own record regardless of who’s filing — shippers should keep tracking the substance of proposed remedies like Committed Gateway Pricing rather than the volume of political pressure from either side. |
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OCT 27–28, 2026 · THE SIGNAL AT CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO · 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 for a buy-one-get-one ticket offer.
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American Shipper · The Daily — published weekdays
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